Liberace Musical ALL THAT GLITTERS, Starring Richard Kline, Aims for Broadway in 2014-15; Eyes Fall 2014 Debut in Toronto

"ALL THAT GLITTERS", an unauthorized biography of a ground-breaking legend, an opulent musical event about the greatest showman on earth is on its way to Broadway for the 2014-15 season, directed and choreographed by Alexander deJong. The show features Music and Lyrics by Mr. DeJong, Book by Mr. DeJong and James A. Walsh, and Additional Music by Tom Nelson. The show will star Richard Kline as Wladziu Valentino Liberace.

The creative team features costumes by Bob Mackie, scenery by John Arnone, lighting by Howell Binkley and musical and vocal supervision by Jack Lee.

After a very successful and expansive New York workshop production, Dutch-American theatrical visionary Alexander deJong's opulent and lush Liberace musical, "ALL THAT GLITTERS" is preparing for its 2014-2015 Broadway Season Premiere.

Best defined as an eleven-years-in-the-making, gigantic musical event about the greatest showman on earth, a man whose single name changed the global entertainment industry into a money machine and a guaranteed good time, "ALL THAT GLITTERS" is on its way to establish the Liberace brand on Broadway, the most iconic address on the entertainment map and the only one Liberace did not conquer.

Now in talks with theatres in Toronto, Canada for the musical's Fall 2014 World Premiere, Mr. DeJong is calling his profoundly brilliant creative team to the conference table in order to narrow the field of Broadway houses that can sufficiently hold the team's opulent designs for a December 2014 Broadway Opening.

To define the show as stunningly gorgeous would be understating the show's glittering and thrilling theatrical effects that are being created by the breathtaking combination of its three award-winning, world-renowned designers.

Baldwin Pianos, now a subsidiary of Gibson Guitar Corporation and the original sponsor of Liberace himself, will supply the various pianos for the Broadway production, including the last one Liberace ever played, the Swarovski rhinestone-encrusted piano that was on stage at the legendary and record-breaking 1986 run at Radio City Music Hall. Two global jewelry companies are being approached to gallantly meet Mr. DeJong's outrageously blinged-to-the-millionth-degree challenge; the wrapping of the chosen Broadway and out-of-town Theatres in diamond crystals, the outcome of which will be seen from Space when the rising Manhattan sun drenches their bedazzling design.

Directed and choreographed by Alexander deJong, "ALL THAT GLITTERS" has a book by Mr. DeJong and James A. Walsh, music and lyrics by Mr. DeJong and additional music by Tom Nelson. The Creative Team includes Bob Mackie (Costumes), John Arnone (Scenery) and Howell Binkley (Lighting). Broadway's revered Jack Lee is providing the Musical and Vocal Supervision. AX Productions, Inc. is producing. Town Square Productions' Don Frantz and Laurie Brown are General Managing.

Wladziu Valentino Liberace will be played by three men. Richard Kline will play him as the emotionally wrecked superstar who reinvented television, kidnapped Las Vegas and unapologetically cleaned up financially in Europe. Final decisions are still to be made as to the two men who will play the maestro as a child prodigy in Milwaukee and as the neutron explosion that was Lee's ascension to stardom.

"ALL THAT GLITTERS" is as dramatic as Mr. Liberace's life, every bit as funny as he was, and even more spectacular than any of the man's own shows ever were. The musical has been written, directed and choreographed as an overwhelming odyssey of opulence and an undeniable no-holds-barred tribute to the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century. Launching with the nearly mythical audition by a ten-year-old Liberace on the great stage of the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee, "ALL THAT GLITTERS" rockets through a career that defied reason in its stratospheric trajectory. Liberace believed that just-plain-folks wanted to see the kind of "stuff" they would never have. He was also convinced they wanted to hear the most profound music ever written throughout the ages. He was right on both counts.

With the money that the world's audiences threw at his feet he bought Louis XIV furniture, candelabra from the Palace of Versailles, one of the only five Phantom V Limousine Rolls Royces in existence, diamond encrusted coats, bejeweled pianos and plastic surgery. Lots of plastic surgery.

His control of an audience wrote the rock star handbook. His musicianship was revered by the greatest piano manufacturers on earth; as it still is today. At home, his father broke his heart. His mother smothered his soul. And. His boyfriends ruined his life. But all of this emotional carnage was drowned out by the deafening ovations of audiences all over the world.

That is until the phone rang one day in the most expensive mansion in Las Vegas - his - and the voice on the other end of the line calmly announced to Mr. Liberace's secretary, "This is the Doctor's office, the blood-test results are in and the Doctor would like to see Mr. Liberace right away."

ABOUT Alexander deJong

Alexander deJong recently directed the staged readings of ZARRA, Unmasked at Last, a new musical comedy in development, starring Chita Rivera, for which Mr. DeJong also wrote the book, music and lyrics. Alexander was an original cast member of the Tony Award-winning revival of 42nd Street on Broadway. Alexander also appeared on Broadway in My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain. It was during this show that Alexander forged long-term working relationships with both renowned choreographer Donald Saddler and musical director/conductor Jack Lee. Mr. Lee became the musical director for Steps in Time, a new musical co-authored and staged by Alexander at The Henry Miller Theatre in NYC, starring Milo O'Shea and Helen Gallagher. Steps in Time was a finalist for The Richard Rogers Award. Alexander assisted Tony Award-winning choreographer Donald Saddler on various projects, including the revival of No, No, Nanette at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

ABOUT Richard Kline

Richard Kline is known by millions of TV watchers as 'Larry Dallas' on the classic sitcom Three's Company, which has enjoyed cult status on TV Land, Nick at Nite and syndication worldwide. He recently co-starred with Tyne Daly in the musical It Shoulda Been You, directed by David Hyde Pierce. Prior to that he was seen as the Wizard in the National Tour of Wicked . Richard made his Broadway debut in the musical City of Angels, his film debut in Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights, and his television debut on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Prior toWicked he filled in for Nathan Lane in the Broadway production of David Mamet's November, directed by Joe Mantello. He has performed his solo show Boychik at New York's Theatre Four and at many venues throughout the United States and Canada. After serving as a lieutenant in Vietnam, Richard made his professional debut at the prestigious Lincoln Center Repertory Company in 1971. Regional theater credits include Death of a Salesman, Chemin de Fer with Dennis Franz, the title role of Henry V at The Folger Shakespeare Theater. At the Kennedy Center he starred in How I Got that Story directed by Carole Rothman and co-starring David Morse. Richard has appeared in many musicals including They're Playing Our Song, Do I Hear A Waltz?, The Rothschilds, Titanic and Hello Again. In the American premiere of Andrew Lloyd Weber's By Jeeves, he played Jeeves both at the Goodspeed Opera and The Kennedy Center. The production was directed by Sir Alan Ayckbourn. He has done 6 Neil Simon's plays, including a tour of Canada in Jake's Women. Among his many television credits are Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, That 70's Show, NYPD Blue, Dream On, LA Law, St. Elsewhere. As a director, Richard won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for his direction of Noel Coward's Present Laughter. He has directed three Oscar-nominees, Bruce Davison, Burt Reynolds and Billy Connolly in their television series. Other directing credits include Rumors (with Bernie Koppel), Rough Crossing, The Great Sebastians, Breaking Legs (with Pat Harrington), and the Theatre League tour of Leader of the Packwith Sha Na Nah. Richard grew up in New York City, attended Queens College and holds a Masters in Theatre from Northwestern University.

Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg