Foster, Loprest and Smith Join Starry 2009 Pittsburgh CLO Summer Season

In addition to previously announced 2009 Summer Season cast members, including Tony®-winner Beth Leavel, Tony®-nominee Robert Cuccioli and Broadway veterans Shoshana Bean, Tony Yazbeck, Fred Inkley, Kevin Earley, Jennifer Cody, Jacquelyn Piro Donovan, Matthew Scott and Tim Hartman, Pittsburgh CLO will welcome the following performers to the Benedum Center stage this summer.

Stephen Berger returns to the CLO for the first time since 1993 as Sam in Barry Manilow's Copacabana. His Broadway credits include The Pajama Game, Into the Woods, The Dinner Party, True West, Wonderful Town, Laughter on the 23rd Floor and Little Me. He starred in Fiorello and South Pacific for Pittsburgh CLO and has a recurring role as Judge Berger in "Law & Order."

Alan H. Green returns to Pittsburgh CLO as Male Diva No. 1 in Swing! He has guest starred in "30 Rock," "Law & Order: SVU" and held a recurring role on "The Guiding Light." He has performed on Broadway in Play On! and in the National Tours of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Swing! and Smokey Joe's Café. He last appeared for Pittsburgh CLO in Miss Saigon.

Hunter Foster will star as the Baker alongside his wife, Jennifer Cody, in Into the Woods. Mr. Foster is making his Pittsburgh CLO debut after performing on Broadway in The Producers, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors, Les Miserables, Grease, Footloose and King David. He is the older brother of Tony®-winner Sutton Foster, who previously starred in Pittsburgh CLO productions of Me and My Girl in 2004 and South Pacific in 2001.

Kate Loprest is making her Pittsburgh CLO debut as Female Diva No. 2 in Swing! and Cosette in Les Miserables. Her Broadway credits include Hairspray, Xanadu and The Drowsy Chaperone. She has performed in the National Tour of Wicked and Happy Days: A New Musical for Paper Mill Playhouse.

Elise Santora makes her Pittsburgh CLO debut as Conchita in Barry Manilow's Copacabana and as Granny and Cinderella's Mother in Into the Woods. Her Broadway credits include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Capeman and Man of La Mancha. She also has been a back-up vocalist for David Bowie and Julio Iglesias.

Chandra Lee Schwartz returns to Pittsburgh CLO as Lola in Barry Manilow's Copacabana. She has performed on Broadway alongside Bernadette Peters in Gypsy and in Hairspray. She was last seen in Pittsburgh CLO's production of Disney's High School Musical.

Peter Matthew Smith makes his Pittsburgh CLO debut as the Pharaoh and Levi in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. A Point Park alumnus, he has performed on Broadway in Cry Baby, Fiddler on the Roof, Hairspray, Rent and Mamma Mia. He will be recognizable to local audiences thanks to his numerous Pittsburgh Musical Theater and Point Park University Playhouse credits.

Sally Wilfret makes her Pittsburgh CLO debut as Madame Thénardier in Les Miserables and Gladys in Barry Manilow's Copacabana. She has appeared on Broadway in Assassins, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and King David. She also performed in James Lapine's National Tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and was a back-up singer for Liza Minnelli in Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall.

Subscriptions for Summer Season 2009

Pittsburgh CLO offers family-affordable and flexible season ticket packages to fit even the busiest summer schedule. See three shows for as little as $56 and save up to 20 percent off single ticket prices when you subscribe today.

Full and partial Season Subscriptions are now available. The 6-Show Premium Series allows subscribers to see all six award-winning summer musicals. Flexible subscriptions also allow subscribers to design their own season. Subscribers can choose a 3-Show Subscription Series or the Fun-Flex Series which lets Subscribers choose three shows of their choice. A complete list of subscription options is available at pittsburghCLO.org.

Subscriptions may be ordered online or by calling 412-281-2822.

Pittsburgh CLO's 2009 Season also is the perfect outing for any social group. Groups of 10 or more should call the Group Sales Hotline at 412-325-1582 to learn more about special discounts and priority seating for all CLO-produced shows. Priority seating is also available for groups of 20 or more for Legally Blonde The Musical.

Pittsburgh CLO's 2009 Summer Season will showcase a mix of Broadway blockbusters, bold new shows and musical theater gems, highlighted by casts featuring some of the most critically-acclaimed and respected actors working in theater today.

Beth Leavel returns to Pittsburgh CLO as the witch in Into the Woods (August 4-9). Ms. Leavel won a 2006 Tony® Award for her performance in The Drowsy Chaperone and also has appeared on Broadway in 42nd Street, The Civil War, Showboat and Crazy for You. Ms. Leavel has appeared in two previous Pittsburgh CLO productions, including A Little Night Music and The Pajama Game.

Robert Cuccioli takes the stage as Javert in Les Miserables (July 7-19) and Rico in Barry Manilow's Copacabana (July 21-August 2). He made his Broadway debut as Javert in Les Miserables and earned a Tony® nomination for his role in Jekyll and Hyde. His previous Pittsburgh CLO credits include Guys and Dolls, Bells are Ringing, The Pajama Game, Funny Girl and The Sound of Music. He also directed Jekyll and Hyde for Pittsburgh CLO.

Shoshana Bean will make her Pittsburgh CLO debut as the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (May 26-June 7). She has previously starred in the Broadway productions of Wicked and Hairspray and the National Tours of Wicked and Leader of the Pack. Ms. Bean has been a back-up singer for superstars such as Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Usher, 'N Sync, Ray Charles, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson.

Tony Yazbeck marks his fifth appearance in a Pittsburgh CLO production, starring as Tony/Stephen in Barry Manilow's Copacabana (July 21-August 2). The Point Park alumnus has appeared on Broadway in Gypsy, A Chorus Line, Never Gonna Dance and Oklahoma!. His other Pittsburgh CLO credits include Doctor Doolittle, Crazy for You, West Side Story and the National Tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Mr. Yazbeck also appeared locally in La Boheme for The Pittsburgh Opera.

Additional Broadway veterans set to appear this season in Pittsburgh CLO productions include Fred Inkley (Les Miserables), Kevin Earley (Swing!, Les Miserables, Into the Woods), Jennifer Cody (Into the Woods), Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Les Miserables), Matthew Scott (Les Miserables) and Pittsburgh native Tim Hartman (Les Miserables, Barry Manilow's Copacabana, Into the Woods).

In addition to the productions highlighted above, the 2009 Summer Season also includes the First National Tour and Pittsburgh premiere of Legally Blonde The Musical (June 9-14).

Full and partial Season Subscriptions are now available. The 6-Show Premium Series allows subscribers to see all six award-winning summer musicals. Flexible subscriptions also allow subscribers to design their own season. Subscribers can choose a 3-Show Subscription Series or the Fun-Flex Series which lets Subscribers choose three shows of their choice. A complete list of subscription options is available at pittsburghCLO.org. Subscriptions may be ordered online or by calling 412-281-2822.

Pittsburgh CLO's 2009 Season also is the perfect outing for any social group. Groups of 10 or more should call the Group Sales Hotline at 412-325-1582 to learn more about special discounts and priority seating for all CLO-produced shows. Priority seating is also available for groups of 20 or more for Legally Blonde The Musical.

Pittsburgh CLO gratefully acknowledges the generosity of PNC for its sponsorship of the PNC Spotlight Series, our Season Sponsors: American Airlines, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WTAE-TV, Giant Eagle for its sponsorship of select half-price children's tickets for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and American Airlines for its sponsorship of Into the Woods.

Since 1946, the Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Pittsburgh CLO is a not-for-profit arts organization that appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year. Its dedication to the musical theater art form extends beyond the summer season with such programs as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Construction Center for the Arts and the CLO Cabaret.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski