Fitzgerald, Grisetti, Cahoon et al. Lead FORUM at Williamstown Festival, 6/30 - 7/11

Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Nicholas Martin has announced full casting for the first Main Stage show of the 2010 season, the Tony Award-winning musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (June 30 - July 11). The all-male cast will be directed by Jessica Stone (Butley, The Odd Couple), musical directed by Gary Adler (Avenue Q, Altar Boyz), and choreographed by Denis Jones (Legally Blonde, Broadway Bares).

The cast features Kevin Cahoon (The Who's Tommy, The Lion King), Paul Castree (9 to 5, Young Frankenstein), David Costibile (The Wire, Damages), Christopher Fitzgerald (Tony nominated for Finian's Rainbow, Wicked), Zackary Grady (She Stoops to Conquer), Josh Grisetti (Knights of Prosperity, Revolutionary Road), Adam Lerman (She Stoops to Conquer), Chivas Michael (NYU MFA), Bryce Pinkham (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Orphan's Home Cycle), Joe Reid (Finian's Rainbow, Curtains), Graham Rowat (Guys and Dolls, Lovemusik), Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park, Reckless), David Turner (Sunday in the Park with George, The Ritz), and John Patrick Walker (Twelfth Night, The Secret Lives of Dentists).

The Romans are coming! With a nod and a wink to Plautus, director Jessica Stone helms an all-male troop of actors into the comic fray with this fresh, "old" take on American master and Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Sondheim's raucous musical classic. With Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald leading the charge as Pseudolus, a slave who must win his freedom by playing matchmaker for his master, this toe-tapping, zany romp through ancient Rome is a paean to the Gods of Comedy.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum features a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The design team for Forum includes scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Catherine A. Parott, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, and sound design by Drew Levy and Tony Smolenski. The production stage manager is Gregory T. Livoti.

On the Nikos Stage, funny-woman Judy Gold ("Ugly Betty," "Sex and the City") will appear in her new one-woman play, It's Jewdy's Show: My Life as a Sitcom (June 23 - July 4), directed by Festival Artistic Associate Amanda Charlton (Caroline in Jersey, Dissonance). Following her success of 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, Gold returns to the stage in this hilarious look at her amazing life through the lens of the classic sit-coms of her youth. With multi-media, original music, laughter, and love, Judy shows us how she balances family and ambition in a world in which she sometimes does not fit.

The design team for It's Jewdy's Show includes scenic design by Andrew Boyce, lighting design by Marcus Doshi, and sound design by Alex Neumann. The production stage manager is Libby Unsworth.

Williamstown Theatre Festival also announced the 2009 Weissberger Award for Playwriting has been awarded to Tony Glazer for his play The Substance of Bliss. Mr. Glazer will receive a $10,000 prize, publication of his script by Samuel French, Inc., and a reading of his play by the Festival on July 9 at the Paresky Center as part of the Fridays@3 reading series.

The complete upcoming Williamstown season includes:

MAIN STAGE

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
Book by Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart
Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Jessica Stone
Choreography by Denis Jones
June 30 - July 11, 2010

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
By John Guare
July 14 - July 25, 2010

OUR TOWN
By Thornton Wilder
Directed by Nicholas Martin
Cast includes: Becky Ann Baker, Dylan Baker, Jessica Hecht, John Rubenstein and Campbell Scott
July 28 - August 8, 2010

FIFTH OF JULY
By Lanford Wilson
Directed by Terry Kinney
August 11 - 22, 2010

NIKOS STAGE

IT'S JEWDY'S SHOW: MY LIFE AS A SITCOM
By Judy Gold and Kate Moira Ryan
Original music by Judy Gold
Lyrics by Kate Moira Ryan and Judy Gold
Additional material Eric Kornfeld and Bob Smith
Directed by Amanda Charlton
June 23 - July 4, 2010

SAMUEL J. AND K.
By Mat Smart
Directed by Justin Waldman
July 7 - July 18, 2010

AFTER THE REVOLUTION
By Amy Herzog
Directed by Carolyn Cantor
July 21 - August 1, 2010

THE LAST GOODBYE
A musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Conceived and adapted by Michael Kimmel
Music and lyrics by Jeff Buckley
Directed by Michael Kimmel
Orchestrations, music direction and arrangements by Kris Kukul
August 5 - 20, 2010

Tickets for the 2010 Williamstown Theatre Festival season can be purchased online at www.wtfestival.org starting May 29 at Noon and by phone at (413) 597-3400 starting June 1 at 10AM.

For over half a century, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, recipient of the tony award for outstanding regional theatre, has brought America's best established and emerging theatre artists to the Berkshires for a vibrant summer festival celebrating the greatest classic and new works in the theatrical canon. This season, our 56th, is presented in the glorious ‘62 center for theatre and Dance on the beautiful campus of Williams College, our generous hosts. In addition to our acclaimed productions, the Festival is home to unmatched training and professional development programs for the next generation of actors, writers, directors, designers, and managers. We are proud of our rich history and are committed to creating an environment where both experienced and developing artists can practice and refine their craft in collaboration with a loyal and sophisticated audience

For more information visit http://www.wtfestival.org/

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.