Murin-Led EMMA Begins Previews at The Old Globe 1/15

Jane Austen's Emma - A Musical Romantic Comedy, with book, music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Paul Gordon and direction by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun, will run in the Old Globe Theatre Jan. 15 - Feb. 27. Preview performances run Jan. 15 - Jan. 22. Opening night is Jan. 23 at 7:00 p.m.  

Emma, a beautiful and clever young woman who prides herself on her matchmaking ability, is preoccupied with romance yet is clueless to her own feelings of love. When she takes on a young friend as her latest project, her well-intentioned efforts misfire, leading to a whirlwind of complications - and ultimately, true love. Paul Gordon brings Jane Austen's masterpiece to musical life with songs that are "cleverly woven throughout" and "enhance the story in wonderful ways" (Variety).

As previously announced, Patti Murin will star in the title role as Emma Woodhouse with Adam Monley as Mr. Knightley and Will Reynolds as Frank Churchill.  Adam Daveline (Robert Martin), Suzanne Grodner (Miss Bates), Kelly Hutchinson (Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Elton), Brian Herndon (Mr. Elton), Jerry Lanning (Mr. Woodhouse), Dani Marcus (Harriet Smith), Amanda Naughton (Mrs. Weston), Don Noble (Mr. Weston) and Allison Spratt Pearce (Jane Fairfax).

The creative team features Tobin Ost (Scenic Design), Denitsa D. Bliznakova (Costume Design), Michael Gilliam (Lighting Design), John H. Shivers and David Patridge (Sound Design), Brad Haak (Music Supervisor), Laura Bergquist (Music Director) and Thomas J. Gates (Stage Manager).

Jane Austen's Emma premiered at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto in September 2007. Gordon's musical has since had successful regional productions at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. In 2001, Gordon was nominated for a Tony Award for composing the music and lyrics to the Broadway musical Jane Eyre directed by John Caird and Scott Schwartz. Daddy Long Legs, also written with John Caird, had its world premiere at Rubicon Theatre Company in the fall of 2009 and has gone on to play TheatreWorks, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Broad Stage in Los Angeles and will receive productions at Northlight Theatre, La Mirada Theatre and Laguna Playhouse. His other works include Lucky Break, written with Jay Gruska and Seth Friedman, based on the 1976 film The Front, Death: The Musical and Analogue and Vinyl. Gordon is currently working on Little Miss Scrooge, a contemporary retelling of the Dickens classic. He has written several number-one pop songs and is the recipient of nine ASCAP Awards.

Jeff Calhoun (Director/Choreographer) is delighted to return to The Old Globe where he co-directed Himself and Nora with Joe Hardy. Calhoun directed the Broadway-bound production of Bonnie & Clyde at the Asolo Repertory Theatre following an award-winning run at La Jolla Playhouse (Craig Noel Awards for Outstanding New Musical and Outstanding Director of a Musical). He directed and choreographed the First National Tour of the stage musical adaptation of the hit Dolly Parton Film 9 to 5. Calhoun also directed the world premiere productions, domestic and international tours of Disney's High School Musical: On Stage and Disney's High School Musical 2: On Stage. He directed and choreographed the Deaf West Theatre production of Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum. Calhoun directed and choreographed the award-winning Deaf West Theatre production of Big River (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Best Revival; Drama Desk nomination for Best Director of a Musical; Ovation and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards for Direction and Choreography). Calhoun was a producer as well as director/choreographer for the Broadway production of Brooklyn the Musical and the director/choreographer of the 1994 Broadway revival of Grease! (Tony nomination, Best Choreography). He co-choreographed the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun (Tony Award, Best Revival). Calhoun's Broadway directing debut was Tommy Tune Tonite!, and his collaboration with Tune led to the 1991 Tony for Best Choreography for the Will Rogers Follies.

TICKETS to Jane Austen's Emma can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances at the Old Globe Theatre begin on Jan. 15 and continue through Feb. 27. Ticket prices range from $39 to $94. Performance times: Previews: Saturday, Jan. 15 at 8:00 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 20 at 8:00 p.m., Friday, Jan. 21 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 22 at 8:00 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. There is a Wednesday matinee on Feb. 9 at 2:00 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors and groups of 10 or more.

Associated events taking place during the run of Jane Austen's Emma include:

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Jane Austen's Emma - A Musical Romantic Comedy
Tuesdays, Jan. 25 & Feb. 1 and Wednesday, Feb. 9. FREE
Discuss the play with members of the Jane Austen's Emma cast and crew at post-show discussions led by the Globe's creative staff after the performances.

INSIGHT SEMINAR: Jane Austen's Emma - A Musical Romantic Comedy
Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7:00 p.m. FREE
Insight Seminars are informal presentations of ideas and insights to enhance the theater-going experience. The seminars feature a panel selected from the artistic company of each production and take place in the theater where the production is performed. Reception, 6:30 p.m. Seminar, 7:00 p.m. Admission is free and reservations are not required.

OUT AT THE GLOBE: Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. $20
An evening for gay and lesbian theater lovers and the whole LGBT community, Out at the Globe includes a hosted wine and martini bar, appetizers and door prizes. $20 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to Jane Austen's Emma are sold separately.)

THANK GLOBE IT'S FRIDAY: Fridays, Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. $20
Kick off the weekend with the Globe's Friday pre-show bash. TGIF includes a hosted wine and martini bar, appetizers and desserts. $20 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to Jane Austen's Emma are sold separately.)

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($10). For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

CALENDAR: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (11/20-12/26), Plaid Tidings - A Special Holiday Edition of Forever Plaid (11/27-12/26), Jane Austen's Emma - A Musical Romantic Comedy (1/15-2/27), Death of a Salesman (1/22-2/27), Groundswell (3/12-4/17), Rafta, Rafta. (3/19-4/24).

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for 75 years. Under the direction of Executive Producer Louis G. Spisto, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre, the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre and the 612-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.

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CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Adam Daveline (Robert Martin) recently made his Old Globe debut as The Shepherd in The Winter's Tale. Some of his regional credits include Bruce in Finding Nemo - The Musical (Walt Disney Creative Entertainment), Javert in Les Misérables, David in Company, Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar, Carl in Bus Stop, Zoser in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, Adam in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Smudge in Forever Plaid and Baker in Into the Woods. His film work includes Fire Creek (Lifesong Productions). His recordings include the concept albums of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Savior of the World. He has also performed as a featured soloist in Carnegie Hall with the National Alliance for Excellence.

Suzanne Grodner (Miss Bates) created the role of Miss Bates at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto and has performed Jane Austen's Emma at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Musicals in New York. Her Broadway credits include Bye Bye Birdie (Roundabout Theatre Company) and The Rose Tattoo (Circle in the Square Theatre). Her Off Broadway credits include Sarah, Sarah (Manhattan Theatre Club), Cakewalk and Death Defying Acts (Variety Arts Center), Appelemando's Dreams (Vineyard Theatre) and Waiting for the Parade (A.W.E.). She has appeared in the National and International Tours of The Phantom of the Opera and Brighton Beach Memoirs. She has appeared regionally in Wintertime (ACT-A Contemporary Theatre), Angels in America (Actors Theatre of Louisville), The Smell of the Kill and Much Ado About Nothing (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), I'm Not Rappaport (Pittsburgh Public Theater), Distracted, Twentieth Century, Living Out, The Fourth Wall and Into the Woods (TheatreWorks), Enchanted April (Pioneer Theatre Company), The Plexiglass Slipper, Tartuffe and Broadway Bound (Asolo Repertory Theatre), The Sisters Rosensweig and The Importance of Being Earnest (Indiana Repertory Theatre), The Princess and the Pea (Shakespeare Santa Cruz), Lost in Yonkers and Backsliding in the Promised Land (Syracuse Stage) and Red Herring (Florida Stage), among others. Grodner's television credits include "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Ed" and HBO's "Hidden Signs."

Brian Herndon (Mr. Elton) originated the role of Mr. Elton in the very first staged reading in 2006 and has performed the show in Mountain View, Cincinnati, St. Louis and New York City. Herndon makes his Old Globe debut with Jane Austen's Emma. His favorite roles include Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Charlie in The Foreigner and Leo Bloom in The Producers. Next summer he will be performing as Iachimo in Cymbeline with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.

Kelly Hutchinson (Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Elton) has appeared on Broadway in Desire Under the Elms, Major Barbara and Macbeth. Off Broadway she has appeared in Or (Women's Project), The Voyage of the Carcass (Soho Playhouse), Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul (New York Theatre Workshop) and Romola and Nijinsky at (Primary Stages). Her regional credits include The Understudy (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Penelope of Ithaca (Hangar Theatre), How Shakespeare Won the West (Huntington Theatre Company), The Unmentionables (Yale Repertory Theatre, directed by Anna D. Shapiro), Touch(ed) (Pioneer Theatre Company), Rocket to the Moon (directed by Daniel Fish), CENTERSTAGE, Barrington Stage Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre and others. On television Hutchinson has been seen on "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Hack" and "The Jury," as well as a recurring role on "Strangers with Candy." Her films include Catch Me If You Can, Slippery Slope, Hysterical Psycho and the upcoming The Sea Is All I Know with Melissa Leo.

Jerry Lanning (Mr. Woodhouse) made his Broadway debut originating the role of Patrick in Mame with Angela Lansbury. His New York credits include Where's Charley? and Anna Karenina (Circle in the Square Theatre), My Fair Lady (20th anniversary production), Berlin to Broadway (Lucille Lortel Theatre), Isn't It Romantic (Playwrights Horizons), Emerald City (Perry Street Theatre), Timon of Athens and The Government Inspector (National Actors Theatre), among others. Regional credits include Boss Mangan in Heartbreak House (Hartford Stage) and Strictly Dishonorable (Philadelphia Drama Guild). Lanning was last seen on Broadway as Rev. John Witherspoon in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of 1776 and at Carnegie Hall in the production of Sail Away. Most recently he appeared in the Broadway-bound, world premiere production of The Visit at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia with Chita Rivera and George Hearn. Some of his television credits include "Search for Tomorrow," "Another World," "Texas," Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Lanning can also be heard on the albums Jerry Lanning Sings, Mame (remastered), Berlin to Broadway, My Fair Lady (remastered), Greatest Hits and Greatest Songs from the Musicals.

Dani Marcus (Harriet Smith) is making her Old Globe debut. Her regional credits include Harriet Smith in Jane Austen's Emma (TheatreWorks, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (San Jose Repertory Theatre), Beggar's Holiday (Marin Theatre Company, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award) and The Musical of Musicals the Musical! (Center REP Theatre). Marcus' New York credits include the Drama Desk-nominated The Pirates of Penzance (The National Yiddish Theatre), River's End (New York Musical Theatre Festival) and Civil War Voices (2010 Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival).

Adam Monley (Mr. Knightley) was last seen at The Old Globe in Working. He has appeared on Broadway in the original cast of Mamma Mia!, and his National Tour credits include Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera and Mark Twain and Voice of Huck in Deaf West's production of Big River, directed by Jeff Calhoun. He has appeared Off Broadway as Will Plenty in Fanny Hill (York Theatre Company) and Harley in A Gingerbread House (Playwrights Horizon). His regional credits include Paul in Carnival! (Goodspeed Musicals, directed by Darko Tresnjak), Curly in Oklahoma! and Romeo in Romeo and Bernadette (Paper Mill Playhouse) and Henrik in A Little Night Music (North Shore Music Theatre).

Patti Murin (Emma Woodhouse) recently played Euterpe and understudied Kira/Clio in Xanadu on Broadway. Her other recent credits include playing Lysistrata Jones in Douglas Carter Beane's new musical, Give It Up! (Dallas Theater Center), Waverly in Next Thing You Know by Josh Salzman and Ryan Cunningham (Berkshire Theatre Festival) and Nicole in Band Geeks! (Goodspeed Musicals). Murin's other favorite credits include Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Theatre of the Stars), every production of David Zippel's Princesses (Goodspeed Musicals and 5th Avenue Theatre), Amber in Hairspray (Cape Playhouse) and originating the role of Sharpay Evans in the premiere professional production of Disney's High School Musical (Theatre of the Stars, directed by Jeff Calhoun).

Amanda Naughton (Mrs. Weston) has previously appeared at the Globe in Lost in Yonkers, The Women, The Constant Wife, Loves and Hours and Paramour. Her Broadway credits include Into the Woods (2002 revival) and The Secret Garden (also the National Tour, Jefferson Award nominee). She has appeared Off Broadway in Romance in Hard Times, Hundreds of Hats, 3 Postcards and Mr. President. Regionally she has been seen in A Midsummer Night's Dream (La Jolla Playhouse), A Little Night Music (Goodspeed Musicals, LA Opera and South Coast Repertory), Amour and O. Henry's Lovers (Goodspeed Musicals), On the Town (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera), Gypsy, Tartuffe, The Waves, Misalliance, Bedroom Farce and The Threepenny Opera (Hangar Theatre), Anything Goes, Hello, Dolly!, The Sound of Music, The Foreigner, Lend Me a Tenor, Steel Magnolias and Barefoot in the Park (Forestburgh Playhouse),The Royal Family (Caldwell Theatre Company), The Betrayal of Nora Blake (Cuillo Centre For The Arts), Another Kind of Hero (Walnut Street Theatre) and Edith Stein (Geva Theatre). Her television credits include the role of BetTy Roberts on AMC's original series "Remember WENN," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Payne" (with John Larroquette) and "Chappelle's Show."

Don Noble (Mr. Weston) played Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia! (National Tour) and has appeared Off Broadway in That Other Woman's Child and Perfect Crime. Recent regional credits include Dr. Winston in Cactus Flower, Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird and Gabriel Conroy in James Joyce's The Dead (Capital Repertory Theater). In Canada his many credits include Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl, Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband, Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest, Reverend Morell in Candida, Captain Bluntschli in Arms and the Man and The Narrator in Blood Brothers, as well as The Long Weekend (Theatre Aquarius), Anne of Green Gables (Drayton Festival Theatre), The Last Resort (Stage West), Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (Western Canada Theatre), Elizabeth Rex (Arts Club), The Tempest and Henry IV Part 1 (Bard on the Beach), A Christmas Carol (Carousel Theatre) and The Diary of Anne Frank (Chemainus Theatre Festival).

Allison Spratt PEARCE (Jane Fairfax) was recently seen in The Old Globe/USD M.F.A. production of The Winter's Tale. Her Broadway and Off Broadway credits include Cry-Baby, Curtains, Good Vibrations and Enter Laughing. She has appeared in the National and European Tours of Cabaret, Grease and Jekyll & Hyde. Her New York and regional credits are Barnum, Footloose, Singin' in the Rain, Plane Crazy, My Fair Lady (Capital Repertory Theater), The Girl in the Frame (Goodspeed Musicals and Manhattan Theatre Club), Cinderella (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), Oklahoma! (Casa Mañana) and Thoroughly Modern Millie and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Flat Rock Playhouse). Pearce's film and television credits include The Smurfs (spring 2011) and He Got Game.

Will Reynolds (Frank Churchill) is making his Globe debut. Previous credits include the North American Tour of Mamma Mia!, Curly in Oklahoma! and the title role in Candide (Chicago Light Opera Works), Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Frankie in Forever Plaid (Cape Playhouse), Jason in Ordinary Days (Adirondack Theatre Festival) and Gerald in A Woman of No Importance (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre). Reynolds was nominated for a Connecticut Critics Circle Award as Huck Finn in Big River (Goodspeed Musicals). His film credits include The Good Shepherd. As a writer, Reynolds' was honored to be selected by ASCAP for the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, and his musical The Greenwood Tree (with text by Shakespeare) was featured in the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival and most recently at the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage festival.