Photo Flash: First Look at Emily Padgett and More in the World Premiere of Pasadena Playhouse's WATERFALL

The 5th Avenue Theatre joins with producing partner Pasadena Playhouse in welcoming Emily Padgett (Broadway: Side Show, Rock of Ages), Thom Sesma (Broadway: The Times They are A-Changin', Man of La Mancha), J. Elaine Marcos (Broadway: Annie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), and Thai superstar Bie Sukrit lead the cast of the world premiere of WATERFALL, an epic new Broadway bound musical love story, featuring a distinguished international creative team and a cast of 20. Check out a first look below!

Performances at Pasadena Playhouse take place May 29 through June 28, 2015, followed by a Seattle run October 1-25, 2015.

Waterfall marks a groundbreaking collaboration between American and Asian theatrical artists. The musical, based on a contemporary classic Thai novel, Behind the Painting by Sriburapha, features book and lyrics by Tony Award winner Richard Maltby Jr. (Ain't Misbehavin', Miss Saigon) and music by Oscar winner and two-time Tony Award nominee,David Shire (Baby, Big, written in collaboration with Richard Maltby, Jr.) The production will be directed by Broadway and Thai theatrical impresario Tak Viravan and choreographed by Tony Award-nominee Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, Lysistrata Jones). Casting for Waterfall is by Stewart/Whitley.

The cast of Waterfall also features Celia Mei Rubin as Ensemble (Broadway's Matilda The Musical, London West End's Parade), Colin Miyamoto as Surin/Ensemble (National Tours of Beauty and the Beast and How I Became a Pirate), Darryl Semira as Ensemble (Broadway's Mamma Mia! and Bombay Dreams), Eymard Cabling as Siamese Ambassador/Ensemble (National Tour of Miss Saigon and International Tour of The King and I), Jordan De Leon as Santi/Ensemble (Drury Lane Theatre's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Kansas City Starlight Theatre's Footloose), Kay Trinidad as Ensemble (Broadway's The Little Mermaid, Off-Broadway's Bare), Kenway Kua as Ensemble (Broadway's Wicked and The Frogs), Kimberly Immanuel as Pree/Ensemble (Regional credits include Crazy For You and Love's Labour's Lost, the Musical), Koh Mochizuki as Ensemble (Broadway's Mary Poppins and Aida), Leon Le as Ensemble (Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Theatre Under The Stars' West Side Story),Lisa Helmi Johanson as Kumiko/Ensemble (Off-Broadway, National and International Tour of Avenue Q), Marcus Choias Japanese Attache/Thai Minister/Ensemble (Broadway's Wicked and Flower Drum Song), Minami Yusui as Ensemble (National Tour of Mary Poppins, Meadow Brook Theatre's Lysistrata Jones), Riza Takahashi as Ensemble (The MUNY's The King and I and Thoroughly Modern Millie), Rona Figueroa as Ensemble (Broadway's Miss Saigon and LES MISERABLES), and Steven Eng as Takamoto/Ensemble (London West End's The King and I, North Shore Music Theatre's Pacific Overtures).

The creative team for Waterfall includes Kenneth Ferrone (Assistant Director), Jessica Hartman (Associate Choreographer), John McDaniel (Music Supervisor/Conductor), Sasavat (Ja) Busayabandh (Scenic Designer), Wade Laboissonniere (Costume Designer), Ken Billington (Lighting Designer), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Designer) andCaite Hevner Kemp (Projection Designer).

Waterfall is an epic love story set in Bangkok and Tokyo between the turbulent years of 1933 and 1939, as a monarchy falls in Thailand and Japan is on the brink of war. A young Thai student falls in love with the American wife of a Thai diplomat, and the story of their forbidden love parallels history as the new democracy of Siam moves into the vortex of the increasingly anti-American Japan. With a gloriously romantic score, Waterfall is a modern love story of timeless scale.

Waterfall will be produced on Broadway by Scenario Company Ltd. and Jack M. Dalgleish. Foresight Theatrical serves as general managers. Production dates for Broadway will be announced once a theatre has been confirmed.

Photo Credit: Jim Cox