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Wopat to Join Eder for NJ 'Sheila Valentine' Reading, 8/19

By: Aug. 14, 2006
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Tom Wopat will join fellow Broadway veteran Linda Eder in a workshop-style preview of a musical in production, Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center announced today. Wopat, whose "Dukes of Hazzard" fame preceded his successful Broadway runs in such shows as Annie Get Your Gun and Chicago, will read opposite Eder in The Seduction of Sheila Valentine on Saturday, August 19 at 8 PM.

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Eder, Wopat and noted actors from the Philadelphia region will read through the first act and invite audience feedback as part of the workshop.

Wopat created Luke Duke for "Hazzards," which won a permanent place in American pop culture during its seven-season run (1978 to 1985). After the series ended, Wopat returned to theater in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for his role as Frank Butler. Other Broadway credits include Chicago, 42nd Street and Glengarry Glen Ross.  He has also released nine albums -- including five Top 20 country hits -- that fuel performances in the United States and Europe. He has performed to rave reviews on tour with Faith Prince that celebrated the music of Harold Arlen.

Wopat will read the role of David Sanders opposite Eder's Irene Fontaine in The Seduction of Sheila Valentine. Lenape's Producing Artistic Director Vincent Marini and Tony-nominated lyricist Jack Murphy teamed up to create this piece to match Eder's Broadway, recording and concert experiences. Eder committed to the project and recently completed four demo recordings with other notable Broadway stars. "The early buzz surrounding this show has its backers convinced that Sheila Valentine will be a future Broadway show led by a bona fide theater star," state press notes.

"This irreverent comedy is completely original, yet it seems to channel some of the great musical comedies of the 20th century," Marini said. "It's The Producers meets Mame, meets Guys and Dolls."

"The Seduction of Sheila Valentine, set in the late 1950s, tells the sad tale of two 40-something, once-famous actresses who find themselves too old to play the young romantic leads anymore, and too vain to play anyone else. While working together at an Iowa dinner theater, they get their hands on a script penned by the hottest writer/director in New York. Separately, each one decides this script is her ticket back to Broadway. When two desperate actresses vie for one role of a lifetime, the result is hilarious trouble."

Reading alongside Eder and Wopat will be Mary Martello and Ben Dibble, two top musical actors from the Philadelphia theater scene. Jennifer DiDonato, Chris Faith, Scott Greer, Maggie Lakis and Tony Lawton are among the other noted actors from the region who will also take part in the reading.

A band will back the actors as they speak and sing their way through the first act. "Ticket-holders can expect limited movement as the actors focus strongly on the script; they may improvise movements as they act out portions of the play." The reading finishes with a talk-back session involving the audience.

Tickets are $15; $10 for Lenape RPAC subscribers. For more information, call the box office at (856) 983-3366 or visit www.sjtheater.com.


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