Goldberg-Produced WHITE NOISE Heads to Chicago this Spring

A casting notice just released by AEA reveals that the Whoopi Goldberg-produced White Noise will play its pre-Broadway engagement at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago this spring. Performances are scheduled to begin on April 1, with an opening date of April 9.  Rehearsals begin in February in New York City. Last month, White Noise director Sergio Trujillo had suggested the show may be Chicago-bound, telling the Tribune: "I think we're going to get it up in Chicago...Soon."

The EPA notice calls for all roles:

Eva:
Caucasian girl, 17. Blonde/Aryan-looking. From small-town Oregon. Beautiful, eloquent and approachable on the surface, but driven, manipulative and wise beyond her years. When necessary, sexy beyond belief. A Neo-Nazi. Alto/mezzo belt. Pop/rock/punk vocals. Strong mover.

Eden:
Caucasian woman, 19. Blonde/Aryan-looking. Eva's sister, also from small-town Oregon. Beautiful, good-natured, naive and sweet. Looking for a way out of Oregon. When necessary, sexy beyond belief. A follower of Neo-Nazis, but a non-believer. Alto/mezzo belt. Pop/rock/punk vocals. Strong mover.

Max:
Caucasian man, 40s. Record label executive a la Clive Davis. Charismatic, passionate, confident to a fault and Machiavellian. Baritenor. Rock sound.

Jake:
Caucasian man, early 20s. New Yorker. Extremely talented singer/songwriter. Handsome, smart, genuine and a voice of reason. Tenor. Pop/rock/punk vocals. Strong mover.

Duke:
Caucasian man, early 20s. "Skinhead" from small-town Oregon. Tall, handsome, aggressive and intimidating. A "raw nerve" and a Neo-Nazi. Tenor. Pop/rock/punk vocals plus excellent rapper. Strong mover.

Tyler:
African American man, early 20s. Rap musician. Top college graduate who has been packaged as a gangsta rapper. Smart, passionate, attractive and hungry for success. One-half of lucrative gangsta rap duo. Baritenor. Rap/R&B. Strong mover.

Dion:
African American man, early 20s. Tyler's brother, and the other half of a successful gangsta rap duo. Also a top college graduate who has been packaged as a gangsta rapper. Smart, passionate, attractive, hungry for success and aggressive when pushed. The more alpha of the brothers. Baritenor. Rap/R&B. Strong mover.

Laurel:
Caucasian woman, 40s. Aryan-looking. From small-town Oregon. Mother of Eva and Eden. Single mother who lost her husband to suicide. Beautiful, yet worn. Alto/mezzo belt.

Actors are asked to prepare a brief pop/rock song showing range. They should bring sheet music for an accompanist to be provided.

White Noise received a private industry reading on October 1 in New York City. Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Leonardis have joined producers Holly Way and Jay Strommen with the intention of bringing the production to Broadway as early as next season. No official announcement has been made. Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis, Next To Normal, Addams Family) also directed the reading.

The reading starred Marc Kudisch (9 to 5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Assassins) Mackenzie Mauzy (A Tale of Two Cities), Emily Padgett (Rock of Ages, Grease, Legally Blonde), Patrick Murney, Patrick Heusinger (Next Fall, Fiddler on the Roof), Luba Mason (The Capeman, Jekyll & Hyde, How to Succeed...), Rodney Hicks (Scottsboro Boys, Rent), and Antwayn Hopper (Hair).

Catherine Brookman (Hair), Michael Buchanan (Cry-Baby), Morgan James (Addams Family), Joshua Kobak (American Idiot), Ryan Link (Hair, Rent), Leslie McDonel (American Idiot), Wallace Smith (Hair, American Idiot), and Dan'yelle Williamson (Memphis) rounded out the company for the reading.

White Noise, which was picked up from the 2006 New York Musical Theater Festival has been entirely reworked by a new creative team, including book writer Matte O'Brien (The Meaning of Life...and Other Useless Pieces of Information) and music trio Robert Morris, Steven Morris and Joe Shane (Once Around the Sun). White Noise last played a limited, sold-out engagement at Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans last summer.

Set to the beat of modern rock, pop and hip hop music, White Noise, according to early press notes, is a cautionary musical loosely based on real life. The musical follows a teenage singing group - sisters Eva and Eden Siller, who promote their messages of white power through coded lyrics and irresistible melodies to penetrate the mainstream. Indeed, anything marketed, polished, and packaged correctly can sell. White Noise fuses today's blog and headline stories into a cautionary tale that challenges conventional notions about freedom of speech, entertainment, and the dramatic effects pop culture can have on a nation so preoccupied with "living" that it neglects to pay attention to "life."

For more information visit www.whitenoisebroadway.com.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy