Hanlon, Alvin to Star in 'Edges: A Song Cycle' by Pasek & Paul at Sondheim Center

Edges: A Song Cycle is scheduled to make its Midwest premiere at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, February 21 - 24. Following the success of the Sondheim Center's inaugural production of …Forum starring Richard Kind, Edges will replace the previously announced concert musical presentation of Company as the second show of the Winter/Spring 2008 season.

Edges recently made its professional world premiere at the Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, New York.  It is a song-cycle about the trials and tribulations of moving into adulthood and the search for love, commitment and meaning. It was created by the emergent musical duo, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who were just listed as part of the "50 To Watch" upcoming playwrights and composers by The Dramatist magazine.

For the Fairfield engagement, composer Justin Paul will serve as the production's music director and pianist. Director Gordon Greenberg and all four actors from the Albany production will be in Fairfield as well. The performers are Farah Alvin, Whitney Bashor, Steven Booth and Colin Hanlon.

Pasek and Paul began their collaboration as freshmen at The University of Michigan and completed their BFA degrees in musical theatre in 2007. They are recipients of the 2007 Jonathan Larson Award, named after the creator of Rent, and at age 21 became the youngest winners in the history of the foundation.

The composer/lyricist team are writers for the Disney Channel television series "Johnny and the Sprites" and contributed music to Off-Broadway's upcoming White Noise [A Cautionary Musical] which won Talkin' Broadway's 2006 Summer Theatre Festival Citation for Outstanding Original Score.  They were invited to participate in the first ever Johnny Mercer Songwriting Festival funded by the American Musical Theatre Project and were commissioned to write Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores for Theatreworks USA.

In addition to the professional world premiere of Edges, Gordon Greenberg directed the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of Jacques Brel… at the Zipper Theatre, the new adaptation of Pirates of Penzance at Paper Mill Playhouse and Goodspeed Opera, and Happy Days by Garry Marshall and Paul Williams (Paper Mill, Goodspeed, Boyett Theatricals). Other credits include The Baker's Wife by Stephen Schwartz and Joe Stein (Paper Mill, Goodspeed), Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph…, and Evita (Helen Hayes), The Mystery of King Tut (Theatreworks USA), and the Broadway Divas tours of Australia, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. Greenberg has also directed many television commercials and industrials and is the founder and Artistic Director of the Broadway Classroom program. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Stanford University, NYU Film School and is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director's Lab.

Farah Alvin has performed on Broadway in Nine, The Look of Love: The Music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Saturday Night Fever, Grease!, and A Christmas Carol. Her extensive Off-Broadway and Regional credits include I Love You Because, Ragtime and Pirates of Penzance. Alvin has appeared as a soloist with a number of symphony orchestras including the National Symphonies of The United States and Canada. In addition to her theater work, she is also an accomplished singer/songwriter; her album of original folk/jazz music is entitled "someday."

The Sondheim Center's production of Edges will mark the return of Iowa native Whitney Bashor. Bashor comes to the Sondheim Center directly from the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind. Prior to that she played the starring role of Luisa in the legendary Off Broadway production of The Fantasticks.  Bashor's TV credits include "Love Monkey" and "All My Children;" she also appeared in the film Off The Black starring Nick Nolte.  Bashor is a graduate of The University of Michigan's Musical Theatre Program.

Steven Booth has most recently appeared as Will in Glory Days, a new musical which premiered at the Signature Theatre in DC. Other credits include Avenue Q in Las Vegas (Princeton/Rod), The Three Musketeers (Planchet) at North Shore Music Theatre, The Molly Maguires (Michael Darcy), Journey to the West (Riversong) NYMF, and Pippin (Pippin).

Colin Hanlon made his Broadway debut in Rent. Previously, Hanlon was seen as Frederic in the Lucille Lortel Award-nominated Pirates of Penzance, performed on the tall ship The Peking, moored at South Street Seaport. His regional theatre credits include appearances at Syracuse Stage and Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia. In addition, he has performed in workshop productions of Wicked, Taboo, and Fanny Hill. Mr. Hanlon received his BFA from Syracuse University.

The Sondheim Center's inaugural season will conclude April 18 - May 4 with the hit rock musical Godspell, a modern telling of the story of Jesus based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The musical score is written by Stephen Schwartz who went on to write Pippin, the music to the Disney movie Pocahontas and the current mega-hit Wicked. Discounted season ticket packages for Edges and Godspell are available.

For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Box Office at 641-472-(ARTS) 2787. Box office window hours are Monday through Friday 12pm to 6pm. The Box Office opens one hour prior to all performances and remains open through the end of intermission.

For notification about future performances and events at the Sondheim Center and the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, join the mailing list at www.fairfieldacc.com.

Justin Paul, Stephen Sondheim and Benj Pasek (photo by Linda Lenzi)