Valerie Perri & David Burnham to Lead MTW's SUNSET BOULEVARD; Full Cast Announced!

Casting for Musical Theatre West's (MTW) production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's international hit musical Sunset Boulevard , has been announced by MTW Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman and Director Larry Raben. The 1950 Oscar-winning motion picture of the same title first starred screen legends Gloria Swanson (as Norma Desmond) and William Holden (as Joe Gillis) before it opened as a musical in London's West End starring Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson at the Adelphi Theatre July 12, 1993 where it ultimately ran for 1529 performances.

Sunset Boulevard weaves a magnificent tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition. Silent movie star Norma Desmond longs for a return to the big screen, having been discarded by tinsel town with the advent of "talkies." Her glamour has faded in all but her mind. When she meets struggling Hollywood screen-writer Joe Gillis in dramatic circumstances, their subsequent passionate and volatile relationship leads to an unforeseen and tragic conclusion.

The original Broadway musical, directed by Trevor Nunn with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, won 7 Tony Awards in 1995 including Best Musical. The lush score features such haunting classics as "With One Look," "As if We Never Said Goodbye," "The Greatest Star of All," "The Perfect Year," and the emotionally charged title song "Sunset Boulevard."

Musical Theatre West's much anticipated Southern California 20th Anniversary revival of Sunset Boulevard will be presented July 12 through July 28, 2013 at the beautiful 1,070-seat Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA. exactly 20 years to the day after the show's world premiere. Valerie Perri and David Burnham star, with Norman Large and Ashley Fox Linton.

Valerie Perri (Norma Desmond) portrayed Eva Peron to much critical acclaim in the 1st U.S. National and Canadian tours of Evita. She has also starred in such musicals as West Side Story, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar, I Do, I Do, The World Goes Round, Man Of La Mancha, Annie Warbucks, City Of Angels, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Jerome Robbins' Broadway; and Harry Chapin: Lies And Legends at the Pasadena Playhouse.

David Burnham (Joe Gillis) appeared on Broadway in the mega-hit musical Wicked playing Fiyero, a role he originated in workshops of the show. He is an original Broadway cast member of the musical The Light In the Piazza. He later co-starred as Fabrizio in the U.S. National tour of The Light In The Piazza. He also starred in the title role of U.S. National tour of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; co-starred in the U.S. National tour of Jesus Christ Superstar; and, more recently, co-starred Off-Broadway in The Best Is Yet to Come - The Music Of Cy Coleman; and in Musical Theatre West's very recent 2013 concert production of Jerry Herman's Mack and Mabel.

Norman Large (Max von Mayerling) - Broadway: The Woman in White; Les Miserables, A Doll's Life, Silverlake. Regional: Parade, Annie, Cinderella, The Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and the title role in Sweeney Todd for Musical Theatre West. Concert appearances include co-starring with Christina Saffron Ashford in Music of the Night, Some Enchanted Evening, and Andrew Lloyd Webber: Superstar.

Ashley Fox Linton (Betty Schaefer) - U.S. National Tours: Les Miserables, Wicked. Regional: Sweeney Todd, How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, Baby, Call Me Madam, Evita and A Chorus Line. Concert Appearances: The Boston Pops Best of Broadway/Symphony Hall, Boston; Too Marvelous for Words/Johnny Mercer Foundation.

Jeff Skowron (Sheldrake & Manfred) - Broadway: Enron, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Beauty and the Beast, High Society. Regional: Parade, Silence the Musical, Leap, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Half a Sixpence, Footloose, Charlie Brown, and Grease.

Marc Ginsburg (Artie) - Off Broadway: Naked Boys Singing. U.S. National Tour: Cameron Mackintosh's Oliver. Regional: Forbidden Broadway, Carousel, Chicago, Cabaret, Oklahoma, Big the Musical, and Me and My Girl.

Ensemble - Lucas Coleman, Peyton Crim, Marisa Field, Brad Fitzgerald, Karla Franco, Juan Guillan, Caitlin Humphreys, Will Huse, Tom McMahon, Tiana Okoye, Kirklyn Robinson, Trance Thomas, and John Todd.

Larry Raben (Director) Having recently mounted the Tony Award winning, one man solo play Tru about writer Truman Capote for Coyote StageWorks at the Annenberg Theatre in Palm Springs, and Nuttin But Hutton, a musical showcasing the hits of Betty Hutton at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood, Mr. Raben is back at MTW after previously directing The Wedding Singer, Never Gonna Dance with Tony Award winner Harriet Harris, The Thing About Men, and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. He won the LA Ovation Award for Best Direction for Singin' In the Rain (Cabrillo Music Theatre). He directed the world premiere of Tony winner Joe DiPietro's Off-Broadway production of Falling for Eve at The York Theatre; and also directed Rodgers & Hart & Hammerstein at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Additionally he directed and co-authored Hollywood's Heyday (Welk Theatre) and Motown at the Twilight (Canadian Tour). Mr. Raben is a founding member of Coyote StageWorks in Palm Springs where he directed the comedies Greater Tuna (Desert Star Award Best Direction) and A Tuna Christmas. Other credits: The Producers (Gateway Playhouse), Sweet Charity in Buenos Aires (Best director Ace nominee), Bark! (Inland Empire Award Best Direction), Always Patsy Cline (Welk Theatre), and The Velveteen Rabbit (Promenade Theatre New York). He was the Assistant Director on the original NY production of Forever Plaid and has since directed numerous regional and international editions of the show.

David Lamoureux (Musical Director) returns to MTW for Sunset Boulevard having previously musically directed MTW's 2013 production of A Chorus Line and the 2011 production of The Wedding Singer. He also currently serves as co-producer alongside Michael Betts for MTW's Reiner Reading Series. Regional: 3D Theatrical's Parade, Avenue Q, I Love A Piano; the Lewis Family Playhouse productions of Sweeney Todd, Rent, Into the Woods, Evita, A Chorus Line; the Los Angeles Musical Theatre Guild's High Fidelity and Chess; Candlelight Pavilion's Godspell, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Will Rogers Follies; and Performance Riverside's The Pirates Of Penzance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Annie). As a multi-instrumentalist, David has performed and recorded extensively with artists ranging from Gwen Stefani and Vanessa Carlton to Sandy Duncan and Bob Newhart, and has been seen performing on Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan, Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, Jonathan Ross (BBC), the American Music Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, and American Idol.

John Todd (Musical Staging) has appeared on Broadway as an original cast member in Twyla Tharp's hit juke box musical Movin' Out inspired by the music of Billy Joel; and as a cast member in The Phantom of the Opera. Mr. Todd's television credits include: Bourbon Street (series regular), Days of Our Lives, As the World Turns, Sex and the City, Ronna and Beverly, and Law and Order. Film credits include: Jack the Giant Slayer, The Muppets, Gnomio and Juliet, Alpha and Omega, Jackass Number Two, A Christmas Carol, Sironia, and Spells (with John Lithgow). He has also appeared in the plays The Studio (Sundance Award), A Midsummer Night's Dream at Sadler's Wells (Peter Quince), and Romeo & Juliet (Romeo); and in Never Gonna Dance, Silk Stockings, The Full Monty, and Meet Me in St. Louis for Musical Theatre West.

Paul Garman (Executive Director/Producer) began his association with Musical Theatre West in 1963 as a performer when the company was known as the Whittier Civic Light Opera. He has also served as producer for MTW since the mid 1970's. Prior to that, he served 7 years as the company's President. Of the 168 MTW major productions, Mr. Garman has been involved with all but 16, producing 140 of them. Through his guidance and leadership MTW has grown from an amateur community organization to a nationally respected regional theatre group, entertaining over 600,000 patrons annually and garnering critical acclaim and numerous awards. Mr. Garman received the Arts Community Leadership Award for Long Beach in 2002 and Arts Education Hero of the Year Award from the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in 2008. He has been inducted into the La Sema School Hall of Fame and honored as a Distinguished Alumni of Whittier by the Whittier Historical Society.

Rounding out the Creative Team is Mary Ritenhour serving as Production Manager with Kelly Marie Pate as Stage Manager; Kevin Clowes as Technical Designer; Jean-Yves Tessier as Lighting Designer; Julie Ferrin as Sound Designer; and Kate Poppen as Costume Coordinator.

The performance schedule for Sunset Boulevard is Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; *Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and *Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. *There will be no 2:00 pm matinee performance on Saturday, July 13; *and no 7:00 p.m. performance on Sunday, July 14. A Thursday, July 25 performance at 8:00 p.m. has been scheduled.

Tickets for Sunset Boulevard may be purchased online at www.musical.org or by phone at (562) 856-1999, Ext. 4. Prices begin at $20. A $3.00 service charge will be added to each ticket. Group rates are available for 12 or more. Tickets may also be purchased at the Musical Theatre West Box Office located at 4350 East 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90804. Box Office hours are 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located at 6200 East Atherton Street, Long Beach, CA 90815. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

Now in its 60th record-breaking (2012/2013) anniversary season, Musical Theatre West is Southern California's premier musical theatre company. Under the leadership of Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman, the company has garnered numerous awards and accolades for its work presenting the entire spectrum of musical theatre (including 82 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominations over the past 11 seasons with a 2012 Best Musical win for Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits, Volume II,) and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Association Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre. For further information about Musical Theatre West, visit www.musical.org.

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