Casting & Summer Schedule Set for Brooklyn Tour

Casting--as well as a summer schedule--for the upcoming national tour of Brooklyn is now set.

Joining the previously-announced Diana DeGarmo ("American Idol," Hairspray) in the title role, Tony Award-winner Melba Moore (Hair, Purlie) as rival diva Paradice, and Tony Award-winner Cleavant Derricks (Dreamgirls), who will once again play the Street Singer, will be Julie Reiber as Faith and Lee Morgan as Taylor Collins.

The urban fairy tale by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson played Broadway during the 2004-2005 season. Moore will play Paradice, her rival diva. Brooklyn's tour, which will kick off at the Ordway Center in St. Paul, MN on June 11th, will feature the show as it was on Broadway--at an intermission-less 90 minutes.

The tour will once again be directed by Jeff Calhoun (Big River). Arranger/orchestrator John McDaniel will once again serve as the show's music supervisor. The design team from the Broadway production is also set to return; the show will feature sets by Ray Klausen, costumes by Tobin Ost, lights by Michael Gilliam, and sound by Duncan Edwards. Dallas Summer Musicals is producing the tour.

Brooklyn began performances on September 23rd, 2004 and opened officially on October 21st, 2004 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. It had played 28 preview and 283 regular performances when it closed on June 26th, 2005. According to press notes, Brooklyn "tells a wondrous sidewalk fairy tale about a young girl searching for fame and the father she never knew. With just one clue to lead her, she lands in the city that bears her name, Brooklyn." The musical starred Eden Espinosa as its title soulfully-voiced title character, and also featured Derricks, Ramona Keller, Karen Olivo and others in its cast. 

The summer touring schedule follows (stops for a later second leg of the tour have yet to be announced):

June 11th-17th at the Ordway Center in St. Paul, MN
June 20th-25th at the Bushnell in Hartford, CT
July 11th-16th at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA
July 18th-23rd at the Miller Theatre in Houston, TX
July 25th-August 6th at the Music Hall in Dallas, TX
August 9th-13th at the Center for Perf. Arts in San Jose, CA

For more information on the upcoming Brooklyn tour, visit www.brooklynthemusical.com.