Danieley, Racey, Etc. Round Out Cast of Curtains in L.A.

Casting is now complete for the highly anticipated world premiere of the Kander and Ebb musical Curtains, which will begin previews at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre on July 25th, open on August 9th and run through September 10th.

Jason Danieley (Candide, The Full Monty), Noah Racey (Never Gonna Dance), Jill Paice (The Woman in White), and Michael McCormick (The Pajama Game, Gypsy) have been added to a previously-announced cast that includes David Hyde Pierce (Camelot, "Frasier"), Edward Hibbert (The Drowsy Chaperone, Noises Off), Tony Award-winner Debra Monk (Chicago, Steel Pier) and Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba (Contact, Steel Pier).

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John Bolton, Michael X. Martin, Megan Sikora and Robert Walden will also be featured in the cast, while Nili Bassman, Ward Billeisen, Jennifer Dunne, David Eggers, J. Austin Eyer, Matt Farnsworth, Patty Goble, Mary Ann Lamb, Brittany Marcin, Jim Newman, Jessica Lea Patty, Joe Aaron Reid, Darcie Roberts and Christopher Spaulding will comprise the ensemble.
 
Curtains, which has been long in development, is a musical comedy murder mystery with music by John Kander, lyrics by the late Fred Ebb, and a book by Tony Award-winner Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, "Remember WENN"). Scott Ellis--who previously directed the Kander and Ebb musicals The Rink and Steel Pier--will helm the show, which will feature Hyde Pierce as a detective who sings showtunes when not solving crimes. Rob Ashford (Thoroughly Modern Millie) is set to choreograph. It will be presented by the Center Theatre Group.

The musical, which is set in 1959 during the tryout of a Broadway-bound musical, whose cast and crew all become suspects after the the show's leading lady mysteriously drops dead onstage while taking her final bow to the sound of applause. The detective "is a fervent musical theatre fan, (who) allows the company to continue rehearsing while he conducts his murder investigation. He soon finds himself in the middle of the uproarious bedlam of theatrical egos and eccentricities, more murders and even a budding love affair," according to press notes.

Holmes adapted his book from an original libretto by Tony Award-winner Peter Stone (Titanic, Woman of the Year, 1776), who passed away in 2003; lyricist Fred Ebb died in 2004. Work on Curtains has continued since then, and the show would be the first Kander and Ebb musical to premiere on Broadway since the beloved lyricist's passing.

The show will feature sets by Anna Louizos, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Peter Kaczorowski and sound by Brian Ronan. William David Brohn will provide orchestrations, while David Loud will serve as musical director. Roger Berlind, Roger Horchow, Daryl Roth and the Center Theatre Group produce.
 
The songwriting partnership of John Kander and Fred Ebb marked one of the most successful and enduring collaborations in Broadway history. Together, they penned Flora, the Red Menace, Cabaret (their first major hit), The Happy Time, Zorba, 70, Girls, 70, Chicago, The Act, Woman of the Year, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Steel Pier, as well as The Visit (which was presented at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago but has yet to see Broadway). They also wrote the scores for films and TV specials such as New York, New York, Funny Lady and "Liza with a Z."

Tickets to Curtains can be purchased by visiting the Center Theatre Group box office, calling CTG Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or by visiting www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.