Colella, Cumpsty & More Set For McCarter Theatre's TAKE FLIGHT, Opens 4/30

McCarter Theatre has announced the complete casting and creative team for the American premiere of Take Flight, a new musical by Richard Maltby Jr, David Shire and John Weidman that blends fact and fiction to tell the interweaving stories of three pioneers of aeronautics: the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. The production, directed by Sam Buntrock, runs April 30 through June 6 (press opening: Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m.)

The cast will feature Jenn Colella (Amelia Earhart), Michael Cumpsty (George Putnam), Claybourne Elder (Charles Lindbergh), Stanton Nash (Wilbur Wright), and Benjamin Schrader (Orville Wright).

The ensemble includes Carey Brown (Ragtime, 2009 revival); Bobby Daye (Shrek The Musical, The Lion King, Smokey Joe's Café); Linda Gabler (Young Frankenstein, The Drowsy Chaperone); Marya Grandy (Les Miserables, 2006 revival), Todd A. Horman (Urinetown); Price Waldman (The Little Mermaid, The Lion King); and William Youmans (Wicked, Finian's Rainbow, Titanic).

Designing the production are David Farley (set and costume design), Ken Billington (lighting design), Ken Travis (sound design), Lisa Shriver (musical staging) and Kevin Stites (music director).

Jenn Colella has starred on Broadway in High Fidelity and Urban Cowboy, for which she received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding Leading Actress. Off-Broadway, she played the title role in Beebo Brinker Chronicles (Lily Tomlin, producer). Other credits include the world premiere of The Times They Are A-Changin' at the Old Globe Theatre and The Full Monty opposite Elaine Stritch at Paper Mill Playhouse. Her film credits include Lay It Down for Good and Uncertainty (with Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Michael Cumpsty (George Putnam) has been seen on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George; The Constant Wife; Democracy; Copenhagen; Enchanted April; 42nd Street; Electra; 1776; Racing Demon; The Heiress; Translations; La Bete; Timon of Athens. For Classic Stage Company he was in Hamlet (Obie Award); Richard II; Richard III and has made numerous appearances with the New York Shakespeare Festival including Twelfth Night; Timon of Athens; All's Well That Ends Well; Hamlet (starring and directed by Kevin Kline); Cymbeline; A Winter's Tale; King John; Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Cumpsty's McCarter credits include My Fair Lady; Electra; Coriolanus. He was a series regular on L.A. Law, played a recurring role on Star Trek: Voyager and has appeared in such feature films as State of Grace; Fatal Instinct; Flags of Our Fathers; The Ice Storm; The Visitor; Eat, Pray, Love; Wall Street 2.

Claybourne Elder (Charles Lindbergh) made his New York debut last season in The Public Theater's production of Sondheim and Weidman's Road Show, in which he originated the role of Hollis Bessemer; he can also be heard on the original cast recording. Recent credits include: Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in Moises Kaufman's acclaimed revival of Into the Woods (Kansas City Rep); Buck in the world premiere of Bonnie and Clyde (La Jolla); Tony in West Side Story (Tuacahn Amphitheatre); and developmental workshops of Tennessee Williams' One Arm (Tectonic Theatre Project, adapted and directed by Moises Kaufman) and Post Office (Center Theatre Group, written by Michael Friedman, directed by Mark Brokaw). Upcoming: New York City Center at a Gala celebration honoring Stephen Sondheim on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Claybourne blogs about the show at www.mccarter.org/blog.

Stanton Nash (Wilbur Wright) Chicago credits include: Wicked (Ford Center for the Performing Arts); Huck Finn (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Wood Demon (Library Theater); Madame X (Chicago Center for the Performing Arts). Regional credits include: The Cherry Orchard, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Comedy of Errors (Georgia Shakespeare); The Last 5 Years (Twin Cities Theater Company).

Benjamin Schrader (Orville Wright) was seen on Broadway in Ragtime, Avenue Q (also first national tour), Tom Sawyer in Deaf West's Big River (also first national tour), Avenue Q (also first national tour). Off-Broadway: Gabe in Next to Normal at New York Musical Theatre Festival and the world premiere of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. Regional credits include Sweeney Todd, 1776, and HAIR at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets can be reserved by phone (609) 258-2787; toll-free at (888) 278-7932; online at www.mccarter.org; or at the McCarter Theatre Ticket Office at 91 University Place, Princeton, NJ.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Take Flight will play the Berlind Theatre of McCarter Theatre Center Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm; Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm; with Saturday matinee at 3pm and Sundays at 2pm. Additional performances will be held on Sunday, May 16 and Sunday, May 23 both at 7:30pm.

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