Park, Hoty, Kennedy, and Glynn are part of 'Pure Country'

Producers Randall L. Wreghitt, Chris Presley and Ellen Rusconi have announced casting for an upcoming workshop presentation of PURE COUNTRY, the brand-new original musical that will have its World Premiere as part of the 2008-2009 Broadway Season.  

Principal casting for the workshop features seasoned Broadway veterans Michael Park (Smokey Joe's Café, Carousel, Little Me, the recent Applause for Encores!) as Rusty, three-time Tony Award nominee Dee Hoty (The Will Rogers Follies, City of Angels, Mamma Mia!) as Lula, Tony Award winner Carlin Glynn (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Young Man from Atlanta) as Mama Ivy, Lauren Kennedy (Spamalot, Side Show, Sunset Boulevard) as Harley, Jeb Brown (currently in Grease, High Fidelity, Ring of Fire) as Earl, Jim Newman (currently in Curtains, The Who's Tommy, Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver) as Charlie and Michael McCormick (currently in Curtains, Kiss Me Kate, the 2003 Gypsy) as Marty.

The workshop's twelve-member ensemble features Eric Anderson, Becca Ayers (currently in South Pacific), Brad Bass (currently in Wicked), Darrell Blackburn, Bridie Carroll, Anderson Davis, Ryan Dunkin, Sarah Jane Everman (the upcoming Shrek The Musical), Jared Grimes, Stephanie Kurtzuba (currently in Mary Poppins), Courtney Laine Mazza (currently in Cry Baby) and Allie Schulz.  Production Stage Manager is James Harker.

Rehearsals for the workshop begin this week and will culminate in three private industry presentations to be held Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23.

The workshop casting does not reflect final casting for the Broadway production, which has yet to be finalized and announced.  PURE COUNTRY will begin previews in Spring 2009, with exact dates, casting and a theater to be announced.

As previously announced, PURE COUNTRY is a book musical based on the 1992 film of the same name.  It features an eclectic, original score drawing on the sounds of New and Classic Country, as well as Broadway and Adult Contemporary.  The musical boasts a powerhouse Creative Team from the worlds of Theater, Film and Country and Pop Music:

    * Film and Theater writer and director Peter Masterson, best known as the co-writer and co-director of the hit Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (and co-author of the hit film), will direct and co-author the Book.

 

    * 3-time Grammy nominee and 6-time Emmy nominee Steve Dorff, who has written nine #1 songs and 15 Top Ten hits (including such classics as Kenny Rogers' "Through the Years," Celine Dion's "Miracle" and the Country staple and hit movie theme "Every Which Way But Loose" by Eddie Rabbit) will compose the Music.

 

    * 2-time Emmy nominee, 3-time Grammy nominee and Golden Globe and Oscar nominee John Bettis, whose songs have sold over 250 million records worldwide (writing everything from George Strait's "Heartland" to Madonna's "Crazy for You") is writing the Lyrics.

 

    * Rex McGee, a protégé of the legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder, wrote the original Warner Brothers film Pure Country, on which the new musical is based, and co-wrote the musical's Book with Masterson.

Sometimes fame and fortune aren't enough.  In the new Broadway musical PURE COUNTRY, Rusty is a country music superstar at the height of his career with all the high stakes pressures that come with it. When they start to take their toll and he walks out of an overblown concert tour, his search begins to find himself – and the love he left behind.  PURE COUNTRY is about the price of fame and one man's journey home. 
 

Complementing the musical's Creative Team is an A-list Design Team, including Tony-nominated scenic designer Derek McLane (The Pajama Game), three-time Tony-nominated costume designer Ann Roth (a staggering 77 Broadway shows including the original The House of Blue Leaves, Singing' in the Rain and The Odd Couple), Tony-winning lighting designer  Kevin Adams (Spring Awakening, Passing Strange) and the Drama Desk Award-winning sound designers ACME Sound Partners (for La Bohéme, plus Spamalot, In The Heights)  In addition, choreography will be by internationally-renown choreographer Seán Curran (James Joyce's The Dead and Lincoln Center's Cymbeline on Broadway, founder and Artistic Director of the Seán Curran Company).  Music Director will be Eugene Gwozdz.

PURE COUNTRY is based on the 1992 Warner Brothers' film of the same name, written by Rex McGee and directed by Christopher Cain.  It starred George Strait (in his film debut), Lesley Ann Warren, Kyle Chandler and Rory Calhoun (in his final film appearance).  The soundtrack went to #1 on the U.S. Country Album Chart and spawned two #1 Country singles, "Heartland" and "I Cross My Heart."  Both songs were written and co-produced by Steven Dorff, the composer of the musical, and have been added to Dorff's otherwise new and original score for the musical PURE COUNTRY.

Casting and dates for PURE COUNTRY will be announced in the coming months.

www.PureCountryOnBroadway.com

 

Peter Masterson (Co-Book Writer and Director), originally from Houston, began his career as a New York and Broadway stage actor in Call Me By My Rightful Name in 1961 and subsequently worked in films, theater and TV.  His notable films from this period include Norman Jewison's In the Heat of the Night and a starring role in The Stepford Wives (1974) in addition to earning praise in the leading role of the stage production The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald and in the TV-movie "A Question of Guilt."  In 1978, Masterson co-wrote (with Larry L. King and music and lyrics by Carol Hall) and co-directed (with Tommy Tune) the Broadway musical and worldwide hit The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which brought Masterson's wife, Carlin Glynn, a Tony Award for her performance.  He and King also wrote the extremely successful 1982 feature film adaptation of the musical.  Mr. Masterson directed the feature version of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful for which the actress Geraldine Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress.  He also helmed the TV-movie version of Foote's "Lily Dale" (Showtime, 1996) starring his daughter, Mary Stuart Masterson.  He's on the board of The Actors Studio in New York and a creative advisor to Robert Redford's Sundance Institute.

REX McGEE (Book) wrote the Warner Brothers film Pure Country, on which this new musical is based. A protégé of Oscar-winning filmmaker Billy Wilder, his screenplays include Tiny Revolution and Whistling Dixie and the recent Hallmark Mother's Day television movie, Where There's a Will, starring Marion Ross and Keith Carradine. He is currently working on a new original screenplay about Texas debutantes, Nose to the Toes. As a journalist, McGee has written for Playboy.

Steve Dorff (Music) is a 3-time Grammy nominee and 6-time Emmy nominee.  He has written nine #1 songs and 15 Top Ten hits including Kenny Rogers' classic "Through the Years" and Anne Murray's "I Just Fall in Love Again."  His songs have been sung by some of the greatest recording artists of our time, including Celine Dion ("Miracle"), Barbra Streisand ("Higher Ground"), George Strait ("I Cross My Heart"), Clay Walker ("Hypnotize the Moon"), Whitney Houston ("Take Good Care of My Heart") and Eddie Rabbit ("Every Which Way But Loose").

John Bettis (Lyrics) has been nominated for two Emmys, three Grammys, a Golden Globe and an Oscar. He has written songs that have sold more than 250 million records for artists as diverse as George Strait ("Heartland"), Whitney Houston ("One Moment in Time"), Conway Twitty ("Slow Hand"), Celine Dion ("If You Could See Me Now"), Madonna ("Crazy For You") and Michael Jackson ("Human Nature").  In 1969, he and friends Richard and Karen started the band The Carpenters, for which John wrote "Top of the World," "Yesterday Once More," "Goodbye to Love," and many others.  This is his third theatrical stage collaboration with Steve Dorff.  

SEÁN CURRAN (Choreography) is Artistic Director of the Sean Curran Company, the internationally-renown dance company he founded in 1997.  Broadway: James Joyce's The Dead, the Lincoln Center productions of Cymbeline and The Rivals. Off-Broadway: My Life With Albertine, Stomp (original cast member). Metropolitan Opera: Roméo et Juliette. New York City Opera: L'Etoile, Turandot, Capriccio, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Alcina, Acis and Galatea. Opera Theatre of St. Louis: Nixon in China, Street Scene, The Mikado, La Traviata. Santa Fe Opera: Daphne. Shakespeare Theatre: Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew. Yale Rep: Lulu. Sean is a member of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, where he first made his mark in the dance world as a leading dancer, winning New York Dance and Performance Bessie awards for his performance in Secret Pastures.

Derek McLane (Scenic Design). Broadway: The Pajama Game (2006 Tony nomination), Grease, The Threepenny Opera, Little Women, I Am My Own Wife (Lortel and Obie awards), Barefoot in the Park, Lestat, The Women, Present Laughter, London Assurance, Holiday and others. Off-Broadway: The Voysey Inheritance (Lortel Award, Outer Critics nomination), Two Trains Running, The Scene, Macbeth (Shakespeare in the Park), Hurlyburly, Abigail's Party, Modern Orthodox, Aunt Dan and Lemon, East Is East, subUrbia, Saturday Night. He designed the entire Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center and has designed productions at most of the major resident theatres and opera companies across the U.S. Additional awards: two Obie Awards for Sustained Excellence in Scenic Design, Drama-Logue Award, Michael Merritt Award (Chicago), seven Drama Desk nominations, three Lortel Awards.

Ann Roth (Costume Design). Theatre credits include Hurlyburly, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Singin' in the Rain, Purlie, The Odd Couple, Butley, Waiting for Godot, The House of Blue Leaves and the recent The Year of Magical Thinking and The Vertical Hour. She received Tony nominations for The Crucifer of Blood, The Royal Family and Present Laughter. Among her many films are Midnight Cowboy, Klute, The Day of the Locust (BAFTA Award), The Goodbye Girl, Coming Home, Hair, The World According to Garp, Sweet Dreams, Working Girl, Sabrina, Silkwood, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Mambo Kings, The Bird Cage, Primary Colors, The English Patient (Academy Award), The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Hours, Cold Mountain, "Angels in America," The Stepford Wives, The Village and Closer. In 2000, she received the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kevin Adams (Lighting Design) Broadway: Spring Awakening (Tony Award, Hewes Award), The 39 Steps, Passing Strange, Take Me Out, The Good Body, Sexaholix, Hedda Gabler. Off-Broadway: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, Betty Rules and new work by Edward Albee, Terrence McNally, Neil Simon, Paula Vogel, Christopher Durang, Anna Deavere Smith, Eric Bogosian and Charles Mee, Jr. Other: Steppenwolf, Donmar Warehouse, P.S. 122, Joe's Pub, Encores!, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera. Additional awards: 1999 and 2007 Lucille Lortel; 2002 Obie for Sustained Excellence. 

ACME Sound Partners (Sound Design). Since 2000, Acme has provided sound design services for over 20 Broadway shows including In The Heights,Legally Blonde, A Chorus Line (2006), Monty Python's Spamalot and Avenue Q.  They received a Drama Desk Award for their work on Baz Luhrmann's La Bohéme.  The partners are: Tom Clark, Mark Menard and Nevin Steinberg. 

Eugene Gwozdz (Musical Director). Recent credits as musical director/pianist include It's a Hit (Fringe Fest), Thrill Me (York) and the 20th Anniversary production of Baby (Paper Mill). Broadway: The Full Monty, Oklahoma!. Tours: Sunset Boulevard, The Flower Drum Song, Swing!, The Phantom of the Opera, The Will Rogers Follies, West Side Story (conducted and played keyboards). Off-Broadway: Tim & Scrooge; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; Time and Again; The Prince and the Pauper. He's worked with many Broadway stars including Chita Rivera, Leslie Uggams, Will Chase, Betty Buckley, Anika Noni Rose, Victoria Clark, Michael Rupert, Carolee Carmello, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Hunter Foster, Kristin Chenoweth, John Tartaglia, Karen Ziemba and Rachel York. He music directs for Donna McKechnie and for Casa Manana Theatre at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth.

Randall L. Wreghitt (Producer). Broadway: Grey Gardens, The Lieutenant of Inishmore,  Little Women, Golda's Balcony, Metamorphoses, Hedda Gabler, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Electra, The Lonesome West, Band in Berlin, The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Real Thing (associate producer). His productions have been nominated for 41 Tony Awards with 12 wins.  Off-Broadway: The Waverly Gallery, As Bees in Honey Drown, The Springhill Singing Disaster, The Boys in the Band, The Food Chain, Camping with Henry and Tom, Zombie Prom and Three Tall Women (associate producer). London: The Boys in the Band, Lobby Hero.  Tour: Little Women. Edinburgh: Velocity. Regionally: Crush…. Film: A Tale of Two Pizzas. Television: the upcoming "Broadway Bullpen." Robert Whitehead Award for "Outstanding achievement in commercial theatrical producing." Randall established Pro-Marketing, a marketing and promotions company and serves on the board of Early Stages. Upcoming Theater: The Great Game, Camille, the 30th Anniversary production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the new musicals As Seen on TV, Eddie and the Cruisers and Pepita: Senorita Matador. 

Chris Presley (Producer) began his career in New York as the SSDC Observer to Michael Mayer on A View from the Bridge on Broadway, afterward traveling to London to work on Miss Saigon then returning to Broadway as an assistant to Ed Sherrin.  Other projects include the Broadway revival of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the American premiere of the international phenomenon Starmania and a new theatrical concert featuring the music of Charles Aznavour.  Additionally, Chris provides marketing and audience development for shows such as the Tony-Honored Forbidden Broadway and the long-running hit I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. As a director, his extensive work includes productions for The Actors Studio, Primary Stages and EST, among many others, as well as serving as the Producing Artistic Director of Deep Ellum Opera Theatre. Through his company, Basic Stages, Chris serves as a creative consultant to corporate clients such as State Farm, Bank of America and AT&T. He holds an MFA from The New School, a BS from The University of Texas and is on faculty at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  Chris is a member of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and a lifetime member of The Actors Studio.

Ellen Rusconi (Producer) started her career as a C.P.A. for Price Waterhouse in New York, where she was assigned to clients ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to Con Edison.  Since 1992, she has worked in commercial and not-for-profit theatre on Broadway, Off-Broadway, sit-down productions around the country, European tours and corporate industrials. She general manages New York's Forbidden Broadway, which was recently chosen to receive the Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre. Other current management projects include Irma Vep, Toxic Avenger (a new musical) and Forbidden Broadway in Miami. She is the Business Manager of the Stage Director and Choreographer's Foundation and recently served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the City Lights Youth Theatre Benefit in 2008. She is a graduate of The University of  Virginia.