Wildhorn's Dacal Led WONDERLAND Premieres at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Tonight, 12/5

The David A Straz Center for the Performing Arts Center gives Frank Wildhorn's Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure its world premiere in Tampa on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 in Ferguson Hall, with Gregory Boyd, artistic director of Houston's Alley Theatre, directing. The music for Wonderland is from composer Frank Wildhorn (The Civil War and Jekyll & Hyde) with lyrics by Jack Murphy (The Civil War) and a book by Murphy and Boyd.

Wonderland is the first initiative of the Broadway Genesis Project at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Broadway Genesis is intended to help create new works of American theater to play the Tampa market, and then possibly tour other performing arts centers or move to Broadway.

The principal cast in this world premiere musical includes Julie Brooks (Fiddler on the Roof national tour) as Chloe, Janet Dacal (In the Heights, Good Vibrations) as Alice, Eugene Fleming (Fosse) as The caterpillar, Jose Llana (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as El Gato, Karen Mason (Sunset Boulevard, Mamma Mia!) as the Queen of Hearts, Darren Ritchie (Dracula: The Musical) as Jack/White Knight, Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde) as the Mad Hatter and Ed Staudenmayer (Forbidden Broadway) as the Rabbit.

The ensemble includes Tad Wilson, who will also take on the featured role of the Jabberwock, along with Grady Bowman, Sae La Chin, Dan Domenech, Mallauri Esquibel, Lori Eure, Derek Ferguson, Wilkie Ferguson, Ashley Galvan, Laura Karklina, Autumn Hurlburt, Rachel Markarian, Mary Mossberg, Julius Anthony Rubio, Melinda Sullivan, Chelsea Traille and Danny Stiles.

This entire company, along with the recently announced creative team, will begin rehearsals in Tampa on Oct. 12.

Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure will play TBPAC's Ferguson Hall Dec. 5, 2009 through Jan. 3, 2010, with preview performances scheduled Nov. 24 through Dec. 4. Single tickets will go on sale to the general public on Sunday, Aug. 16, at noon. Additionally, many ticket packages that include Wonderland are now available.

For more information, log on to www.wonderlandthemusical.org.

Following the Tampa run, Wonderland will play a limited engagement at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, beginning Jan. 15, 2009. For more information, visit www.alleytheatre.org.

Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice.