Gavin Creel and Nikki M. James to Perform at Long Wharf Theatre

Tony Award-winning artists Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Hair; La Cage Aux Folles; She Loves Me; The Book of Mormon; Waitress) and Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon original cast member) will be performing at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven next Monday, June 13 as part of Long Wharf's Big Tent Party benefit.

Long Wharf's biggest fundraiser of the year, The Big Tent Party will be the Theatre's first in-person annual benefit since 2019. Creel and James will present a special musical performance live on the Claire Tow Stage, with the performance also live-streamed onto the large outdoor screen at the event.

Gavin Creel

Gavin Creel received a Tony Award for his performance as "Cornelius Hackl" in HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler. After making his Broadway debut in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, for which he received his first Tony nomination, Creel went on to star in the Broadway productions of HAIR, (Tony Award nomination), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, SHE LOVES ME, THE BOOK OF MORMON, and WAITRESS. Gavin received an Olivier Award for his portrayal of "Elder Price" in the London Production of THE BOOK OF MORMON and also appeared on the West End in MARY POPPINS, HAIR, and WAITRESS. On television, Creel recently performed a solo PBS concert special with "Stars on Stage," appeared in the premiere episodes of Ryan Murphy's anthology series "American Horror Stories" and played "Bill" alongside Julie Andrews in "Eloise at the Plaza" and "Eloise at Christmastime." As a songwriter, he has released three original albums: GoodTimeNation, Quiet, and Get Out and is currently writing an original theatre piece entitled WALK ON THROUGH: CONFESSIONS OF A MUSEUM NOVICE, based on the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A native of Findlay, Ohio, Gavin is a proud graduate of University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, a 2022 Hermitage Artist Fellow, and, with WALK ON THROUGH, will be one of this summer's featured writers at The O'Neill National Musical Theatre Conference.

Nikki M. James

Nikki M. James originated the role of Nabalungi in the Broadway hit musical THE BOOK OF MORMOM, for which she won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She recently starred in the world premiere production of Shaina Taub's SUFFS at The Public Theater (Drama League nomination). Favorite theater credits include Tony Kushner's A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY (Public), Broadway productions of LES MISERABLES, ALL SHOOK UP and THE ADVENTURES OF Tom Sawyer, BUBBLY BLACK GIRL SHEDS HER CHAMELEON SKIN (Encores!), ROMEO & JULIET, CAESAR & CLEOPATRA alongside Christopher Plummer (Stratford Theater), THE WIZ (La Jolla Playhouse), JULIUS CAESAR, TWELFTH NIGHT (Shakespeare in the Park), BERNARDA ALBA (Lincoln Center), and PRELUDES (LCT3). Recent notable work in television includes "Severance" for AppleTV+, "Proven Innocent" on FOX, and CBS's quirky series "Braindead." As a director, Nikki has helmed episodes of "The Bite" and "The Good Fight." She served as an assistant director to Michael Arden for the Broadway revival of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND and A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Jefferson Mays. She resides in New York City with her husband and holds a BFA in Drama from NYU. She is a sustaining member of her local public radio station.

For more information visit: longwharf.org.

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