Signature Theatre Sets Cast for New John Kander & Greg Pierce Musical KID VICTORY; Performances Begin Next Month

Virginia's Signature Theatre has announced the full cast for the world premiere production of Kid Victory, a new musical from legendary composer John Kander (Chicago, Cabaret) and acclaimed playwright Greg Pierce (Slowgirl).

Directed by Liesl Tommy (Associate Artistic Director at Berkeley Rep, Woolly Mammoth's Appropriate), the ensemble piece will feature Christopher Bloch (Dad/Joseph; Signature's Cloak & Dagger), Laura Darrell (Girl/Suze; York Theatre Company's Smiling the Boy Fell Dead), Jeffry Denman (Michael; Broadway's White Christmas and The Producers), Parker Drown (Boy/Andrew; Signature's Hairspray), Valerie Leonard (Woman/Gail; Signature's Sunday in the Park with George), Sarah Litzsinger (Emily; Broadway's Beauty and the Beast and LES MISERABLES), Christiane Noll (Mom/Eileen; Signature's Witches of Eastwick and Broadway's Ragtime), Bobby Smith (Man/Franklin; Signature's The Threepenny Opera and Spin) and Jake Winn (Luke).

Seventeen-year-old Luke returns home after vanishing a year ago. Profoundly changed, Luke and his parents struggle to adjust to life following his disappearance. Only finding solace with Emily, the quirky proprietor of an offbeat garden shop, Luke grapples with a past undone and a coming of age that came too late to a boy who just wants to fade away.

The production begins performances at Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre February 17. It will play for five weeks, through March 22.

"I'm thrilled to have John Kander and Greg Pierce at Signature for the premiere of their newest work - Kid Victory," stated Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. "As a huge Kander and Ebb fan, it is always a pleasure to have Kander's melodies on our stage. I've been fond of Greg's work as a playwright and so this was the perfect fit for our anniversary season. John and Greg have created an original work that pushes the boundaries of musical theater in an exciting and fresh way and we couldn't be prouder to have it on our stage with this amazing company."

Kid Victory marks the second collaboration between John Kander and Greg Pierce. Their first musical, The Landing, premiered at The Vineyard Theatre in 2013 and was declared "elegant and poignant" by The New York Times. Kander and Pierce were heralded as a "beguiling, risk-taking, new writing team" by Newsday.

"Greg and I are thrilled that Kid Victory will come to life at this theatre we love so much," said composer John Kander.

"After we finished our musical The Landing, John and I started thinking about what we wanted to write next," said lyricist and book writer Greg Pierce. "We got interested in the stories of missing people. We were especially intrigued by the question of what happens when someone who's been missing comes back home. With that in mind, we developed the character of Luke. We put him in a small town in Kansas and built a world around him. His story started to twist and turn, and before long there was music and words to go with it."

The creative team includes Choreography by Christopher Windom (Dallas Theatre Center's LES MISERABLES); Musical Supervision by David Loud (Signature's First You Dream and Broadway's The Scottsboro Boys); Music Direction by Jesse Kissel (The National Tour of Chicago); Orchestrations by Michael Starobin (Broadway's Next to Normal and Sunday in the Park with George); Scenic Design by Clint Ramos (Broadway's The Elephant Man and Violet); Costume Design by Kathleen Geldard (Signature's The Last Five Years and Xanadu); Wig Design by Anne Nesmith (Signature's Miss Saigon and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) Lighting Design by David Weiner (Broadway's Godspell and McCarter Theatre's Travesties); Sound Design by Lane Elms (Signature's Diner, Sunday in the Park with George); Assistant Director Walter Ware III; Production Stage Manager Julie Meyer; Assistant Stage Manager Kristen Mary Harris; and New York Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA.

Photo by Christopher Mueller; Design by Jessica Aimone