Brad Oscar Joins Company of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA National Tour as 'Monsieur Firmin'

The producers of the spectacular new national touring production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA announced today that Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar will assume the role of 'Monsieur Firmin' when he joins the production in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music, beginning Monday, April 7. He joins Cooper Grodin as 'The Phantom,' Julia Udine as 'Christine Daaé,' Ben Jacoby as 'Raoul,' Jacquelynne Fontaine as 'Carlotta Giudicelli,' Edward Staudenmayer as 'Monsieur André,'Linda Balgord as 'Madame Giry,' Frank Viveros as 'Ubaldo Piangi' and Hannah Florence as 'Meg Giry'. Mr. Oscar succeeds original cast member Craig Bennett in the role.

Produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group, the spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is directed by Laurence Connor (the 25th Anniversary production of LES MISERABLES now on Broadway, Jesus Christ Superstar) with choreography by Scott Ambler, set design by Paul Brown, Tony Award-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award winner Paule Constable, sound design by Mick Potter and musical supervision by John Rigby. The production is overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

With newly reinvented staging and stunning scenic design, this new version of PHANTOM, the most successful musical of all-time, is performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this one of the largest productions on tour in North America. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA plays Philadelphia's Academy of Music (300 S. Broad Street) now through April 12, 2014.

The Ensemble includes Adam Bashian, Nick Cartell, Dan Debenport, Amy Decker, Mark Emerson, Michael Thomas Holmes, Celia Hottenstein, Christopher Howard, Merritt David Janes, Amy Justman, Edward Juvier, Dustin Layton, Luke Lazzaro, Jay Lusteck, Katie McCreary, Grace Morgan, Christy Morton, Quinto Ott, Eric Ruiz, Allan Snyder and Marguerite Willbanks. The Corps de Ballet includes Morgan Cowling, Anjelica Bette Fellini, Ramona Kelley, Abigail Mentzer, Lily Rose Peck, Tara Sweeney and Micki Weiner.

Brad Oscar earned a 2001 Tony Award nomination for creating the role of Franz Liebkind in The Producers. He has also been seen on Broadway in Big Fish, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Addams Family and Spamalot. National Tours include Young Frankenstein and Jekyll & Hyde. Film and TV credits include Ghost Town, The Producers, Smash, The Good Wife and three Law & Orders.

Cooper Grodin has recently been seen in Shakespeare in the Park's Into The Woods, the Drama Desk-nominated Best Revival of The Golden Land and across the country in the National Tour of LES MISERABLES. His debut original album "It's The Little Things" was released in 2012. Julia Udine makes her touring debut with PHANTOM. Regionally, she starred as Maria in West Side Story and appeared on "Law and Order SVU." Chicago native, Ben Jacoby has performed at the Marriott Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Maine State Music Theatre and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

There are currently seven productions of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA around the world: the flagship London production (27 Years and counting), New York (26 Years and counting), Sapporo (Japan, 25 Years and counting, in repertory), Budapest (Hungary), Hamburg (Germany), the Asian Pacific Tour (now in South Korea) and Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular all-new production now on North American Tour. The next international opening will be in Taipei, China in September 2014.

Since its debut, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has grossed over $5.6 billion worldwide, with over 65,000 performances that have been seen by 130 million people in 30 countries and 152 cities in 13 languages. The show has won more than 70 major theater awards.

Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L'Opéra by Gaston Leroux, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.

Tickets starting at $30.50 can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Sts. (open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad & Locust Sts., (open during performances only). Groups of 20 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947.

Remaining performances include: Tuesday - Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm; Friday & Saturday evening at 8:00 pm; Sunday evening at 6:30 pm; matinees Saturdays at 2:00 pm and Sundays at 1:00 pm. Two specially scheduled performances are on Monday, April 7 at 7:30pm and Thursday, April 10 at 2:00 pm.

For more information, visit www.ThePhantomOfTheOpera.com/ustour

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos