Box Office Opens Tuesday for FINIAN'S RAINBOW; Carlyle Announces Changes for Broadway Production

Producers David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, and Alan D. Marks have announced that the box office opens today for the Broadway production of the critically-acclaimed New York City Center Encores! production of Finian's Rainbow, which transfers to Broadway's ST. James Theatre, 246 West 44 Street, beginning Thursday, October 8 at 8pm, with an opening set for Thursday, October 29 at 6:45pm.

Director-choreographer Warren Carlyle comments on the upcoming Broadway transfer, "It is with the greatest pleasure that I direct and choreograph the new revival of Finian's Rainbow this fall at the ST. James Theatre on Broadway. Having directed a successful version of this musical last season at City Center Encores!, I am truly excited to revisit and build on my original concept. This new Broadway production is a total re-imagining of every design element."

He continues, "The entire creative team, including Tony Award winning designers John Lee Beatty, Ken Billington, and Scott Lehrer, has worked tirelessly to bring a fully realized production of Finian's Rainbow to Broadway. One major difference between the Encores! concert staging and this new Broadway show is that the full orchestra will now be placed in the pit, providing me with more opportunities to fully choreograph sequences and expand the world of Rainbow Valley. Unlike the Encores! concert series this production allows for the design of nearly two hundred costume pieces by acclaimed designer, Toni-Leslie James."

"We have also incorporated numerous moments of magic with the help of magic consultant, Matthew Holtzclaw. Many of the cast members return including Tony Award winner Jim Norton, as well as Kate Baldwin and Cheyenne Jackson. Joining the cast are Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper and Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald. With all of these additions and enhancements come an opportunity for me to present audiences with a fully realized and completely magical evening in the theatre," Carlyle concluded.

Finian's Rainbow has a book by Yip Harburg and Fred Saidy; lyrics by Yip Harburg; music by Burton Lane; with book adaptation by Arthur Perlman and original adaptation for New York City Center Encores! by David Ives. It is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle; musical direction is by Rob Berman.

Finian's Rainbow tells the story of the Irishman Finian McLonergan and his daughter Sharon who travel to a small Southern town in the mythical state of Missitucky with plans to bury a stolen pot of gold in The Shadows of Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief it will grow and multiply. They have been followed from Ireland by the owner of the gold, a leprechaun, who shows up determined to recover his treasure.

The musical's score boasts such classic songs as "Old Devil Moon," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love (I Love the Girl I'm Near)," Look to the Rainbow," and "If This Isn't Love."

This will be the first Broadway revival of the classic musical in nearly 50 years. The show had its Broadway premiere in 1947, which ran for 725 performances and won three Tony Awards, including one for star David Wayne and one for legendary choreographer Michael Kidd who made his Broadway debut with the show. One of the first of the socially conscious postwar musicals, Finian's Rainbow is unusual in that it deals in a satirical way with issues of class, race, and economics, most specifically in the character of a bigoted Southern senator who is accidentally turned black. It was also notable in its time for featuring an integrated cast at a time when most shows did not and for featuring a mute character who expresses herself solely through dance. The musical was revived in 1955 at City Center and in 1960 at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre.

Finian's Rainbow plays the ST. James Theatre, 246 West 44 Street. The preview performance schedule (through Sunday, November 1) is Monday through Saturday at 8pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm. There will be special added matinees on Wednesday, October 28 at 2pm and Sunday, November 1 at 3pm. The regular performance schedule, beginning Monday, November 2, is Tuesday through Thursday at 7pm; Friday and Saturday at 8pm; with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $35 - $75 in previews and $50 - $120 post opening. There are also special post-opening Wednesday evening prices as low as $25.00. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.telecharge.com or by phoning 212.239.6200. For groups, which are on sale now, phone 212.541.8457 or 1.800.BROADWAY. The ST. James Theatre box office opens Tuesday, Sep tember 8. For more information about Finian's Rainbow, visit www.FiniansOnBroadway.com.