Cast Announced for Theatre East's DEVIL AND THE DEEP at Theater 3

The cast of the new musical includes newcomer Ethan Riordan and is joined by Raissa Katona Bennett (Phantom of the Opera), Bill Newhall (Something Wonderful!), Eric Coles (Rock of Ages), Lisha McKoy (A Little Princess), and Courtney Shaw (Urinetown); as well as Juan Luis Espinal, Kyle Minshew, Nick Ritacco, Kire Tosevski, Skyler Volpe, and Kalyn West.

The new musical Devil and the Deep is set in the mid 18th Century. We follow young Jim Hawkins from poverty stricken Bristol, England, all the way to Caribbean Islands as he embarks on a journey that will change his life forever. A boy that dreamt of adventure upon sea will be faced with grave choices, betrayal and lurking danger that will, in turn, make him dream only of returning home. It examines the parallel desires of Jim and the infamous Long John Silver and the paths they'll be forced to take.

Devil and the Deep performances are: Monday 7:00pm, Wednesday - Saturday 8:00pm; Sunday 3:00pm for the limited engagement through June 27th. Tickets are only $18, and they are available through theatreeast.org.

Graham Russell (Music and Lyrics) half of the hit making duo AIR SUPPLY, who scored seven top five singles in the 1980s and continues to record and tour worldwide. He is the composer of such hits as "Lost in Love" "The One That You Love" "Sweet Dreams" and "All Out of Love" and his music has been featured in films and television. He has been awarded 2 American Music Awards and nominated for a Grammy Award, as well as many international awards. He was awarded BMI's Billion Plays Award for "All Out of Love," recognizing over 1 billion radio plays, and he has received his fourth award from BMI, each for 4 million plays. He formed OF EDEN with Katie McGhie as an acoustic duo.

Katie McGhie (Music and Lyrics) is a singer-songwriter. After releasing her debut solo pop album in the fall of 2011, she began working with Graham Russell of Air Supply only a couple of months later. The pair, known as OF EDEN, immediately began writing their first album together and began working on Devil and the Deepshortly after. Having grown up touring with a children's theatre company, she received her BFA from the New School as well as attending AMDA.

Melissa Bell (Book and Additional Lyrics) librettos include: Lost In Love, a new musical based on the hits of Air Supply/Actors Fund Benefit; Once Removed. Some of her plays include: Empty Room; Love, Sex And Anarchy; and In the Motherhood. New York Types: 3 scenes were selected and paired with artwork/exhibit at the Art Directors Club. She collaborated with director Tommy Tune and producer Stevie Phillips on the video project of a new musical 54 Forever.

Theatre East is a 501(c)3 nonprofit theatre company whose mission to give theatre back to the people one play at a time. They advance the dialogue of the shared human experience through works that utilize simple storytelling, providing their community with a platform to deepen their understanding of themselves, each other and the world they share. The company was founded in 2008 by husband-and-wife producing partners Judson Jones (Artistic Director) and Christa Kimlicko Jones (Associate Artistic Director), along with Joseph Mitchell Parks, after producing such hits as the premiere of Christopher Durang's The Vietnamization of New Jersey(NY Times Critic's Pick), and the premiere of Texas playwright David W. Crawford's Harvest (BackStage Critic's Pick, Smith & Kraus Best New Plays of 2008), as well as earning a spot as producers to watch in 2008 on PBS's "Theater Talk".