SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER Opens This Month at Ogunquit Playhouse

Get out your boogie shoes and head to the disco with the mega-musical Saturday Night Fever on stage at the Ogunquit Playhouse from September 23 to October 25. This high-energy show features the Bee Gees electrifying chart-topping score along with astounding and dazzling choreography by Broadway choreographer Richard Hinds. The stage musical is based on the 1977 film that became a cultural phenomenon and cemented the Bee Gees as disco era icons and catapulted John Travolta to mega-stardom. The musical includes the hits "Stayin' Alive," "How Deep is Your Love," "More Than a Woman," "You Should Be Dancing," and more!

The story revolves around Tony Manero, a talented, streetwise kid from Brooklyn who attempts to escape his dead-end life through dancing. Tony is a humble paint store clerk by day, but transforms into a stallion dance king each Saturday night at the disco, where the nightclub crowd falls under the spell of the disco beat and Tony's astonishing dance routines. When a big dance competition is announced, he convinces the beautiful and talented Stephanie to be his partner.

Playing the lead role of Tony Manero is Luke Hamilton, who is making his Ogunquit Playhouse debut. He is a recent graduate of the University of Miami and has performed at regional theatres in productions including Xanadu, Les Miserables with Terrence Mann, A Chorus Line, and Gypsy. Joining the cast as Stephanie is Jennifer Florkowski, who recently performed on Broadway in Wicked and played Nessarose for the show's First National Tour. She also performed on the National Tours of White Christmas and 42nd Street, as well as at numerous regional theatres across the country including Sacramento Music Circus, Goodspeed Musicals, North Shore Music Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Walnut Street, Kansas City Rep, and Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. The role of Annette is played by Haley Hannah, who performed on Broadway and in the First National Tour of the musical Bring It On. Her other theatre credits include the First National Tour of Flashdance in addition to many regional theatres across the U.S.

Joe Gately returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse to play Tony's dad, Frank Manero. Mr. Gately was last seen at the Ogunquit Playhouse in the 2009 production of Guys and Dolls. He has appeared in numerous shows in both New York and regional theatres across the U.S., including Double Stoly, The Disappeared, Sunset Salome, On Golden Pond, Spamalot, God of Carnage, Annie, Bells are Ringing, Deathtrap and many others. His film appearances include Affluenza, Morning After, Fair Game, The Manchurian Candidate, The Return of Capt. Intuitive, and City Hall. On television he has appeared in Blue Bloods, Law and Order SVU, Sex and the City, All My Children, As the World Turns, Spin City, and many others.

Former Radio City Rockette Joyce Nolen joins the cast as Tony's mom, Flo. She has appeared in regional theatres across the U.S. in many productions including South Pacific, Fiddler On The Roof, 42nd Street, Thoroughly Modern Millie, No No Nanette, The Music Man, Into The Woods, Show Boat, Promises Promises, Hello Dolly, Damn Yankees, and Cinderella. On Broadway she has performed in Different Times, Stop The World...with Sammy Davis Jr., and in the Marvin Hamlisch musical Smile.

Rounding out the cast are Amma Osei as Candy, Justin Colombo as Monty, Brandyn Day as Frank, Jr., Jeremy Greenbaum as Bobby C, Michael Carrasco as Gus, Michael Siktberg as Double J, and Corey Mosello as Joey.

Keith Andrews returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse to direct the musical Saturday Night Fever. Mr. Andrews was in Ogunquit last fall when he directed and choreographed the hit musical The Addams Family. This past year he relived the 80s with a production of Rock of Ages at the Gateway Playhouse. He has directed the national tours of The Full Monty and Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. Other recent directing/choreography credits include: Young Frankenstein, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual... Spelling Bee, Dames at Sea, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Barnum, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Little Shop of Horrors, The Pirates of Penzance, Big River, and Forever Plaid, to name just a few. As a choreographer, Keith has recently worked on The Gig at the New York Musical Theater Festival, and the world premiere of Love, Incorporated. He received an Innovative Theater Award for Best Production of a Musical and nomination for Best Choreography for his work on the show Like You Like It.

Choreographer for Saturday Night Fever is Richard Hinds, who was the Associate Choreographer for Newsies on Broadway and for the National Tour. His many credits include Here Lies Love for Off-Broadway and London productions, Jekyll and Hyde on Broadway and for the National Tour, Il Divo: A Musical Affair on Broadway, 9 to 5 the Musical for both the national and international tours and High School Musical's national and international tours. His regional credits include Flat Rock Playhouse, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, New Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Paper Mill Playhouse, 5th Ave. Theatre and Deaf West. Television credits include Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, America's Got Talent, The Bethenny Show and Good Afternoon America.

Sonny Paladino is the Musical Director for the Ogunquit production of Saturday Night Fever. He most recently served as Associate Conductor and keyboard player for the Broadway musical The Last Ship, which was written by sixteen-time Grammy Award winner Sting. Recently Sonny served as Music Supervisor for the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, and as Associate Conductor of the Tony Award-winning Best Revival: Pippin. His other Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Billy Elliot, Grease, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Dustin Cross returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse as Costume Designer after designing Sister Act earlier this season. He has worked on many shows at the Ogunquit Playhouse including West Side Story (Broadway World nomination), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for which he won the Broadway World Award for Best Costume Design, Grease, Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins, and The Witches of Eastwick. Mr. Cross is a New York based designer who has been creating costumes for the last 10 years. On Broadway he created the costumes for The 24 Hour Plays and Off Broadway for The Glass Menagerie, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Forbidden Broadway.

An all new set has been designed for the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Saturday Night Fever by Adam Koch. Mr. Koch designed the set for the Ogunquit production of Sister Act earlier this year and has designed sets for over one hundred productions nationwide including Million Dollar Quartet (now in its 7th year) at the Apollo Theater in Chicago, Hello, Dolly! at Fordís Theater, Miss Saigon, Dreamgirls, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, See What I Wanna See for the Signature Theatre, and Bat Boy for 1st Stage, which he received a 2015 Helen Hayes nomination. Off-Broadway his credits include Rooms: A Rock Romance, Loaded, We the People, Pinkalicious and Freckleface Strawberry.

The Ogunquit Playhouse will produce the Irving Berlin classic White Christmas to be presented just in time for the holidays, December 9 to 20 at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Tickets are on sale now. Prices start at $44 per show. To learn more about becoming a Playhouse member, or to purchase tickets and gift certificates, visit www.ogunquitplayhouse.org or call the Ogunquit Playhouse Box Office at 207-646-5511.

About the Ogunquit Playhouse:

The Ogunquit Playhouse is America's Foremost Summer Theatre, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, producing the finest Broadway musicals each season, with performances Tuesday through Sunday, from mid-May to mid-October. Follow the Ogunquit Playhouse on Twitter (@OgunquitPH) and become our fan on Facebook (facebook.com/OgunquitPlayhouse) for behind-the-scenes info, photos and fun throughout the season. For a complete list of show times, pricing and more information about the season visit www.ogunquitplayhouse.org.

Photo caption: Luke Hamilton as Tony Manero with the cast of Saturday Night Fever the Musical, on stage at the Ogunquit Playhouse September 23 to October 25. Photo by Jeff Bellante.

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