BWW Exclusive: Creative Teams Revealed for MUNY Summer Shows - Tartaglia, Jay-Alexander, Jones, Lenz, Ruggiero, Griffin, Bruni & More

Executive Producer Mike Isaacson announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for its 2013 Season, which opens on June 17 with Monty Python's Spamalot. "This is a phenomenally talented group of artists, and I'm thrilled to be working with all of them. Last season our audience inspired us to take many risks and push ourselves far. These directors and choreographers are already working on ways to top last season's level of excitement and excellence."

Monty Python's
Spamalot
(June 17-23)

Denis Jones (Director/Choreographer) returns to The Muny after directing/choreographing the 2012 acclaimed production of Chicago, and choreographing the premiere of Pirates!. Chicago was selected by Judy Newmark of the St. Louis Post Distpatch as 2012's "Best Musical Big and Bold!" He recently choreographed Fifth Avenue's production of Elf!. Denis is currently choreographing the new musical Nerds. Other credits include Jane Krakowski in The Laziest Gal in Town (Town Hall, NYC), Damn Yankees (Paper Mill Playhouse/5th Ave theatres), ...Forum and She Loves Me (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Piece of My Heart (NY Stage and Film), Disaster! (Triad, NYC), and LiberTy Smith (Ford's Theater). Denis was the associate choreographer for Broadway's Legally Blonde and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Recent projects include Legally Blonde (North Carolina Theatre) and the Broadway-bound Honeymoon in Vegas.

Ben Whiteley (Music Director) was last seen at The Muny in 2012 as music director for Pirates!. Muny: Kiss Me, Kate; Beauty and the Beast (twice); Sound of Music (twice); South Pacific; Music Man; Oklahoma!; Meet Me in St. Louis. Broadway/National Tours: The Addams Family, Spamalot, Cats, The Full Monty, Grand Hotel, Falsettos, Big. ForCarnegie Hall: Sail Away (with Elaine Stritch), Carnegie Hall Salutes Comden and Green, A Tribute to Alan Jay Lerner. Recently conducted Damn Yankees for Paper Mill Playhouse and 5^th Avenue Theatre. Ben prepared and conducted the chorus for the Sony Classics recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro. ForCity Center Encores!: Associate conductor and choral preparation for 20+ shows, including Merrily We Roll Along, Finian's Rainbow and Where's Charley?.Recent concerts: The Three Irish Tenors, Space Philharmonic. TV: Boardwalk Empire. Frequent Guest Conductor for University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program.

Dreamworks
Shrek ­- The Musical
(June 24-30)

John Tartaglia (Director) makes his Muny directorial debut after starring as The Genie in last summer's production of Disney's Aladdin. John is known as "Johnny" from Disney's Johnny and the Sprites (nomination, Daytime Emmy award, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series) on Disney Junior, World-wide. John made his Tony award-nominated Broadway debut in Avenue Q, creating the roles of Princeton and Rod. Broadway: Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast), and originated the role ofPinocchio (Shrek - The Musical). He joined PBS's Sesame Street as a puppeteer at 16 years old, where he performed for more than 10 seasons. John's latest project, ImaginOcean, is currently on international tour. While off-Broadway at New World Stages, ImaginOcean was nominated for Unique Theatrical Experience by the Drama Desk Awards. It's currently being developed with the Jim Henson Company for television, utilizing their revolutionary Digital Puppetry Studios system. John is currently resident director for Avenue Q, playing off-Broadway. He will be directing the upcoming Broadway musical, Because of Winn Dixie, written by Nell Benjamin with music by Duncan Sheik. His Production Company, Gables Grove Productions, is an up and coming multi-media family entertainment producer.

Vince Pesce (Choreographer)recently won a TINA Award for his choreography in the off-Broadway production of Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party (Acorn Theatre). He served as Kathleen Marshall's associate choreographer on the Broadway productions of Anything Goes, (2011 Tony Award - Choreography), The Pajama Game starring Harry Connick, Jr. (2006 Tony Award - Choreography), Wonderful Town (2004 Tony Award - Choreography), and Little Shop of Horrors. Vince directed/choreographed a tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the Mexico City company of Victor/Victoria and choreographed the national/international tours of 'S Wonderful(world premiere), Cinderella starring Lea Salonga, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Oliver!. Vince also directed and choreographed Good News and Something's Afoot for Goodspeed Opera House as well as The Music Man for Riverside Theatre. Other choreography credits include: A Funny Thing...Forum and Little Shop of Horrors for Paper Mill Playhouse, as well as White Christmas (Carousel Theatre), Grease (Stages St. Louis), Guys and Dolls (American Musical Theatre of San Jose), West Side Story starring Diana DeGarmo (AMTSJ), Flower Drum Song (AMTSJ), and The King & I starring Debby Boone (AMTSJ).

Greg Anthony (Musical Director) returns to The Muny after music directing Disney's Aladdin in 2012, and The Little Mermaid in 2011. Credits include Broadway's The Little Mermaid (associate musical director), the first national tour of The Lion King (associate musical director), Wonderland (conductor, additional arrangements) at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Houston Alley Theatre, and Tony Kushner's Brundibar (musical director) at the New Victory Theater and Yale Repertory Theater. Pianist: 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Orchestrations: Shine! (NYMF), Ace (Signature Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse), First You Dream: The Songs of Kander and Ebb (Signature Theater and Kennedy Center, additional orchestrations). Concert orchestrations include Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops, Indianapolis Pops, National Symphony. Master's degree from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Nunsense - Muny Style!
(July 1-7)

Dan Goggin (Production Supervisor) began his professional career singing in the Broadway production of Luther starring Albert Finney. While appearing in a comic folk-duo called The Saxons, he began writing. This led to scores for the off-Broadway musical, Hark! (in which he also appeared), the Broadway production of Legend and two revues. Goggin received the 1986 Outer Critics' Circle Awards given to Nunsense for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Music. Dan's current production of Nunset Boulevard: The Nunsense Hollywood Bowl Show is currently on tour, starring Cindy Williams. Nunsense and Nunsense 2: The Second Coming, both starring Rue McClanahan, have been recorded for the A&E Television Network. Nunsense 3: The Jamboree toured the U.S. starring Georgia Engel and has been recorded for television at the Grand Ole Opry starring Vicki Lawrence. Nunsense A-Men! opened at the 47th Street Theatre in New York in June 1998 and has since been produced with "Laugh-Ins" Arte Johnson, impressionist Frank Gorshin, and Olympic Champion Greg Louganis. Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical premiered in October 1998, followed by a national tour starring Dody Goodman, Jeff Trachta and Dawn Wells. The Nuncrackers television special playing the PBS network starring Rue McClanahan with guest star John Ritter, received an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Score. Dan's project, Meshuggah-Nuns: The Ecumenical Nunsense premiered in September 2002 and is currently playing in several U.S. venues. The all-star touring production of Nunsense starring Kaye Ballard, Georgia Engel, Mimi Hines, Darlene Love and Lee Meriwether marked the 20th anniversary of the original show. In 2004, Dan's "serious piece" The Traditional Latin Mass was recorded by cast members and friends. 2005 marked the premiere of Nunsensations: The Nunsense Vegas Revue. Sister Robert Anne's Cabaret Class is the latest installment for Nunsense franchise.

Matt Lenz (Director) returns to The Muny where he has directed productions of Hairspray, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. Matt is currently directing the UK tour of Hairspray. He was the associate director for the original production of Hairspray on Broadway, national tours, Las Vegas, Toronto and in Cologne, Germany, and was the associate director for Catch Me If You Can on Broadway. He directed recent Hairspray productions at The Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, NJ, as well as the NETworks national tour and the ground-breaking production in Johannesburg, South Africa. Other directing credits include: the off-Broadway hit comedy The Irish Curse, [Title of Show] at the George Street Playhouse, Idaho! for the New York Musical Theatre Festival (winning the "Best Director" and "Best Show of Fest" Awards 2008). For several years he was the Resident Director for Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and for the national tours. Also for Disney Theatrical Productions, he was associate director on Aida in its world premiere at the ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta. Matt will be directing forthcoming Broadway musicals; Jolson starring Sam Harris and Empire. Matt received the 2010 Kevin Kline Award for Best Director of a Musical for Hairspray at The Muny, and is a member of SDC.

Teri Gibson (Choreographer) has directed, choreographed, stage-managed and appeared in Nunsenses across the country with stars including Sally Struthers, Cindy Williams, Rue McClanahan, Kaye Ballard, Lee Meriwether and Georgia Engel. Teri choreographed the world premieres of both Nunset Boulevard! and Nunsensations!, and partnered with Felton Smith to create the original choreography for Meshuggah-Nuns! Out of the Convent, Teri's directing and choreography credits include American Beauty by Michael Rice, Six Wives with Tovah Feldshuh (asst. dir./chor.), The Gnadiges Fraulein, Never Too Late, A Delicate Balance, Love Letters, Godspell, Stardust and others. Acting credits include all five roles in the NYC companies of both Nunsense and Nunsense II, the Broadway production of Marlowe, Miss Hannigan in the national tour of Annie, as well as Anytime Annie in 42nd Street, Mame in Mame, Bunny in Babes in Arms, both Mona and Joan in Dames at Sea, at theatres including Goodspeed Opera House, Paper Mill Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Cleveland Playhouse.

Michael Horsley (Musical Director) music directed the 2012 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Thoroughly Modern Millie. He just finished music directing the 2012 Kennedy Center production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. In his 20 years with The Muny, some of the shows he has conducted include 42nd Street (1996, 2009), Godspell, White Christmas (2000, 2006), Damn Yankees (1998, 2010), Sleeping Beauty, Singin' in the Rain and many more. National tours include: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago, Cinderella, White Christmas, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Other regional theatre credits: Roman Holiday at the Guthrie Theatre, White Christmas at Boston's Wang Theatre, at Detroit's Fox and at Toronto's Sony Center; On A Clear Day You Can See Forever at the Music Theatre of Wichita; Fiddler on the Roof at AMT San Jose; A Chorus Line at the Pioneer Theatre; The Full Monty at North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh.

South Pacific
(July 8-14)

Rob Ruggiero (Director) returns to The Muny after directing last year's production of The King and I. He also directed a past production of The Music Man. He was recently appointed the artistic director for TheaterWorks in Hartford, Connecticut. In 2012, Rob directed the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' acclaimed production of Sunday in the Park with George, his sixth show for the Rep. His Broadway credits include High (starring Kathleen Turner) and Looped (starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance), which will begin a national tour in January. Other New York credits include conceiving and directing the original musical revue Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn (Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). Regionally, Mr. Ruggiero has earned national recognition for his work on both plays and musicals, having received numerous awards including five Connecticut Critics Circle Awards, a Joseph Jefferson Award in Chicago, and has the distinction of being the only director to have received four Kevin Kline Awards. He conceived and directed the world premiere musical portrait of Ella Fitzgerald entitled Ella. He recently directed a production of Carousel at Goodspeed Musicals in CT, where he has also directed productions of 1776, Big River, Camelot, Annie Get Your Gun and Show Boat.

RALPH PERKINS (Choreographer) choreographed the Muny's 2012 production of The King and I. He has choreographed for several regional theaters across the country, as well as Las Vegas venues. Among his credits are Sweet Charity for The Barrington Stage Company, and 1776 and Camelot for Goodspeed Musicals. Ralph has received two Kevin Kline Award nominations for outstanding choreography for his work on Urinetown, The Musical and Kiss Me, Kate; both shows produced at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where he also choreographed Sunday in the Park with George in 2012. In Vegas, Ralph was choreographer for EFX starring Tommy Tune at the MGM Grand, Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur and also worked for Siegfried and Roy at The Mirage, to name a few. Ralph is currently Director of Dance for Theater at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, CT.

Brad Haak (Music Director) returns to The Muny after music directing the 2012 production of The King and I. Previously at The Muny: Gypsy, starring Karen Mason. Currently serves as music director and conductor for Mary Poppins on Broadway. Other Broadway credits: music direction and arrangements for Elton John's Lestat, music direction for Chance and Chemistry - 100 Years of Frank Loesser (featuring Sir Paul McCartney) and orchestrations for Children and Art - A 75th Birthday Celebration of Stephen Sondheim. Piano for The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Assistant conductor for the first national tour of Disney's The Lion King. As music supervisor and orchestrator for composer Paul Gordon: Jane Eyre in Tokyo, Daddy Long Legs (15 U.S. productions; Manitoba, Canada; London and Tokyo); Jane Austen's Emma (Old Globe in San Diego, and Arizona Theatre Company) and Little Miss Scrooge (premiered this December at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA.) Other international credits include Honk! in Singapore; and Manilla, the Philippines. Recent regional credits include Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's acclaimed productions of Follies (Jeff award for music direction) and Sunday in the Park With George. Brad is a graduate of Northwestern University and a native of Chicago.

LES MISERABLES
(July 15-21)

Richard Jay-Alexander (Director) will be making his Muny debut with LES MISERABLES. He began his theatrical career in 1977 in the original cast of the Broadway play, Zoot Suit, appearing thereafter in the original Broadway cast of Amadeus, which led to his being engaged as associate director of the national touring companies of that Tony Award-winning play. However, he is probably best known for his association with Producer Cameron Mackintosh, having served as executive director of Mr. Mackintosh's American company for ten years, running its day-to-day operations in North America. Richard first came to Mr. Mackintosh's attention as stage manager/dance captain of his Broadway revival of Oliver!, and stage manager/assistant director of his Broadway production of Song & Dance, which is where he met Bernadette Peters. Shortly thereafter, he became both associate director and executive producer of the original Broadway, touring and Canadian companies of LES MISERABLES, staging more than a dozen productions of that musical, reaching around the globe. The Phantom of the Opera followed, and then Miss Saigon, for which Richard was executive producer for the original Broadway, touring and Canadian companies. He also served as executive producer and associate director for Broadway's Five Guys Named Moe and was executive producer of its Grammy-nominated original cast recording. Richard subsequently produced recordings for Ms. Peters (Live From Carnegie Hall, Rodgers & Hammerstein, both Grammy-nominated), Johnny Mathis (On Broadway) and Mary Cleere Haran and co-wrote the liner notes for Barbra Streisand's The Movie Album and the DVD boxed set of her first 5 television specials. He began to branch out into producing albums, writing, and staged concerts for talents such as Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Ricky Martin, Russell Watson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, Il Divo, and many others. Richard staged Barbra Streisand's 2012 record breaking concert tour, and is currently directing Kristin Chenoweth's upcoming concert tour, as well as her American Songbook concert to be broadcast on PBS later this year. Past summers have found him at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, where he directed star-studded productions of LES MISERABLES and Guys and Dolls.

Kevin Stites (Musical Director) returns to The Muny after music directing the 2010 production of Titanic. Most recently served as the music director and conductor for the 25th Anniversary National Tour of LES MISERABLES, as well as the musical director for The Producers at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Susan Stroman, and conductor for Perfectly Frank:From Hollywood to Broadway at the Grant Park Music Festival. Kevin also recently worked as the music supervisor for the German premiere of Rebecca in Stuttgart, as well as the music supervisor/conductor for the world premiere of Maury Yeston, Peter Stone and Thomas Meehan's Death Takes a Holiday at Roundabout Theatre Company, and as music director/pianist for Deborah Voigt's Voight Lessons at The Glimmerglass Festival. Broadway: South Pacific (Lincoln Center), Tale of Two Cities, The Color Purple, Titanic, Sunset Boulevard, Pamela's First Musical, Children and Art, LES MISERABLES, Threepenny Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, Nine, Oklahoma!, On The Town, Nine to Five (additional musical arrangements). National tours: Little House on the Prarie, The Color Purple, Martin Guerre, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, LES MISERABLES, Titanic. Regional: World premiere The Master Butchers Singing Club by Marsha Norman (composer/music arranger) at The Guthrie and Take Flight at The McCarter Theatre. Film/Television: Rosie Live!, Reefer Madness, Letterman, Rosie, several Tony Awards Telecasts, Macy's Fourth of July Spectacular, NBC's Christmas at Rockefeller Center, and others. Guest Conductor: Grant Park Symphony (Sondheim, Bernstein, and Gershwin tributes), Hollywood Bowl's Guys and Dolls and LES MISERABLES. Awards: Six Joseph Jefferson Awards for Sweeney Todd, Chess, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park With George, Baby and Windy City. Teaching: Guest Faculty, UNC School of the Arts. Education: Bachelor and Master of Music, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. Awarded the Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship.

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's
Mary Poppins
(July 25-August2)

Gary Griffin (Director) made his Muny debut in 2012 with the Muny premiere of Disney's Aladdin. He is currently directing the Encores! Production of Fiorello!. Gary's recent highly-acclaimed production of Follies in Chicago was the recipient of six Joseph Jefferson Awards. During his tenure at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Gary has directed Passion, A Flea in Her Ear, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Pacific Overtures, The Herbal Bed, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night's Dream and Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet. Broadway directing credits include The Color Purple (11 Tony nominations including Best Musical) and The Apple Tree (Tony nomination for Best Musical Revival). Gary has received eight Joseph Jefferson awards for directing and has twice been named a "Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts" by the Chicago Tribune. For the Stratford Festival of Canada, he has directed West Side Story, Evita, Camelot, and their current production of 42nd Street. Griffin is directing the Broadway-bound production of Honeymoon in Vegas.

Alex Sanchez(Choreographer) returns to The Muny after choreographing last year's Aladdin, and the 2011 production of Disney's The Little Mermaid. He also served as the associate choreographer for Damn Yankees. He is currently choreographing the City Center Encores! Production of Fiorello!. In New York, Alex recently choreographed The Public Theater's production of Giant and Where's Charley (City Center Encores!). Regional credits include: Williamstown Theater's production of Far From Heaven, and the Guthrie Theater's production of Roman Holiday. Other choreography: 42nd Street (Stratford Shakespeare Festival), Giant (Dallas Theater Center), In The Mood (national tour), Mambo Mouth (Penguin Rep), West Side Story and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Woodminster Summer Musicals). Some of his Broadway performing credits include Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Wonderful Town and Fosse.

Michael Horsley (Musical Director) music directed the 2012 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Thoroughly Modern Millie. He just finished music directing the 2012 Kennedy Center production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. In his 20 years with The Muny, some of the shows he has conducted include 42nd Street (1996, 2009), Godspell, White Christmas (2000, 2006), Damn Yankees (1998, 2010), Sleeping Beauty, Singin' in the Rain and many more. National tours include: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago, Cinderella, White Christmas, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Other regional theatre credits: Roman Holiday at the Guthrie Theatre, White Christmas at Boston's Wang Theatre, at Detroit's Fox and at Toronto's Sony Center; On A Clear Day You Can See Forever at the Music Theatre of Wichita; Fiddler on the Roof at AMT San Jose; A Chorus Line at the Pioneer Theatre; The Full Monty at North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh.

West Side Story
(August 5-11)

Marc Bruni (Director) directed the 2012 Muny premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Other Muny credits include: The Sound of Music (Kevin Kline Award Nomination), The Music Man (Kevin Kline Award Nomination), Legally Blonde, My One and Only, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He directed Old Jews Telling Jokes which is currently running off-Broadway at The Westside Theatre and will direct The Explorers Club for Manhattan Theatre Club in May. Other directing credits: Pipe Dream (City Center Encores!), Fanny (Encores!), Ordinary Days (Roundabout Underground), Nerds (North Carolina Theatre), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Papermill/PTC), In the Mood (Berkshire Theatre Festival), Such Good Friends (NYMF Directing Award), High Spirits (York), Glimpses of the Moon (Oak Room). Associate director on 15 Broadway shows including this season's Nice Work if You Can Get It, Anything Goes, Legally Blonde (NY/Tour/London/MTV "Search for Elle Woods"), Irving Berlin's White Christmas (NY/Tour/12 companies internationally), The Pajama Game, Grease, Wonderful Town, High Fidelity, Sweet Charity, La Cage Aux Folles and Little Shop of Horrors (Bway/Tour) as well as five City Center Encores! productions.

Chris Bailey (Choreographer) returns to The Muny after making his debut in 2012 as choreographer for Thoroughly Modern Millie. Chris served as the associate choreographer for the Broadway revival of Evita, as well as the upcoming national tour. He served as the movement director for the current Broadway production of Cyrano. Also on Broadway, he has served as the associate choreographer for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Promises, Promises and Cry-Baby. In London's West End, Chris served as the associate choreographer for Guys and Dolls, Evita, Once in a Lifetime and Candide. Tour credits include: Shrek (US), The Wedding Singer (US), Guys and Dolls (UK, Australia) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (UK).

James MoorE (Musical Director) returns to The Muny where he music directed The Music Man (2009), Meet Me In St. Louis (2009) and The Producers (2008). He is currently preparing to music direct Hello, Dolly! at Ford's Theatre. Broadway: Follies, South Pacific, Ragtime (revival), The Producers, Steel Pier, Company (Roundabout). National tours: The Producers (starring Jason Alexander and Martin Short); Kiss Me, Kate; Crazy for You; The World Goes 'Round - The Songs of Kander and Ebb. The Kennedy Center: Follies (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Music Direction); Ragtime (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Music Direction); Broadway: Three Generations; Mame (starring Christine Baranski). Recordings: Follies (2013 Grammy Nominee). James holds both Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Season tickets are on sale March 9 - June 12. Single tickets go on sale June 1, 2013.