Robert Cuccioli, Matt Gibson and More Announced in Casting of Goodspeed's A CONNECTICUT CHRISTMAS CAROL

Goodspeed Musicals has announced this year's cast of A Connecticut Christmas Carol - the musical treat infused with Connecticut flavor by LJ Fecho and Michael O'Flaherty. Perfect for the holidays, A Connecticut Christmas Carol, the family-friendly take on the Dickens classic, will return to The Terris Theatre December 4 - 28, 2019. This production is supported in part by the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Masonicare at Chester Village and GKN Aerospace Services Structures Corporation.

Some of the most beloved storytellers in Connecticut history come alive for a yuletide gathering you won't forget. Famed actor and local legend William Gillette leaves his castle on the Connecticut River to adapt Dickens' holiday classic. Local heroes Mark Twain, P.T. Barnum and more make spirited appearances opposite Gillette's Scrooge in a highly theatrical twist on a family favorite. Custom-made for Goodspeed with all-original music, here's a tuneful, heartfelt confection spiced with plenty of Nutmeg State flavor to sweeten your season.

Scrooge/William Gillette will be once again be played by Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli. Mr. Cuccioli previously performed in the Goodspeed Musicals productions Ankles Aweigh at The Goodspeed and Cutman a boxing musical at The Terris Theatre. For his dual role as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde, Robert received the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Jeff Award for Outstanding Actor, as well as the Tony nomination for Best Actor. Mr. Cuccioli also appeared on Broadway in another dual role as Dr. Osborn and Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and as Javert in Les Misérables, His Off-Broadway credits include And The World Goes 'Round (O.C.C. Award), Rothschild and Sons, Jacques Brel, Bikeman, Snow Orchid and White Guy on the Bus. He created roles in new musicals and plays, including Temporary Help, Fiction, Dorian, Enter The Guardsman, Sons Of Don Juan, A Moon To Dance By (with Jane Alexander), the Bruce Hornsby musical SCKBSTD, Lone Star Love, Angels and Bikeman: A 9/11 Play. Other recent favorites include South Pacific at Drury Lane, Titus Andronicus at Shakespeare Theatre of NJ and Fun Home at White Plains Performing Arts Center. In addition to a long career on the stage Robert's on screen credits include TV's The Sinner, White Collar, Sliders, Baywatch and The Guiding Light as well as the films Celebrity, The Stranger, Impossible Monsters and The Rest of Us.

Returning in the role of Bob Cratchit will be Matt Gibson, who recently performed in the new musical Austen's Pride at 5th Avenue Theatre. Mr. Gibson appeared in the Broadway revival of Gypsy and in the Off-Broadway productions of Finian's Rainbow, The Underclassman, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and New Girl in Town. His recent regional credits include playing Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! and O'Brien in Treasure Island at Maine State Music Theater, as well as Ragtime and West Side Story at Barrington Stage.

Back again to play The Ghosts will be Michael Thomas Holmes, who Goodspeed audiences may also remember from his performance in the reimagined Amour. Holmes has appeared in Broadway's Oklahoma! and the National Tours of The Producers (with Jason Alexander and Martin Short), Phantom of the Opera and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. His other credits include playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof at Pioneer, Nathan in Guys and Dolls at Barrington Stage, John Adams in 1776 at The Guthrie, The Narrator/Dr. Scott in The Rocky Horror Show at Bucks County and Tateh in Ragtime at Bristol Riverside, for which he received a Barrymore nomination.

Making his Goodspeed debut as Tiny Tim will be Connecticut native Sam Duncan, whose credits include Young Tarzan in the Square Foot Theater Company's production of Tarzan and a choirboy in ACT of Connecticut's production of Evita. Sam is also a title-winning competitive dancer.

The ensemble will include Samantha Bruce, who appeared in last year's A Connecticut Christmas Carol and played Laurey in Goodspeed's 2017 hit Oklahoma!. Off-Broadway she appeared as Luisa in the closing company of the record-breaking The Fantasticks and as Young Agnes in I Do! I Do!. Her regional credits include Emily in Our Town at Theatre Aspen and Johanna in Sweeney Todd at the Denver Center.

Joining her will be Jon Cooper, whose regional credits include Guys and Dolls at Theatre Aspen, Oklahoma! at Trinity Rep, Fiddler on the Roof at Virginia Rep, Priscilla Queen of the Desert at Ogunquit Playhouse, Anything Goes at Stages St. Louis and Crazy for You at Theater by the Sea among others.

Original cast member Lee Harrington returns to reprise the role of Martha Cratchit. Most recently, Ms. Harrington performed at The Terris Theatre in Hi, My Name is Ben. She appeared in Into the Woods at Roundabout Theatre and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Sharon Playhouse. Some of her regional credits include Magnolia in Show Boat, Kathy in Company, Meg in Merrily We Roll Along, Antonia in Man of La Mancha and Julie in Carousel, as well as The Marvelous Wonderettes, Fiddler on the Roof and more. Lee's films include Richard Linklater's Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Last Flag Flying.

Making his Goodspeed debut in the ensemble will be Jonah Robinson, whose favorite credits include Footloose, Grease, Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike and West Side Story.

Returning to the ensemble this year will be Celeste Rose, who last appeared at The Terris Theatre in the summer hit Passing Through. Off-Broadway, she appeared in We Are The Tigers at Theater 80 and Unexpected Joy at the York Theatre. Her other credits include Sister Act at Ogunquit Playhouse and Titanic at Westchester Broadway Theatre, as well playing Bernice in the world premiere of Bernice Bobs Her Hair at Lyric Theatre Of Oklahoma and Ali in Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's immersive musical The Bad Years. Joining her will be Alex Stewart, who not only performed in last year's production of A Connecticut Christmas Carol but also in The Goodspeed productions of Oliver! and Oklahoma!. His other credits include the National Tour of Elf: the Musical!; A Chorus Line at Theatre Under The Stars; West Side Story and Annie at North Carolina Theatre; Pirates of Penzance, Rogers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, My Fair Lady at PCPA and Nice Work If You Can Get It and Boeing Boeing at Summer Repertory Theatre.

Returning for his second year will be Jeff Williams, who performed as part of the Quintet in Goodspeed's Rags in 2017. Mr. Williams previously performed in the Goodspeed productions of Where's Charley? and Wonderful Town. Williams made his Broadway debut in the 2000 revival of The Music Man and most recently performed in the Off-Broadway production of Death for Five Voices. Other Broadway and Tour credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Pirate Queen, The Will Rogers Follies and Me and My Girl.

Rounding out the ensemble will be Daisy Wright, who will be reprising her ensemble role in A Connecticut Christmas Carol. She recently performed in 42nd Street and The Rocky Horror Show at Bucks County Playhouse, The Wizard of Oz at The MUNY, Beauty and the Beast at North Shore Music Theatre and Hello, Dolly!; Oklahoma! and Mamma Mia! among many others at Music Theatre Wichita.

A Connecticut Christmas Carol features a book by LJ Fecho, who serves as Artistic Director of Genesius Theatre in Reading, PA. Fecho has worked for Broadway Producer Alexander H. Cohen, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodspeed Musicals, Hudson Guild, Manhattan Theatre Club and Fulton Theatre. His play Just Another Illegitimate Child of John Lennon was presented at the Philadelphia Fringe. He wrote the book for Genesius - The Musical, which was presented at the 2006 Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals. Along with Michael O'Flaherty, Fecho has recently written a new version of this Christmas Carol musical for Redhouse Arts Center, called A Syracuse Christmas Carol, which will make its debut this December, also directed by Hunter Foster.

Music and Lyrics are by Michael O'Flaherty who will retire at the end of 2019 having completed 28 seasons as Goodspeed's Resident Music Director. His Broadway credits include By Jeeves, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and A Streetcar Named Desire. His regional credits include Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Ford's Theatre, The Brooklyn Academy Of Music, The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre and the Smithsonian Institution. Michael served as Musical Supervisor and Cabaret Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival for 11 years. Michael has recently received the Tom Killen Award for Lifetime Achievement-the highest honor given by the Connecticut Critics Circle.

Hunter Foster, who directed the 2018 production of The Drowsy Chaperone at The Goodspeed and co-wrote Goodspeed's The Circus in Winter at The Terris Theatre in 2014 returns once again to direct this holiday favorite. Most recently, Mr. Foster directed the off-Broadway musical The Other Josh Cohen. Hunter was nominated for an Outer Critic Award for Best New Off-Broadway musical for Summer of '42, which had a developmental production at The Terris Theatre in 2000. Hunter won a Suzie Bass Award for Best World Premiere for Clyde and Bonnie. He has directed Million Dollar Quartet (Westchester Broadway, Ogunquit Playhouse, Casa Manana, St. Louis Rep, Paper Mill Playhouse and Geva Theatre) and The Bridges of Madison County, Clue and The Buddy Holly Story, among many others, for Bucks County Playhouse. Other book writing credits include Jasper in Deadland, Clyde and Bonnie: A Folktale, Sleepy Hollow and The Big Boom. In addition, he serves as the Artistic Director of Redhouse Arts Center.

Choreography will be by Lucille Lortel Award nominee Lisa Shriver. In addition to choreographing Goodspeed's previous productions of A Connecticut Christmas Carol, Ms. Shriver has choreographed Goodspeed's The 60's Project, The Story of My Life and Where's Charley?. Most recently, she served as choreographer for Broadway's Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages at 5th Avenue Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre's Beauty and the Beast and the National Tour of Into the Woods. Ms. Shriver's other Broadway credits include The Farnsworth Invention, The Story of My Life and Ring of Fire. She served as Assistant Choreographer for 10 Broadway productions, including The Producers, Titanic and Oklahoma!. A few of her favorite credits include Fiasco Theatre Company's Into the Woods (Lucille Lortel nomination) and Phish's NYE Madison Square Garden concert - for three years in a row.

Scenic design will be by two-time Helen Hayes Award nominee Adam Koch, who recently designed Passing Through at The Terris Theatre. His designs for theater, opera and nightlife have been seen in New York City and across the country. Internationally he designed the recent production of Dreamgirls in Seoul, South Korea. Adam designed the immersive outdoor productions of Carousel, Miss Saigon and Titanic at Serenbe Playhouse in Atlanta. Koch has designed productions for The Goodman Theatre, The Apollo Theater, New World Stages and Theatre Row NYC, as well as Signature Theatre, The Old Globe, Ford's Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Syracuse Stage, Portland Stage, Geva Theatre Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Casa Manana, The Human Race Theatre Company and The Engeman Theater, among many others. Adam was the recipient of the USITT Oren Parker Award for Excellence in Scene Design and the 2007 Kennedy Center Design Fellowship.

Returning to design A Connecticut Christmas Carol for a third year will be Costume designer Nicole V. Moody. Nicole's regional credits include Off-Broadway's Love, Loss and What I Wore (Chicago Tour, Asolo Rep); Sleuth and The Glass Menagerie at Olney Theatre; The Other Josh Cohen at Geva Theatre; What is the Cause of Thunder? at Williamstown Theatre Festival; Our Town for Theatre Aspen; Rent at Redhouse Theatre and numerous productions for Bucks County Playhouse, Media Theatre and Cape Fear Regional Theatre. She has also been the Assistant Costume Designer for many Broadway shows, including Born Yesterday, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and The Royal Family.

Lighting design will be by Jennifer Schriever, whose work can currently be seen on Broadway in The Book of Mormon. Ms Schriever's other Broadway credits include What the Constitution Means to Me, The Lifespan of a Fact, Eclipsed, Ghetto Klown, A Raisin in the Sun, Death of a Salesman, The Color Purple and Fiddler on the Roof. Jennifer's recent Off-Broadway credits include Strange Interlude for Transport Group; School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play at MCC; ...Discord at Primary Stages; On The Exhale at Roundabout and The Moors at Playwrights Realm. Her regional credits include The Christians at Center Stage, Fingersmith at ART, Beauty and the Beast and Merry Wives of Windsor at Oregson Shakespeare Festival and Hurricane Diane at Two River. Other regional theaters include Goodman, Berkley Rep, South Coast Rep, Williamstown, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth and Shakespeare Theatre. This will be Ms. Schriever's third year designing A Connecticut Christmas Carol. Her other designs for Goodspeed Musicals include The Theory of Relativity, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas and 13.

Sound design will be by Jay Hilton, whose long association with Goodspeed Musicals includes designing countless productions at both The Goodspeed and The Terris Theatre. His work has also been heard on Broadway, National Tours and Regional Theatres from coast to coast. In addition to his design work, Jay also serves as Goodspeed's Audio Supervisor.

Wig and Hair design will be by Mark Adam Rampmeyer, whose work has been seen at The Goodspeed in 20 other productions including the current production of Billy Elliot The Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, Oliver!, The Will Rogers Follies, Rags, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma!, Anything Goes, Bye Bye Birdie and Chasing Rainbows, as well as La Cage aux Folles, Good News!, 42nd Street, Big River and A Connecticut Christmas Carol just to name a few. On Broadway, he designed West Side Story, Lysistrata Jones and The Farnsworth Invention. Off-Broadway, he designed The Toxic Avenger, Horton Foote's Orphans' Home Cycle, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore with Olympia Dukakis and, most recently, Talley's Folly at Roundabout Theatre Company. As a stylist he was fortunate enough to be a part of the Broadway productions of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Sunset Boulevard, Kiss of the Spider Woman and 42nd Street.

Dan Pardo returns for his third year as Music Director. Previously Mr. Pardo served as Music Director for The Fabulous Lipitones. He was Goodspeed's Assistant Music Director for The Great American Mousical, Hello! My Baby, The Bikini's, LMNOP, Cutman a boxing musical and Amazing Grace, for which he was also the Assistant Conductor on Broadway. Mr. Pardo's Off-Broadway credits include I Spy a Spy, The Office! A Musical Parody; Found; Soot and Spit; Rothschild and Sons and Skippyjon Jones: Snow What?!. Other NYC credits include numerous workshop productions and concerts, including Come From Away at NAMT and Stepchild at LPAC. Mr. Pardo's regional favorites include Fun Home at the Weston Playhouse, Company at Barrington Stage and How to Succeed... at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Orchestrations will once again be provided by Dan DeLange, who has created the orchestrations for over 40 Goodspeed productions. Dan's work was heard in the West End's production of Show Boat which was nominated for Best Musical Revival at the 2017 Olivier Awards in London. He has orchestrated for The Jim Henson Company, Julie Andrews, Rosie O'Donnell, Live Theatricals at Universal Studios and composers Paul Williams, Jerry Herman, Harvey Schmitt, Charles Strouse, Peter Link and Mark Hollman. His scores have been heard on Broadway, London's West End, National and European tours, film, television and at regional theaters around the world.

Casting for A Connecticut Christmas Carol is by Paul Hardt.

A Connecticut Christmas Carol begins Wednesday, December 4 at 8pm and will run through December 28, 2019. Curtain times are Wednesdays at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Thursdays at 7:30 pm (select dates at 2:00 pm), Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm (select dates at 6:30 pm).

Christmas Week: Monday, December 23 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Thursday, December 26 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Friday, December 27 at 8:00 pm; Saturday, December 28 at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Visit www.goodspeed.org for detailed performance schedule.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff

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