Tony Award Nominee Michael Hayden (Carousel, Judgment at Nuremburg, "Murder One") and Drama Desk Award winner Rachel York (Victor/Victoria, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) will star in the new musical Ghostlight, which will open on September 26th as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. According to press notes "Ghostlight excavates the true story of Olive Thomas, a small-town girl who rises to headline alongside Fanny Brice in the Ziegfeld Follies. Seduced by the decadent world of the theatre, Olive stumbles into a secret affair, an unfulfilling Hollywood marriage, and a downward spiral into drugs and alcohol. An homage to Broadway's Golden Age, Ghostlight captures the glamorous and tragic lives of those who changed the face of the American musical forever." Hayden will play legendary showman Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. with York as Billie Burke, his scorned wife, who was most famous for portraying Glinda in The Wizard of Oz.
Hayden and York will star alongside the previously announced
Rachael Fogle (Little Women National Tour) as
Olive Thomas, Tony Award winner
Daisy Eagan (The Secret Garden) as Molly Cook,
Kimberly Faye Greenberg (Danny and Sylvia) as
Fanny Brice, and
Matt Leisy (The Fantasticks) as
Jack Pickford.
The Ghostlight ensemble will feature Lindsay Clayton (Hairspray National Tour), Mark Donaldson (Fiddler on The Roof National Tour), Kristen Gehling (MITF's Between The Bricks), Jeff Kuhr (Regional Premiere of Spamalot), Mark Mozingo (Off-Broadway's Golden Boy of The Blue Ridge),
Abbey O'Brien (Original cast of Broadway's Spamalot and Roundabout's Pal Joey), Rose Ouellette (Polly Baker in Crazy For You at the Moonlight Amphitheater),
Gregory Pember (Body Awareness at SpeakEasy Stage - IRNE Award Nomination), Brendt Reil (42nd Street National Tour),
Jessica Wockenfuss (Spamalot National Tour), and Nicholas Yenson (Riverdance National Tour).
Ghostlight has a book, music and lyrics by Matthew Martin and Tim Realbuto, who will also serve as the show's co-directors. Choreography is by Michael Kidney. The show's musical director is Matt Aument. Scenic and lighting design is by
David Goldstein. Elvin Roytman is the Producing Advisor and Massimine/Roytman/Presentations will serve as the General Manager.
Michael Hayden is most known for playing Billy Bigelow in the award winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel on both Broadway and London's West End (Theatre World Award, Olivier Nomination). He also starred on Broadway in Cabaret, Judgment At Nuremberg (Tony Nomination), Enchanted April, Henry IV, and Festen. His other New York credits include Lincoln Center's
Dessa Rose, Roundabout's The Language of Trees, and most recently, Shakespeare in the Park's Measure For Measure and All's Well That Ends Well. Hayden is also well known for playing Chris Docknovich on the television series "Murder One" from 1995-1997. His other film and television credits include Charming Billy, Thick As Thieves, "Law and Order", and "Hack."
Rachel York has starred on Broadway in Les Miserables, City of Angels, Victor/Victoria (Drama Desk Award), The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sly Fox and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Her other major stage credits include The Best Is Yet To Come,
Dessa Rose (Drama Desk Nom.), Summer of '42, Putting It Together (Drama Desk Nom.), Kiss Me, Kate (London's West End - filmed for PBS), and the National Tours of Camelot and Disney's 101 Dalmatians. Her numerous film and television credits include One Fine Day, Billy Bathgate, Killer Instinct, Second Honeymoon, Au Pair II, the CBS made for television movie Lucy (in which she starred as
Lucille Ball), "Hannah Montana", "Frasier", "Reba", "Numb3rs", "Close To Home", "Arlitiny_mce_markerquot;, "Spin City", "The Naked Truth" and "Diagnosis Murder." In addition, she is the voice of Bitty in "Higglytown Heroes" and Circe on "The Justice League."
Ghostlight, presented by Everybody's Sweetheart Productions, LLC and NYMF, runs September 26th-October 9th at The
Signature Theatre Company's Peter Norton Space (555 West 42nd Street). Visit
www.ghostlightthemusical.com for tickets, currently available, and more information.
