Pioneer's MAN OF LA MANCHA Stars William Michals, Maria Eberlane & More, Now thru 5/19

Pioneer Theatre Company presents Man of La Mancha, the musical staging of the epic tale of Don Quixote, tonight, May 4 through May 19, 2012.

Man of La Mancha is a story of swashbuckling imagination, romance and adventure, as Don Quixote de la Mancha ardently pursues the quest of his “Impossible Dream” in the face of all the obstacles the world can put before him. The show also includes musical favorites “Dulcinea,” “Little Bird, Little Bird,” and “I, Don Quixote.”

The production will be directed by PTC Artistic Director Charles Morey, and stars Broadway actor William Michals as Don Quixote.

William Michals plays Don Quixote. Michals recently starred on Broadway as Emile de Becque in the Tony Award-winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center. Other Broadway roles include The Beast (and later Gaston) in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Javert in Les Misérables, Billy Flynn in Chicago, Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel and the title role in Phantom. Michals regularly appears with America’s leading symphony orchestras at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and has appeared multiple times with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall.

Maria Eberline plays Aldonza, the beautiful, but rough, scullery maid who is the object of Don Quixote’s affections. Eberline recently made her Broadway debut in Wicked covering the role of Elphaba. Her tours include Wicked (First National Tour), Fame (National Tour), Evita (European Tour/recording) and Grease (European Tour). Regional credits include Evita (Eva), Jekyll and Hyde (Lucy), West Side Story (Anita) and Once Upon a Mattress (Winnifred), directed by Carol Burnett. Film/TV: Falling (directed by Richard Dutcher), Endgame (directed by John Ruby), and the acclaimed new web-series, 12 Steps to Recovery (directed by Tony Klomax).

Daniel Marcus plays Quixote’s devoted, lovable sidekick Sancho Panza. Marcus’ Broadway credits include 1776, Woman in White, A Christmas Carol and Urinetown, in which he created the role of Officer Barrel. He has appeared in The Adding Machine and Our Town, both directed by the MacArthur Genius Grant recipient David Cromer in New York. His TV and film credits include Law and Order: SVU and You Don't Know Jack for HBO. Marcus returns to PTC where he appeared as L. Salem Strauss in Paint Your Wagon and as Nicely-Nicely in Guys and Dolls.

Dirk Lumbard plays the role of the dubious but supportive Innkeeper who dubs Don Quixote “Knight of the Woeful Countenance.” Lumbard’s Broadway credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Music Man, Imaginary Friends, On Your Toes, Barnum and Sugar Babies. Off-Broadway, he has appeared in Flora, the Red Menace and Dames at Sea, and his national tour credits include The Wizard of Oz, Grand Hotel and Crazy For You. He returns to PTC after choreographing last season’s production of White Christmas and appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and, recently, as Rooster in Annie.

Bill Nabel plays the Padre who ministers to Don Quixote. On stage, Nabel appeared in eight Broadway shows: the original A Chorus Line as Al, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as Lumiere, Sweeney Todd as Pirelli, 42nd Street as Bert Barry, Home Sweet Homer as Melios, Ain’t Broadway Grand as Max, Evita and The Most Happy Fella; he has logged over 9400 performances on Broadway. Also an author of some note, his new play Lying to Spielberg played at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last year. He returns to PTC after last season’s Sunset Boulevard.

Gerritt VanderMeer plays the unyielding foe to Cervantes, Dr. Carrasco. VanderMeer appeared at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City as Harold Hill in the National Touring Company of The Music Man. His regional credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Old Globe, Trinity Repertory Company, York Theatre Company, Geva Theatre, and many, many more. In film, he can be seen in Men in Black III, The English Teacher, Maid of Honor, The Forest is Red and on television in The Good Wife, Rescue Me, Ugly Betty, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Stream, All My Children and As The World Turns.

The ensemble features Actors’ Equity members STEVEN FEHR as The Barber, Enrique Acevedo as The Head Muleteer, Tony Guerrero as Anselmo, Neva Rae Powers as The Housekeeper, CHRISTINE MOORE as Fermina, and Nicholas Ward as Tenorio. Other Equity ensemble members are DAVID MARMANILLO, JUSTIN IVIE, Paul Kiernan, DANIEL T. SIMONS and Eric Lee Brotherson.

The cast is rounded out by JESSICA KENNEDY, featured as Antonia, MICHELLE BLAKE, featured as The Innkeeper’s Wife, and local actors JEFFRY SKIBA, SARA KAE CHILDS, PRESTON YATES and MATTHEW JAY ROMRIELL in the ensemble.

PTC’s Artistic Director CHARLES MOREY directs the production. Morey has directed over eighty productions for PTC since he joined the theatre in 1984, including the world premieres of Touch(ed) and In, and the first regional productions of Les Misérables, The Producers, and The Vertical Hour. He is the author of nine plays including this season’s comedy Laughing Stock. He is a Fellow of the MacDowell Colony.

JAYNE LUKE choreographs the production. In addition to being an accomplished actress, Luke has choreographed several productions for PTC. Other PTC choreography credits include Sunset Boulevard, Emma, The Yellow Leaf, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pride and Prejudice, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Phantom, Big River and Evita, among many others.

Scenic design is by PTC resident artist George Maxwell. Some of Maxwell’s PTC designs include Next to Normal, Rent, Sunset Boulevard, Chicago, Les Misérables, The Importance of Being Earnest, West Side Story, Proof, Peter Pan and Miss Saigon. He has designed the sets for Utah Opera Company’s The Coronation of Poppea and The Ballad of Baby Doe, productions for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and 21 productions for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Maxwell is a member of United Scenic Artists.

CAROL WELLS-DAY designs costumes for this production. Wells-Day is one of PTC’s resident costume designers and the costume shop supervisor. Her recent designs for PTC include Next to Normal, Sunset Boulevard, Dracula, Is He Dead?, Dial ‘M’ for Murder and The Light in the Piazza, among dozens of others. She was assistant designer for Inherit the Wind at the Ford Theatre in Washington D.C., and worked for the Utah Shakespeare Festival for 13 years as a costume shop supervisor and designer.

Lighting design is by guest designer Phil Monat. Monat’s Broadway designs include Legends starring Joan Collins and Linda Evans, Sly Fox starring Richard Dreyfuss, Finian’s Rainbow, Sally Marr & Her Escorts and Three From Brooklyn. Recent off-Broadway designs include Woman Before A Glass (Obie Award), Adult Entertainment, American Rhapsody, Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill and Visiting Mr. Green. He returns to PTC after lighting several productions, including Hamlet, Touch(ed), My Fair Lady and Chicago – among many others.

Hair and makeup design is by PTC resident designer AMANDA FRENCH. Sound design is by PTC resident designer MATTHEW TIBBS.

Pioneer Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah’s only fully professional theatre, performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is also available and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.

http://www.pioneertheatre.org/2011-2012-season/man-of-la-mancha/

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