Cerveris and Gemignani to Star in Sondheim's ROAD SHOW (Formerly BOUNCE) at Public Theater

By: Aug. 12, 2008
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The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) announced complete casting for the New York premiere of ROAD SHOW, a new musical featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, and direction and scenic design by John Doyle.  Road Show was originally titled Bounce. The cast of 15 will feature Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani as the two Mizner brothers. ROAD SHOW will begin previews on Tuesday, October 28 and run through Sunday, December 28 with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 18.  Tickets go on-sale to the general public on Sunday, October 12 but Public Theater memberships are available now.

"Over the last three years, John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim have done transformative work on the project we have now re-titled Road Show," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis.  "John Doyle has assembled an extraordinary team of actor/singers, and I am confident that the result will be a revelation."

Spanning 40 years from the Alaskan Gold Rush to the Florida real estate boom in the '30s, ROAD SHOW is the story of two brothers whose quest for the American dream turns into a test of morality and judgment that changes their lives in unexpected ways.

The cast of ROAD SHOW features Michael Cerveris (John Doyle's Sweeney Todd on Broadway) as Wilson Mizner; Alma Cuervo (Wicked National Tour) as Mama; Aisha de Haas (Caroline, or Change on Broadway) in the Ensemble; Claybourne Elder (White Widow at Times Square Art Center) as Hollis; Colleen Fitzpatrick (Mother Courage and Her Children at Shakespeare in the Park) in the Ensemble; Alexander Gemignani (John Doyle's Sweeney Todd on Broadway) as Addison Mizner; Mylinda Hull (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway) in the Ensemble; Mel Johnson, Jr. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) in the Ensemble; Orville Mendoza (Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park) in the Ensemble; Anne L. Nathan (Sunday in the Park With George on Broadway) in the Ensemble; Tom Nelis (Iphigenia 2.0 at Signature) in the Ensemble; William Parry (Passion on Broadway) as Papa; Matt Stocke (The Wedding Singer on Broadway) in the Ensemble; William Youmans (The Farnsworth Invention on Broadway) in the Ensemble; and Kristine Zbornik (A Catered Affair on Broadway) in the Ensemble.

John Doyle (Director) recently directed A Catered Affair on Broadway (Drama Desk nominations for Best Director and Best Musical). He received the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Awards as Outstanding Director of a Musical for his Broadway debut, Sweeney Todd. His Broadway production of Company won the Tony for Best Musical Revival. Last season, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut with Peter Grimes. His other recent opera credits include The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (LA Opera) and Lucia de Lammermoor (Scottish Opera). He won UK Best Musical Awards for The Gondoliers (West End), Fiddler on the Roof and Moll Flanders with nominations for four other productions including Mack and Mabel (also West End). Doyle has been Artistic Director of four prestigious UK regional theatres and has directed numerous new and classic plays, most recently Amadeus at Wilton's Music Hall.

Stephen Sondheim (Music and Lyrics) wrote the music and lyrics for Saturday Night, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, The Frogs, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park With George, Into the Woods, Assassins, and Passion, as well as lyrics for West Side Story, Gypsy, Do I Hear a Waltz? and additional lyrics for Candide. Side by Side by Sondheim, Marry Me A Little, You're Gonna Love Tomorrow and Putting It Together are anthologies of his work as composer and lyricist. For films, he composed the score of Stavisky, co-composed Reds and wrote songs for Dick Tracy and the television production "Evening Primrose." He co-authored the film The Last of Sheila and the play Getting Away With Murder.  Sondheim is the winner of eight Tony Awards (including one for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Kennedy Center Honor. He is on the Council of the Dramatists Guild and served as its President from 1973 to 1981.

John Weidman (Book) received a Tony nomination for Best Book for the original production of Pacific Overtures. He wrote the book for Assassins (2004 Tony Award, Best Musical Revival), score by Stephen Sondheim, and the book for Big (Tony nomination, Best Book), score by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. Weidman co-authored, with Timothy Crouse, the new book for Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes (Tony Award, Best Musical Revival; Olivier Award, Best Musical Production). He co-created Contact (Tony nomination, Best Book; Tony Award, Best Musical) with choreographer/director Susan Stroman. Since 1986, he has written for "Sesame Street," receiving 11 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Children's Program. Weidman is president of the Dramatists Guild of America.

TICKET INFORMATION

ROAD SHOW will begin previews on Tuesday, October 28 and will run through Sunday, December 28 with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 18 at 7 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays thru Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street.  Tickets are $80 for Saturday evening performances and $70 for all other performances. Student tickets are available in advance, at the box office only, for $25 (1 per ID).  There are a limited number of Rush Tickets sold an hour before curtain at every performance available to the general public (Two per person, $20 each, cash only).

To purchase tickets, please call (212) 967-7555 or visit www.publictheater.org.

Photo Credits Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.


 


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