City Lit's TWO DAYS IN COURT Announces Full Cast

City Lit Theater Artistic Director Terry McCabe today announced his 17-person cast for the company's 2018-2019 season closer - a double-bill of one-acts, dubbed TWO DAYS IN COURT, offering first a fantastic and then a silly and satiric look at the legal system. McCabe will direct the bill, which will open with THE DEVIL AND Daniel Webster - the play by Stephen Vincent Benet based on his 1936 short story. It concerns a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the Devil and when he seeks to get out of the deal is defended in "court" by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the famous statesman, lawyer, and orator. The second half of the TWO DAYS IN COURT program will be Gilbert and Sullivan's one-act operetta from 1875, TRIAL BY JURY. This short piece with a plot too silly to summarize was G & S's first hit, leading to a career for their partnership that produced the classics THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, HMS PINAFORE, THE MIKADO and many others. Daniel Robinson will be music director for the double-bill.

City Lit favorite Kingsley Day (who appeared there most recently in LONDON ASSURANCE and THE SUNDIAL) will be featured in TRIAL BY JURY, playing the Learned Judge (the patter baritone lead role). Day is one of the few individuals to have played the patter baritone leads in all fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. His TRIAL BY JURY co-star will be Sarah Beth Tanner, appearing as The Plaintiff. Tanner was seen most recently in Midsommer Flight's TWELFTH NIGHT this past holiday season, and earlier in 2018 in HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST'S SONGBOOK with Underscore Theatre Company. Day and Tanner will also both appear in THE DEVIL AND Daniel Webster as Jurors of the Damned.

The title roles in THE DEVIL AND Daniel Webster will be taken by Lee Wichman as The Devil and Bill Chamberlain as Daniel Webster. Wichman was last seen at City Lit in PSMITH, JOURNALIST and appeared last summer in NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS for Black Button Eyes Productions. Chamberlain has appeared in FOLLIES at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and as Prospero in THE TEMPEST with Saint Sebastian Players; as well as in MAN OF LA MANCHA CAROUSEL, and MY FAIR LADY with Music Theater Works. Wichman and Chamberlain will also play jurors in the TRIAL BY JURY half of the bill.

Other cast members - each of whom will appear in both one-acts - are Rob Chesler, Dylan Connelley, Elijah Cox, Frank Gasparro, Jimmy Hogan, Claire LaTourette, Carolyn Plurad, Justine Raczy, Laura Resinger, Sarah Rosenberg, Ryan Smetana, Nate Strain, and Maria Welser.

McCabe's designers and production team are Evan Frank (Set Designer), Tom Keiffer (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Todd Rhoades (Choreographer), Carolyn Minor (Production Manager), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Hazel Marie (Stage Manager), James Osorio (Pianist) and Oliver Townsend (Rehearsal Pianist).

TWO DAYS IN COURT will open to the press on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 7:00 pm. Single tickets priced at $28 for previews and $32 for regular performances are now on sale soon at www.citylit.org. Senior prices are $23 for previews and $27 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

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