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It's been rumored, talked about, discussed and we've been reporting on it for what feels like forever -- and now, it's official! Roundabout Theatre Company has announced that it will present Tony & Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth as "Lily Garland" and Golden Globe & SAG Award winner & Tony nominee Peter Gallagher as "Oscar Jaffe" in a new Broadway production of the classic musical On the Twentieth Century, directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. On the Twentieth Century features music by Cy Coleman and book & lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green.
ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY will play a 20-week limited engagement through July 5, 2015, beginning previews on February 12, 2015 and opening officially on March 12, 2015 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street).
The previously announced production of Noises Off has been postponed to Fall 2015. Roundabout Theatre Company welcomes back celebrated Broadway performer Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked), after her critically acclaimed performance in Roundabout's 2007 production of The Apple Tree.
Film, television and Broadway star Peter Gallagher ("The O.C", American Beauty, Guys and Dolls) returns to Broadway after last appearing in a highly regarded performance in Mike Nichols' 2008 production of The Country Girl.
Roundabout Associate Artistic Director Scott Ellis has directed numerous productions for the Roundabout stages, most recently the 2012 production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, with choreographer Warren Carlyle.
The full cast will be announced shortly. The design team includes David Rockwell (Sets), William Ivey Long (Costumes) & Donald Holder (Lights).
It's nonstop laughs aboard the Twentieth Century, a luxury coach travelling from Chicago to New York City. Luck, love and mischief collide when the bankrupt theater producer Oscar Jaffe (Gallagher) embarks on a madcap mission to cajole glamorous Hollywood starlet Lily Garland (Chenoweth) into playing the lead in his new, non-existent epic drama. But is the train ride long enough to reignite the spark between these former lovers, create a play from scratch, and find the money to get it all the way to Broadway?
ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY premiered on Broadway in 1978, directed by Harold Prince, and won Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.
Musicals at Roundabout are supported with generous gifts from: The Bok Family Foundation, Perry and Marty Granoff, and Cynthia Wainwright and Stephen Berger.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets are currently available to Roundabout subscribers and donors only. Whether you are looking for the best prices or VIP experiences, Roundabout has a package option for you. For more information, or to be notified when tickets go on-sale to the public, visit roundabouttheatre.org or call 212-719-1300. Tickets will be on-sale to the public this summer.
BIOGRAPHIES:
KRISTIN CHENOWETH (Lily Garland). Emmy and Tony Award winner and Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee, Kristin Chenoweth effortlessly transitions between stage, television, film and an accomplished singing career with the captivating grace that only she can project. She received rave reviews while starring in the ABC series "Pushing Daisies," where she received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. "Pushing Daisies" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award for "Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy". Chenoweth has appeared on Fox's comedy "Glee," where she played a former student who returns to town to help re-energize the Glee club, but brings her own troubles along for the ride. For this role, she was nominated for two Emmy Awards and for a People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite TV Guest Star. Chenoweth also starred as Annabeth Schott on the hit drama "The West Wing" and guest judged on "American Idol" and "Project Runway." Many remember her show-stealing, Tony-winning performance in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and her triumphant star turn when she originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, which earned her a leading actress Tony Award nomination. Chenoweth can currently be seen in the animated film Rio 2, voicing the character of Gabi, a hilarious poisonous frog. She most recently appeared in a guest arc on the TV Land series "Kirstie" and reprised her nominated role in the 100th episode of "Glee." In May, she returned to the famed Carnegie Hall for a sold-out concert. Her first solo-concert at Carnegie Hall was in 2004, also to a sold-out audience.
In July, she will perform "An Evening With..." show at London's grade one listed and highly prestigious concert hall the Royal Albert Hall. She's also completed production on the Universal film The Boy Next Door, alongside Jennifer Lopez, A Bet's A Bet with Mena Suvari and an indie teen drama entitled Hard Sell. She is currently in production on the Disney Channel's live-action original movie The Descendents, in which she will play the classic Sleeping Beauty villain Maleficent. In addition to her on-screen performances, Chenoweth continues to tour in 2014. On stage, she performs songs from her latest album "Some Lessons Learned," as well as an array of her most memorable songs and Broadway show tunes, including music from Wicked, Promises Promises, and "Glee." Chenoweth wrote an uplifting candid, comedic chronicle of her life so far, "A Little Bit Wicked", which was released by Simon & Schuster in April 2009 and debuted at # 12 on the New York Times Hardcover Non Fiction Best Seller List. Chenoweth is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a Master's degree in Opera Performance. In 2014, she formed a new charity partnership with the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center (BA PAC) Foundation in her home town of Oklahoma. The mission of the BA PAC Foundation is to bring the world of visual and performing arts to Broken Arrow. Through its programs and initiatives, the Foundation remains dedicated to providing artistic and educational opportunities, offering entertainment and artistic enrichment to the Broken Arrow Community and serving as a vital partner in the cultural and economic vitality of the region. A veteran of the concert scene, Chenoweth has performed sold-out shows while touring across the country. In 2013, she made her Australian national touring debut and headlined the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and performed at the Sydney Opera House. Chenoweth made national headlines with her heart-warming performance at the Hollywood Bowl, accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she performed beloved songs from classic Hollywood films. Also in 2013, Chenoweth performed to a sold out audience at The Allen Room in New York's acclaimed Lincoln Center. The show, entitled "Kristin Chenoweth: The Dames of Broadway... All of 'Em!!!," aired on PBS stations. Additional touring highlights include joining the musical group IL Divo and international violin virtuoso, Vanessa Mae on IL Divo's limited-run holiday tour in 2009. She performed her solo concert at Sam Mendes's acclaimed Donmar Warehouse as part of the Divas at Donmar series. The show received glowing reviews. Following her show in London, Chenoweth has had numerous collaborations with various symphonies, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. One of her proudest accomplishments was having the privilege to perform Bernstein's Candide at Lincoln Center with The New York Philharmonic. Other performances include her sold-out Los Angeles solo debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, an evening at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and the Washington National Opera's 50th Anniversary Gala with Placido Domingo. Chenoweth's stage credits include: Kern and Hammerstein's rarely seen 1932 musical Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season. She starred in Stairway to Paradise, an original Encores! production celebrating the great Broadway revue. Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the first Ziegfeld Follies, Kristin concluded New York City Center's 2007 season with beloved Broadway numbers from the early 20th century. Ms. Chenoweth starred in the critically successful and highly lauded limited-engagement of The Apple Tree at Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54 and also performed in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions and in the Kander and Ebb musical Steel Pier, for which she won a Theatre World award. She also performed in an Off-Broadway production of Moliere's Scapin for the Roundabout Theatre Company and Nora Ephron's Love Loss and What I Wore. She previously was seen on Broadway as Fran Kubelik in the revival of Promises, Promises starring alongside Sean Hayes at the Broadway theater. Promises, Promises is a unique and popular part of the musical theater canon which was on stage for the first time in over forty years. TV: CBS's "The Good Wife", Carlene Cockburn in the ABC series, "G.C.B." , April Rhodes, in Fox's hit show "Glee". E.J. Baxter, in the Lifetime Original Movie "The Twelve Men of Christmas" as part of the Network's annual Fa La La La Lifetime programming event. Marian Paroo, in ABC's movie version of Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man", and Lily St. Regis in the television adaptation of "Annie", directed by Rob Marshall, and Mrs. Noodle on "Sesame Street". Kristin also starred in her own series "Kristin" for NBC and Fox's animated series "Sit Down, Shut Up" and was seen in the season finale of ABC's hit comedy "Ugly Betty". FILM: You Againwith JamieLee Curtis and Kristen Bell,Deck theHallswith Danny DeVito andMatthew Broderick,RV with Robin Williams, Bewitched with NicoleKidman,Running with Scissorswith Annette Bening, andThe PinkPantherwithSteve Martin.Her film credits also include a cameo inStrangerThan Fictionwith Emma Thompson. Kristin starred alongside Cheryl Hines and Jeff Daniels in the animatedfilmSpace ChimpsforTwentieth Century Fox. She also starred in the independent film,Into Temptation,directed by Sundance filmmaker Patrick Coyle opposite Jeremy Sisto. She wasmost recently seen inHit andRun, written by Dax Shepard and co-starring Kristen Bell, andFamily Weekend.
PETER GALLAGHER(Oscar Jaffe).Born in New York City,Peter Gallagher is an award winning actor at homeon stage, film and TV. He last appeared onBroadway in 2008 inMike Nichols'production ofThe CountryGirl co-starring with Frances McDormand and Morgan Freeman. Previously he has starred in The Royal National Theatre's hit revival of Noises Off, the1992 revival of Guys and Dolls as Sky Masterson (Drama Desk Nomination),Long Day's Journey Into Nightopposite Jack Lemmon (Tony Award nomination),TomStoppard'sTheReal Thingalso directed by Mike Nichols(ClarenceDerwent Award),The Corn is Green starring with CicelyTyson (TheatreWorld Award), and Harold Prince's production of the Comden and Greenmusical,A Doll's Life.Gallagher made his Broadwaydebut in the first revival of Hairand then joined theoriginal Broadway production of Greasein the roleof Danny Zuko. In film, Gallagher made his debut inTaylor Hackford'sThe Idolmakerand has done over50films since then, including sex, lies&videotape andThe Underneath for Steven Soderbergh.The PlayerandShort Cuts (Golden Globe Award)for RobertAltman.Gallagher received a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role asBuddy Kane in the Academy Award®winning American Beauty. Other filmsincludeDreamchild,High Spirits, Watch it, TheHudsuckerProxy,While You Were Sleeping, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Center Stage, Mr.Deeds, Burlesque, Conviction,AdamandStep Up Revolution.On television, Gallagher will be returning thissummer for the fifth season as Arthur Campbell in the international spy dramaCovert Affairs. Hehas alsojust completed a recurring role in the first season of Mark and JayDuplass' new comedy for HBO,Togetherness.Previously, Gallagher starred as Sandy Cohen on,The OC,as Dean Koons opposite DavidDuchovny onCalifornication, Father Phil onDenis Leary'sRescue Meand asWhitney's father, Vince, onWhitneyas well as roles on How IMet YourMother and The Nick KrollShow for Comedy Central.Gallagher'sother television work includes theEmmy® andPeabody Award-winning miniseriesThe Murderof Mary Phagan,TerribleJoe Moran,The CaineMutiny Court Martial for RobertAltman,Fallen Angelsfor Steven Soderbergh,The Big Knife,andPath to Paradise.As a singer, Gallagher recorded an album,7 Daysin Memphis, for EpicRecordsand is featured onthe soundtracks for Pal Joey,Guys and Dolls,ADoll's Lifeand others. He continuesto perform his one-man show,How'd All You People Get in MyRoom?, all over thecountry.Gallagher washonored witha Lightonthe Hill Award and a Jumbo Award fromTufts University. Healso receivedthe Steve ChaseHumanitarian Award from The Desert AIDSProject. He serveson the NationalAdvisoryCouncil of the Alzheimer's Association, and is presently co-chair of theNational Board ofAdvisorsfor the Actor's Fund.
CY COLEMAN(Music)(1929-2004) wasbornSeymour Kaufmanin New YorkCity to Eastern EuropeanJewish parents, andwasraised in the Bronx. A childprodigy, Coleman gave piano recitalsat Steinway Hall,Town Hall, and CarnegieHall between the ages of six and nine. His educational background includedclassical training in piano composition and orchestration at New York City's High School for the PerformingArtsandNY College of Music.Despite early successin the classical and jazz genres, Coleman decided tobuild a career in popular music. He changed his name at age16 in time touse it on his first compositionswith lyricist Joe A. McCarthy. The two collaborated on the classics "Why Tryto Change Me Now," TheRiviera," and"I'm GonnaLaugh You Right OutofMyLife." Healso penned, "Playboy's Theme," whichbecame the signature music of the regular TV shows and specials presented by Playboy. Coleman'smostsuccessful early partnership waswith Carolyn Leigh. The pair wrotemany pop hits, including "Witchcraft,"for FrankSinatra and"The BestIs Yet To Come" originallyfor TonyBennett.Coleman'swinning streak as a
Broadway composer began when the team of Coleman/Leigh collaborated on the musical Wildcat (1960), which marked the Broadway debut of comedienne Lucille Ball. The score included the hit tune "Hey Look Me Over." Up next for the two was Little Me, with a book by Neil Simon based on the novel by Patrick Dennis (Auntie Mame). The show introduced "Real Live Girl" and "I've Got Your Number," which became popular standards. In 1965, Coleman began collaborating with Dorothy Fields. Their first project was the Broadway smash Sweet Charity, again with a book by Neil Simon, and starring Gwen Verdon. The show was a major success and spawned the showstoppers "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now." The Peggy Lee pop recording of the song "Big Spender" also created additional buzz for the Broadway play after it became a mammoth hit and spent several weeks at the top of the charts in tandem with the play's Broadway run. Sweet Charity also went on to grace the silver screen in a film starring Shirley MacLaine that was Directed and Choreographed by Bob Fosse. After Sweet Charity the team of Coleman/Fields worked on the Broadway show Seesaw, which reached Broadway in 1973 and their partnership was cut short by Fields' death in 1974. Coleman remained prolific throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He composed the score for I Love My Wife (1977) with lyrics by Michael Stewart, and then On The Twentieth Century (1978) with Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 1980, Coleman served as producer and composer for the circus-themed Barnum, which introduced theatergoers to Jim Dale and Glenn Close. Later in the decade, he collaborated on Welcome to the Club (1988) with A.E. Hotchner and City of Angels (1989) with David Zippel with book by Larry Gelbart. In the latter, inspired by the hard-boiled detective film noir of the 1930s and '40s, he returned to his jazz roots, and the show was a huge critical and commercial success.
The 1990s brought two more new hit Cy Coleman musicals to Broadway: The Will Rogers Follies (1991), again with Comden and Green, and The Life (1997) with lyricist Ira Gasman. A hit revival followed in 1999 with Little Me (Roundabout), starring Martin Short. Shortly before his death in 2004, Coleman returned to his jazz roots re-forming the popular Cy Coleman Trio performing to sold-out audiences throughout New York City. Coleman's film scores include Father Goose, The Art of Love, Garbo Talks and Family Business. In addition, he composed scores for memorable television specials for Shirley MacLaine, Bob Hope, and Peggy Lee. Cy Coleman has received numerous awards including: Grammy's (3 wins, 13 nominations), Tony's (3 wins, 11 nominations), Emmy's (3 wins, 5 nominations), Oscar (1 Nomination for Sweet Charity), Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Johnny Mercer Award (Songwriter's Hall Of Fame), and the Richard Rogers Award for Lifetime Achievement in American Musical Theater (ASCAP).
BETTY COMDEN (Book & Lyrics) appeared in the films Garbo Talks and Slaves Of New York, and authored a collection of essays published under the title Off Stage. Ms. Comden is survived by her daughter, Susanna Kyle.
ADOLPH GREEN (Book & Lyrics) appeared in the films Simon, My Favorite Year, Lily In Love, I Want To Go Home, and The Substance of Fire, and as Dr. Pangloss in the television broadcast of Candide, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Green is survived by his wife, Phyllis Newman, and their children, Adam and Amanda. Highlights of Mr. Green's 2014 Centenary Celebration have included the announcements of Broadway revivals of On the Town and On the Twentieth Century and a live NBC broadcast of Peter Pan.
In a partnership spanning nearly 60 years, Betty Comden and Adolph Green received Tony Awards for their lyrics and/or librettos for Applause, Wonderful Town, Hallelujah Baby!, On The Twentieth Century and The Will Rogers Follies. Other Broadway credits: On the Town, Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing, Do Re Mi, Subways Are For Sleeping and A Doll's Life. They wrote the screenplays and/or lyrics for the motion pictures Good News, On the Town, Singin' In The Rain, The Band Wagon, It's Always Fair Weather (Academy Award nomination) and Auntie Mame, among others. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 1991.
SCOTT ELLIS (Director) was most recently represented on Broadway with the The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony nomination, Best Direction of a Musical; Tony nomination, Best Revival of a Musical), the critically acclaimed production of HARVEY starring Jim Parsons, the Kander and Ebb musical Curtains starring David Hyde Pierce (Tony Nomination, Best Direction of a Musical), The Little Dog Laughed (Lucille Lortel Award Nomination), Twelve Angry Men (Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations), Arthur Miller's The Man Who Had All The Luck starring Chris O'Donnell, THE Rainmaker starring Woody Harrelson, 1776 (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Tony Award nominations), Company, Steel Pier (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony Award nominations), She Loves Me (Drama Desk and Tony Award nominations, Outer Critics Circle Award, Olivier Award for Best Director London Production), Picnic, A Month In The Country Starring Helen Mirren. Off-Broadway Credits Include Gruesome Playground Injuries, The Understudy, Streamers, Mr. And Mrs. Fitch, Good Boys And True, The Waverly Gallery, The Dog Problem, Flora, The Red Menace, Dark Rapture, That Championship Season, and The World Goes 'Round...The Songs Of Kander And Ebb (Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle nomination). For television, the Executive Producer on Showtime's "Weeds" for the three years. Other credits include "The Michael J. Fox Show," "30 Rock" (Emmy Nomination, Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series), "Modern Family," "Nurse Jackie," "The Good Wife", "Hung," and "The Closer". A graduate of Chicago Goodman School of Drama and is the Associate Artistic Director of the Roundabout Theatre Company. Upcoming: The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper on Broadway.
WARREN CARLYLE. Broadway: director/choreographer of After Midnight (Tony nomination for Direction & Choreography), Chaplin, Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway, Finian's Rainbow (2 Drama Desk noms) and A Tale of Two Cities, choreographer of Follies (Drama Desk nom.), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and A Christmas Story The Musical (Drama Desk nom.) Off-Broadway: Carousel (New York Philharmonic, Emmy nom.), On Your Toes (City Center Encores!), Cotton Club Parade (Jazz at Lincoln Center and City Center), Girl Crazy, On The Town, Finian's Rainbow, Juno, and Stairway to Paradise (all Encores! at City Center).
Roundabout Theatre Company is committed to producing the highest quality theatre with the finest artists, sharing stories that endure, and providing accessibility to all audiences. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills its mission each season through the production of classic plays and musicals; development and production of new works by established and emerging writers; educational initiatives that enrich the lives of children and adults; and a subscription model and audience outreach programs that cultivate and engage all audiences.
Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages. Off-Broadway, the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre, with its simple sophisticated design, is perfectly suited to showcasing new plays. The grandeur of its Broadway home on 42nd Street, American Airlines Theatre, sets the ideal stage for the classics. Roundabout's Studio 54 provides an exciting and intimate Broadway venue for its musical and special event productions. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre offers a state of the art LEED certified Broadway theatre in which to stage major large-scale musical revivals. Together these distinctive homes serve to enhance Roundabout's work on each of its stages.
American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Roundabout's 2013-2014 season includes Masteroff, Kander & Ebb's Cabaret, starring Alan Cumming, Michelle Williams, directed by Sam Mendes & Rob Marshall (co-director/choreographer); Tesori & Crawley's Violet, starring Sutton Foster, directed by Leigh Silverman; and Just Jim Dale, starring Jim Dale, directed by Richard Maltby Jr.
Roundabout's 2014-2015 season includes Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing starring Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal & Cynthia Nixon, directed by Sam Gold; Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink starring Rosemary Harris & directed by Carey Perloff; Coleman, Comden & Green's On The Twentieth Century starring Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher, directed by Scott Ellis and Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's Into the Woods.
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