Clifton Duncan Joins Cast Of CARMEN JONES At CSC

Classic Stage Company announced today that Clifton Duncan, most recently seen on Broadway in The Play That Goes Wrong, will play the role of Joe in the company's new production of the musical CARMEN JONES, now beginning performances Saturday, June 9 (8pm) at CSC (136 East 13th Street). As previously announced, Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose will play the title role.

The official press opening is Wednesday, June 27. Directed by CSC's Tony Award-winning Artistic Director John Doyle and choreographed by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones, CARMEN JONES features book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Georges Bizet.

The first major New York revival of the musical since its Broadway debut 75 years ago, CARMEN JONES will play a limited engagement through Sunday, July 29. CARMEN JONES will mark the finale of CSC's 50th Anniversary Season. The cast of CARMEN JONES also features David Aron Damane (Husky Miller), Erica Dorfler (Myrt), Andrea Jones-Sojola (Sally), Justin Keyes (Rum), Lindsay Roberts (Cindy Lou), Soara-Joye Ross (Frankie), Lawrence E. Street (Dink) and Tramell Tillman (Sergeant Brown).

Clifton Duncan (Joe). Broadway: The Play that Goes Wrong. Off-Broadway highlights include Yang Sun in The Good Person of Szechwan (Public Theatre/La Mama), James Coburn in Kung-Fu (Signature Theatre), The Balladeer in Assassins (City Center Encores! Off-Center). Regional highlights include New York Stage & Film, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, and Williamstown. Television: "Flesh and Bone". Training: New York University Graduate Acting Program.

Set in the South as World War II rages overseas, CARMEN JONES tells the story of a tempestuous parachute factory worker who ignites her own battle in a tragic love triangle with an airman and a prizefighter. Adapted from Bizet's legendary opera Carmen, Hammerstein shifted the story from Spain to World War II America, featuring an all African-American cast. CARMEN JONES premiered on Broadway in 1943 and ran for over 500 performances. A 1954 film version, directed by Otto Preminger, starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte.

Scenic design for CARMEN JONES is by Tony Award winner Scott Pask, costumes by Tony Award winner Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Adam Honoré, sound by Dan Moses Shreier and casting by Telsey + Company. Music supervision and orchestrations are by Joseph Joubert.

CARMEN JONES will perform Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 3 and 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets are $65 weekdays/$70 weekends. Prime seats are $125. For tickets, visit classicstage.org, call (212) 352-3101 or (866) 811-4111, or in person at the box office (136 East 13th Street).

Classic Stage Company, CSC, is committed to re-imagining classic stories for contemporary audiences. The company has been a home for New York's finest established and emerging artists to grapple with the great works of the world's repertory that speak directly to the issues of today. CSC serves an average of 35,000 audience members annually, including more than 4,000 students through its nationally recognized education programs. Productions have been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards including the Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work.

For further information on Classic Stage Company, call 212-677-4210, visit the theatre in person at 136 East 13th Street, or go to www.classicstage.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos