Two-time Tony Award nominee Howard McGillin has joined the cast of the upcoming new musical REBECCA, based on the classic novel by Daphne Du Maurier novel, opening on Broadway Sunday, April 22 at The Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street). Previews will begin Tuesday, March 27. McGillin will play the role of Frank Crawley, replacing previously announced John Dossett (who will appear in another show this season). McGillin joins Sierra Boggess (“I”), Tam Mutu (Maxim deWinter), Karen Mason (Mrs. Danvers), James Barbour (Jack Favell), Donna English (Beatrice de Winter), Nick Wyman (Giles) and Henry Stram (Ben).
Based on the classic Daphne Du Maurier novel (and later turned into an Oscar-winning film by Alfred Hitchcock), REBECCA is the story of Maxim de Winter, his new wife (“I”) and Mrs. Danvers, the controlling and manipulative housekeeper of Maxim’s West Country estate of Manderley – where the memory of his first wife, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, still casts a shadow.
Best known for his record-setting performance in the title role in “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, Howard McGillin is currently appearing at the Irish Repertory Theatre in “A Child’s Christmas In Wales.” Recent appearances include the premiere of the new musical “It Shoulda Been You” with Tyne Daly at The George Street Playhouse, and a successful solo run at the Algonquin’s fabled Oak Room. He appeared in last season’s “Where’s Charley” with Encores. Howard starred in the Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman musical “Bounce” directed by Harold Prince in its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and later in its Kennedy Center run in Washington, D.C., where his performance was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award. Other leading roles on Broadway have included “She Loves Me”, “The Kiss Of The Spider Woman”, “Anything Goes” (for which he earned Tony and Drama Desk nominations), “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Theatre World Award) and “Sunday in the Park with George”. On London’s West End, Howard starred in “Mack and Mabel” and in “Anything Goes”. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his New York theatrical debut in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of “La Bohème”. He has sung on concert stages around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center to the Israel Philharmonic Hall in Tel Aviv. Having recorded many audio books and narrated numerous episodes of Nature for PBS, he has also provided voices for the animated feature films “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” and “The Swan Princess”. His solo CD “Howard McGillin: Where Time Stands Still” is available online at cdbaby.com.
REBECCA features original book and lyrics by Michael Kunze, music by Sylvester Levay, English book adaptation by two-time Tony Award winner Christopher Hampton (Sunset Boulevard), English lyrics by Hampton and Kunze, and direction by Tony Award-winner Michael Blakemore (Kiss Me, Kate; City of Angeles; Noises Off) and Francesca Zambello (Little Mermaid). Multiple Tony-nominated director/choreographer Graciela Daniele (Ragtime) will create the musical staging for the show. Scenic design is by Peter J. Davidson, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting by Mark McCullough, sound by Peter Fitzgerald, special effects by Gregory Meeh and projections by Sven Ortel. Musical direction and supervision is by Kevin Stites. REBECCA will be produced on Broadway by Ben Sprecher, Louise Forlenza, The Shubert Organization, David Mirvish/ DC Tours Pty Limited, Nanda Anand and Peter Bogyo , in association with Tony Fusco and Larry Feinman, by special arrangement with/and based on the Vereinigte Buhnen Wien GmbH production.
