Tony Winner Gary Beach is Goodspeed Musicals' LUCKY GUY, New Musical Begins Previews 5/14

Goodspeed Musicals, the only two time Tony Award winning theatre in the country, is proud to announce that Lucky Guy, a new musical comedy, will be the spring production at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut. This heartfelt musical comedy will play May 14 through June 14. Lucky Guy is sponsored by Essex Savings Bank.

Press notes state, "Come meet the down-home dreamers and low-down schemers of Music City, USA. Set in the colorful world of Nashville, Lucky Guy is a laugh-filled look at the country music scene. Watch out for the Queen of Country Music and Biggest Used Car Dealer who will stop at nothing for a new hit record. They'll use every trick in the book to get the prize-winning singing cowboy and his song into their clutches. Will this devious duo prevail? Or will our hero end up a Lucky Guy? Don't miss this original musical comedy packed with plenty of action and toe-tapping songs the whole family will enjoy".

Book, music and lyrics for Lucky Guy are by Willard Beckham. A graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music, Mr. Beckham made his debut as a composer/lyricist at Carnegie Hall. He was then commissioned to write the first musical comedy ever produced in Korea, Magic in the Mirror, directed by Baayork Lee. As a performer Mr. Beckham toured with the first and second national companies of No, No, Nanette performing with such luminaries as Don Ameche, Evelyn Keyes, June Allyson, and Ann B. Davis. On Broadway, Beckham originated the roles of Geoffrey in Something's Afoot and Richard Tidewell in The Utter Glory of Morrisey Hall with Celeste Holm.

Lucky Guy will feature a cast of ten including Gary Beach who won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Roger De Bris in the The Producers. Beach earned Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in Beauty and the Beast and La Cage aux Folles . His other Broadway credits include 1776, Annie, and Les Misérables.

Lucky Guy Director and Choreographer Warren Carlyle returns to Goodspeed Musicals where he previously choreographed The Baker's Wife at The Norma Terris Theater and the Goodspeed Opera House hit Pirates of Penzance. Carlyle's Broadway credits include Director/Choreographer of Tale of Two Cities as well as Associate Choreographer for The Producers and the 2002 revival of Oklahoma!.

The Musical Director for Lucky Guy will be Antony Geralis, whose contributions to Broadway productions include keyboard and Assistant Conductor for Spamalot, Jane Eyre, Steel Pier, and Zorba. Music Supervisor will be Todd Ellison who will also provide the orchestrations. Mr. Ellison's numerous Broadway credits include Music Director, Conductor, and Arrangements for such shows as Spamalot, Amour, 42nd Street, The Wild Party, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and She Loves Me. Scenic design will be by Walt Spangler, whose recent projects include Broadway's Desire Under the Elms ; Carol Burnett's Hollywood Arms, directed by Hal Prince; and the acclaimed revival of Mame, starring Christine Baranski for the Kennedy Center. Some of his previous set designs for Goodspeed include Happy Days, Flight of the Lawnchair Man and Camille Claudel at The Norma Terris Theatre. Costumes will be designed by five time Tony Award-winner William Ivey Long. Mr. Long received the Tony for his designs for Grey Gardens, Hairspray, The Producers, Crazy For You, and Nine. Mr. Long's considerable list of Broadway credits include The Boy From Oz, Sweet Charity; A Streetcar Named Desire, La Cage aux Folles, Contact, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man, Steel Pier, 1776, Smokey Joe's Café, Guys and Dolls, and Madison Square Garden's annual A Christmas Carol. He currently has two shows running on Broadway: Pal Joey and Chicago. Mr. Long's designs have been seen at Goodspeed's The Norma Terris Theatre in Broadway Baby and Princesses.

Lighting design will be by Ken Billington. Having designed more that sixty Broadway shows, Mr. Billington's recent credits include The Story of My Life, [title of show], Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Sunday in the Park with George, High Fidelity, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Mr. Billington's designs for Goodspeed Musicals include the Norma Terris Theatre productions of Starcrossed; They All Laughed; Red, Hot & Blue; Road to Hollywood; and The 60's Project. Lucky Guy is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price.

Lucky Guy will run May 14 through June 14, 2009. Tickets are on sale now to Goodspeed Members and will go one sale to the general public this Sunday, March 29, at 10:00 a.m. For more information call the Box Office at 860.873.8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The only regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of American Airlines, official airline of Goodspeed Musicals, Essex Savings Bank, Hoffman Audi, Blum Shapiro, and support from The National Endowment for the Arts and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy