Betsy Wolfe, Andrew Samonsky, John Ellison Conlee, Ann Harada & More Join Transport Group's THE MUSIC MAN Concert

Betsy Wolfe, Andrew Samonsky, John Ellison Conlee, Ann Harada and more complete casting for Transport Group's concert presentation of The Music Man. Hosted by Joe Iconis,the evening will include 58 actors, and the original orchestration featuring 20 instruments, conducted by Joey Chancey,original choreography by Jeffry Denman,.to The Irene Diamond Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center on Monday August 11th, 2014. The evening will be directed by five-time Drama Desk nominee, Jack Cummings III.

The 24 member ensemble will include Zach Bencal, Whitney Brandt, Michael-Shane Brewster, Sarah Dacey Charles, Clinton Clark, Vivienne Cleary, Michael De Souza, John Dewey, Tim Dolan, Erika Henningsen, Dylan Jackson, Susan Lehman, Christiana Little, Ivory McKay, Conor McGiffin, Kristen Michelle, Becky Moyes, Molly Nordin, Conor Ryan, Sydney Shepard, Ryan Speakman, Tara Tagliaferro and Maureen Taylor.

Betsy Wolfe, Andrew Samonsky, John Ellison Conlee, Ann Harada, Jessica Hershberg, Jonathan Hammond, Bob Stillman, Bob Walton, Jason SweetTooth Williams, Richard Costa, Robert Lenzi, Michael Di Liberto, Bob DuSold, Diane Findlay, Jim Fyfe, Jim Hindman, Danette Holden, Tina Johnson, and Susan Blair Ross join the previously announced Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Alexandra Silber, Mary Testa, Jill Paice, Heather Mac Rae, Jeffry Denman, Stanley Bahorek, and David Greenspan.

One of America's most cherished musicals, The Music Man follows con man Harold Hill as he tries to dupe the citizens of River City, Iowa with false promises of a boys' band. But when the town's beautiful yet hopelessly stubborn librarian catches Harold's eye, this town suddenly becomes harder to skip. A beloved story of morality, deceit, humor and romance, The Music Man has been a parading across the stage for over 50 years. For one night only Transport Group brings together dozens of today's top Broadway talents to sing this triumph of a score.

The Music Man is the hit 1957 musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. Opening in on December 19th at The Majestic Theatre, the show became a hit, winning five Tony Awards including Best Musical, and running for 1,375 performances. The original production starred Barbara Cook and Robert Preston. Preston reprised his role in the 1962 film version alongside movie-musical star Shirley Jones. Since it's original production, The Music Man has remained one of the most popular titles regionally and has seen two Broadway revivals in 1980 & 2000, and a TV adaptation.

Artistic Director Jack Cummings III says, "I'm so thrilled to treat New York to this treasured show with Broadway's finest bringing it to life. The Music Man perfectly captures everything we love about The Golden Age of musicals - from it's hearty, tuneful score filled with Broadway standards, to it's middle-America town that has charmed audiences for generations. It's one of those shows that holds a dear place in many peoples' hearts and remains there for a lifetime."

Founded in 2001, Transport Group, under the leadership of Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director, and Lori Fineman, Executive Director, is a not-for-profit theatre company that stages new works and re-imagined revivals by American writers. Their visually progressive productions of emotionally classic stories explore the challenges of relationships and identity in America. Transport Group is the winner of a special Drama Desk Award for its "breadth of vision and its presentation of challenging productions." Transport Group presented its premiere production in 2002: Thornton Wilder's Our Town, which featured older actors in the roles of Emily and George and a twelve-year-old girl as the Stage Manager. Its second production, Requiem for William, an evening of seven seldom produced plays by William Inge, that featured a cast of 26 as well as original songs, premiered in 2003. In 2004 the company presented the first New York revival of Michael John LaChiusa's First Lady Suite, which received rave reviews, played to sold-out houses, and earned two Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Revival of a Musical. Other productions include the world premiere of the musical The Audience, which featured a cast of 46 actors and earned three Drama Desk Award nominations, including Outstanding Musical; Normal, a new musical about a mother's battle to save her daughter from anorexia; cul-de-sac, a new play by Tony Award nominee John Cariani; the first New York revival of Tad Mosel's Pulitzer Prize play, All the Way Home; the 50th anniversary, OBIE-winning production of William Inge's The Dark at the Top of the Stairs; the world premiere musicals Crossing Brooklyn,Marcy in the Galaxy, and Being Audrey, and the first New York revival of Irwin Shaw'sBury the Dead. Both First Lady Suite and Bury the Dead were filmed for the New York Performing Arts Library's Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at Lincoln Center. In 2010 Transport Group presented a sold-out, extended engagement of Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band, which received an OBIE Award and was nominated for five 2010 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Play-the most for an off-Broadway play. Transport Group's productions of See Rock City and Other Destinations by Brad Alexander and Adam Mathias, and Hello Again by Michael John LaChiusa combined for eleven 2011 Drama Desk Award nominations and one win. Transport Group's production of Lysistrata Jones, by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn, opened to rave reviews, played to sell-out houses, and transferred to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre where it received a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical. The company's most recent productions include the Outer Critics Circle nominated run of The Patsy and Jonas, starring OBIE winner David Greenspan; Michael John LaChiusa's world premiere musical, Queen of the Mist.(8 Drama Desk nominations and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical); the world premiere of Jonathan Franzen's House For Sale; and the critically-acclaimed musical, The Memory Show,starring Catherine Cox and Leslie Kritzer. For more information about Transport Group visit www.transportgroup.org.

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center

features a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and Signature Café and Bar, open to public from noon-midnight Tuesdays-Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.

Transport Group's all-star concert of The Music Man will take place Monday, August 11 at 8pm at the The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42 Street. The evening is sold out.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos