Andrew Samonsky Joins Carolee Carmello, George Hearn and More in SCANDALOUS

This fall, Andrew Samonsky returns to Broadway in the new musical SCANDALOUS: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson.

Samonsky, who made his Broadway debut in the Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning production of Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, joins the SCANDALOUS cast in the dual roles of Harold McPherson, Aimee's second husband; and Kenneth Ormiston, the sound engineer hired by Aimee to produce her radio show during the height of her nationwide evangelic superstardom.

Featuring book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford and music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman, SCANDALOUS begins performances at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre (250 W. 52nd St.) on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

Opening Night is set for Thursday, November 15 (6:30 p.m.). Tickets for SCANDALOUS go on-sale to the general public this Monday, August 20. Visit www.ScandalousOnBroadway.com for complete details.

This year, Samonsky received a Drama Desk Award nomination for the role of Frank Russell in Michael John LaChiusa's Queen of the Mist Off-Broadway. Last year he originated roles in James Lapine and William Finn's Little Miss Sunshine as Joshua Rose at La Jolla Playhouse, and in the Scissor Sisters' Tales of the City as Beauchamp Day at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Samonsky also seen appeared in the role of Tyler in City Center's recent Encores! production of Merrily We Roll Along.

SCANDALOUS stars two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello (Sister Act, Mamma Mia, Parade) as Aimee Semple McPherson, two-time Tony Award winner George Hearn (Sunset Blvd., La Cage aux Folles, Sweeney Todd) as James Kennedy and Brother Bob, Edward Watts (Finian's Rainbow) as Robert Semple and David Hutton, and Roz Ryan (Chicago, Dreamgirls) as Emma Jo Schaeffer.

The ensemble cast for SCANDALOUS includes Nick Cartell, Hannah Chin, Joseph Dellger, Erica Dorfler, Carlos L. Encinias, Corey Greenan, Benjamin J. Howes, Karen Hyland, Alison Luff, Jesse Nager, Sam Strasfeld, Betsy Struxness, Elizabeth Ward Land, Billie Wildrick, Dan'yelle Williamson and Matt Wolfe.

Additional casting will be announced soon.

Directed by David Armstrong, SCANDALOUS is based on the life of Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), the world's first media superstar evangelist -- a woman whose passion for saving souls equaled her passion for making sensational headlines and attracting overflow crowds of thousands throughout the world. Time Magazine named Aimee Semple McPherson one the most influential people of the twentieth century.

Set in 1920's Los Angeles, holiness collides with Hollywood in this extraordinary tale of one remarkable woman's charismatic rise to fame amidst scandalous love affairs and growing controversy, inevitably ending in her much-publicized fall from grace.

With choreography by Lorin Latarro (Fanny at City Center) and musical direction by Joel Fram, SCANDALOUS features scenic design by Walt Spangler (Desire Under the Elms), costume design by Gregory A. Poplyk (Broadway debut), lighting design by Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Once, Aida), sound design by Ken Travis (Newsies, Memphis) and orchestrations by Tony Award winner Bruce Coughlin (The Light in the Piazza).

SCANDALOUS: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson is produced by Dick and Betsy DeVos, Foursquare Foundation and in association with The 5th Avenue Theatre (David Armstrong, Executive Producer and Artistic Director; Bernadine Griffin, Managing Director; Bill Berry, Producing Director) and Jeffrey Finn, Executive Producer.