42ND STREET Taps Into TUTS As 42nd Free Summer Musical 7/9-7/14

The tap-happy Tony® Award winning spectacle of 42nd Street marks Theatre Under The Stars' (TUTS) 42nd summer of free performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre. 42nd Street brings the grand-scale dance numbers of 1930s Broadway to Miller Outdoor Theatre (100 Concert Drive) every evening July 9 - 14, 2009 at 8:15 p.m.

Set on Broadway during the Great Depression, 42nd Street is the classic backstage tale of aspiring actress and small-town girl, Peggy Sawyer, who finds love and success on the Great White Way. Cast as a chorus girl, Peggy finds herself replacing the star of the show on opening night. The director urges her, "You're going out there a youngster. But you've got to come back a STAR!" Full of thrilling, grand-scale tap numbers and over the top dance routines, 42nd Street features music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin and book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. It's based on the Warner Bros. film of the same name and the novel by Bradford Ropes. The 1980 musical includes "Lullaby of Broadway," "We're in the Money," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" and the title song "42nd Street".

"It's wonderful to see a show like this; a show that really satisfies my craving for the spectacular kind of tap numbers prevalent in old Broadway," says Frank Young, Founder of Theatre Under The Stars. "Anyone who's ever felt nostalgic for classic Broadway, or just had a dream to be on the big stage will love this show," says Young.

Actress, Loretta Swit will play the role of prima donna Dorothy Brock. Though she's no stranger to the stage, Swit is best-known for her two-time Emmy-winning portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H. Swit was also seen on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Returning to the TUTS Stage as Billy Lawlor is Humphreys School of Musical Theatre alum, Austin Miller. Miller recently starred as Adam in the Broadway bound Trip of Love and headlined the First National Tour of Hairspray as Link Larkin. Miller's TV credits include NBC's "Grease: You're The One That I Want". He also appeared in Disney's When You Wish, TUTS' last free summer musical at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Starring as Peggy Sawyer is Shannon M. O'Bryan. Shannon has performed Peggy on Broadway all over America and abroad. In the role of director Julian Marsh, is Steve Blanchard. Blanchard's Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Camelot, The Three Musketeers, and A Christmas Carol. On the TUTS 09-10 season, Blanchard will star opposite Melissa Gilbert in the national tour of Little House On The Prairie.

Also appearing in the cast are Tony Lawson as Pat Denning, Denise Nolin as Maggie Jones, James Young as Bert Barry, David Titus as Abner Dillon and Sarah Strimel as Anytime Annie. Ensemble features Robert J. Abdoo, Andrew Black , Adam Brozowski , Jason Michael Butler , Abby Church, Veronica Diperna, Lisa Guignard , Sarah Marie Hicks , Rashaan James, II , Kolina Janneck , Scott Leiendecker , Christian Mansfield , Janelle Neal , Candice Pennefather , Tripp Pettigrew , Chuck Rea , Ariel Reid, Krista Saab, Geo Seery , Samantha Shafer , Stephanie Van Duynhoven , and Correy West.

42nd Street will be directed and choreographed by Norb Joerder, whose work can be seen from Broadway to regional theaters across America, European and International productions. He reunited Robert Goulet and Camelot for a critically acclaimed revival on Broadway and a record breaking National tour. He also staged the Richard Harris International Camelot that toured Australia and Europe. In New York, he has directed and choreographed revivals of 42nd Street with Jerry Orbach and Tammy Grimes, La Cage Aux Folles with Gene Barry and Lee Roy Reams, and Gypsy with Lainie Kazan. Joerder previously worked with Theatre Under The Stars as director of the 1990 production of Camelot. John Visser, Music Director for this production of 42nd Street, conducted The National Tour revivals of South Pacific, Camelot, Man of LaMancha, and the 30TH Anniversary Tour of The Fantastiks starring Robert Goulet. Other National Tours include Anything Goes with Mitzi Gaynor, Guys and Dolls with Maurice Hines and five productions of Camelot with Richard Harris including the Theatre Under The Stars production.

For more information on 42nd Street, call (713) 558-TUTS (8887) or visit Theatre Under The Stars on the web at www.tuts.com or Miller Outdoor Theatre on the web at www.milleroutdoortheatre.com. Free tickets for the covered seats are available on the day of performance between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Miller Theatre Box Office. Any tickets remaining will be given out one hour before curtain. No tickets? Bring a cozy blanket and enjoy the show from the Miller Theatre lawn, the perfect place for a picnic and a show!

Sponsors for TUTS' presentation of 42nd Street include Miller Theatre Advisory Board, The Wortham Foundation, Inc., The Brown Foundation, Inc., Wells Fargo, and the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation.

For all of Theatre Under The Stars' 2008-2009 shows, air transportation is provided by Continental Airlines, the official airline of Theatre Under The Stars. Additional support is provided by Spectra Energy and St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, the Official Healthcare Partner of Theatre Under The Stars. Media sponsors include ABC-13 and Houston Chronicle. Season support is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Theater District Association and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company and is currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as well as International tours including Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Juliet Prowse in Mame, Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha, the Tony Award-winning revival of Carousel and the Deaf West Theatre production of Big River. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,700 students annually through both The Academy and The Studio, which allow students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's high school musical theatre programs.

 

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