Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID, Starring Diana Huey, to Make a Splash Next Week at Pittsburgh CLO

Pittsburgh CLO has joined forces with Kansas City Starlight to produce a 21-week tour of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID, coming to the Benedum Center June 14-25. A veteran cast of Broadway's best will bring this timeless fairytale's most beloved characters to life on stage.

Tickets are now on sale at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or visiting the Box Office at Theater Square. Half-price tickets for children 3-14 are also available, courtesy of Giant Eagle.

ABOUT THE CAST:

Diana Huey (Ariel) has appeared regionally with the The 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, ACT Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, Signature Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Flat Rock Playhouse, Prospect Theatre and Playwrights Horizon. TV: Leverage, The Glee Project and New Day Northwest's theme-song singer. She is a Helen Hayes AwardeWinner for Best Leading Actress for Signature Theatre's Miss Saigon. DianaHuey.com.

Eric Kunze (Prince Eric) most recently appeared as Bruce in the International premiere of Fun Home opposite Lea Salonga. Additional Broadway credits include Les Misérables (Marius), Miss Saigon (Chris) and Damn Yankees (Joe Hardy). Off-Broadway: Leopard's Leap. National/International Tours: Miss Saigon (Chris), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Whistle Down the Wind (The Man), The Fantasticks, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. Regional: Joseph and the Amazing... (San Diego Critics Circle Nomination), Evita (LA Ovation Award Nomination), West Side Story, Into the Woods, Pippin (LA Robbie Award), South Pacific, The Who's Tommy, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and many others.

Melvin Abston (Sebastian) appeared on Broadway in Sister Act. National Tour credits include The Lion King, Joseph and The Amazing..., Disney's The Little Mermaid and Sister Act. Regional: ZACH Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, TUTS, The 5th Avenue Theatre and Goodman Theatre. Film/TV: Solace, Gotham, Chastity Bites, Raising Hope, Chuck, recurred on Grey's Anatomy, H : The Digital Series and Weeds. VO: Verizon Wireless, South Park Studios and The Prince of Peace.

Jennifer Allen (Ursula) has a multitude of Broadway credits, including starring and co-starring roles in Bridges of Madison County, Sister Act (Mother Superior), Memphis, A Catered Affair, Cats (Grizabella), Little Me, Guys and Dolls (Miss Adelaide) and City of Angels. Allen has been seen in the National Tours of Ragtime (Emma Goldman), Jerome Robbins' Broadway (Ma and Tessie Tura) and Cabaret (Sally Bowles). Regionally, she has worked at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodspeed Opera House and Paper Mill Playhouse.

Steve Blanchard (King Triton) is a veteran of both stage and screen. Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Camelot, A Christmas Carol and The Three Musketeers. National Tours: Newsies, Little House on the Prairie, Camelot and Phantom of the Opera. Television: The Tap, Law & Order, Third Watch, Cupid, Ed, Sunset Beat, Police Story and Goody Goody. Film: In Stranger Company, Those Who Wander, When the Moon Was Twice As Big, By the Dashboard Light and Rap Master Ronnie for HBO. Original Recordings: Johnny Guitar, Sundown, Frankenstein and Northbound Train.

Allen Fitzpatrick (Grimsby) has 10 Broadway credits to his name, including Les Misérables, 42nd Street, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Memphis, Driving Miss Daisy, Passion, Sweet Smell of Success and Damn Yankees. Fitzpatrick was featured in five National Tours, including starring as "Max" in Sunset Boulevard. Multiple TV/film roles. He currently portrays Major Werner on Chaldea. allenfitzpatrick.weebly.com.

Frederick Hagreen (Jetsam) has appeared regionally in Assassins as John Hinckley, Jr., Pirates of Penzance and Jasper in Deadland (The 5th Avenue Theatre); Come From Away (Seattle Rep.); Bad Apples (ACT); Disney's Mary Poppins and Les Misérables (Village Theatre); American Idiot and Really, Really (ArtsWest).

Brandon Roach (Flotsam) also appeared in the National Tour of Beauty and the Beast. Regional: Tuacahn (Sister Act, Disney's When You Wish), Surflight (The Wizard of Oz), Cd'A Summer Theatre (Mary Poppins; 9 to 5 and Hello, Dolly!).

Connor Russell (Flounder) has many regional credits, including Quentin in October Sky (The Old Globe); the premiere of Disney's Aladdin, Hairspray Anniversary Concert, A Chorus Line (The 5th Avenue Theatre); Idaho! The Comedy Musical (The Smith Center); A Musical Christmas Carol (Pittsburgh CLO); White Christmas (Arkansas Rep); The Who's Tommy (Village Theatre) and Gypsy (Capital Rep). Film: Paul in The Hinterlands (IAWTV Award nomination for Best Leading Actor), Brand Upon the Brain (Toronto Film Festival/New York Film Festival), Truth Slash Fiction (SeriesFest 2016 Winner). Instagram/Twitter: @mrconnorrussell.

Jamie Torcellini (Scuttle) is a Broadway veteran, with credits including Cats (Mr. Mistoffelees), Little Johnny Jones (Standby for Donny Osmond), Me and My Girl (Standby for Jim Dale), Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Man of La Mancha (Barber), Beauty and the Beast (LeFou) and the original company of Billy Elliot. Television/Film: Law & Order, ER, Mrs. Santa Claus, The Jamie Foxx Show, Stuart Little. Torcellini has also provided character voices for Disney's Tarzan, Pocahontas and was the character model for the body of Aladdin.

The cast is complete with a talented ensemble, including Kristine M. Bennet, Kristin Burch, Venny Carranza, Melissa Glasgow, Sheldon Henry, Bety Le, Michael McGurk, Amanda Minano, Becca Orts, Robbie Roby, James Shackelford, BrIan Shaw, Dane Stokinger, Brenna Wagner and Brittany Zeinstra.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM:

Alan Menken (Music) is the composer behind many of Disney's most beloved films, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Newsies, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Home on the Range. Stage credits: Little Shop of Horrors; Beauty and the Beast; A Christmas Carol; King David; God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Real Life Funnies, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravits, Weird Romance and Der Glocker Von Notre Dame. Other achievements: A Billboard #1 album (Pocahontas) and #1 single ("A Whole New World"). Awards include eight Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, 10 Grammys, a London Evening Standard Award, an Olivier, a New York Drama Critics Award, a Drama Desk and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. Stage adaptations: A Christmas Carol and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, plus the film Noel.

Howard Ashman (Lyrics) wrote the lyrics for the Disney animated films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (3 songs). He served as producer on The Little Mermaid and executive producer on Beauty and the Beast. With composer Alan Menken, he received two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for Best Song ("Beauty and the Beast" and "Under the Sea") and four Grammy Awards. He received an Academy Award nomination with Mr. Menken for "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin. As author, lyricist and director for the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors, which ran for five years in New York and was produced worldwide, Mr. Ashman received two Outer Critics Circle Awards, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, a London Evening Standard Award and a Drama Desk Award. For his screenplay version of Little Shop of Horrors, Mr. Ashman received a nomination from the Screen Writers Guild and "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" was nominated (with Mr. Menken) for an Academy Award for Best Song. He was author, lyricist and director of Smile for which he received a Tony nomination for Best Book. Stage credits include God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater and The Confirmation (his only full-length play). Artistic Director: WPA Theatre (1976-1982).

Glenn Slater (Lyrics) Broadway: Houdini with Danny Elfman (2013). Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008 Tony Award nomination for Best Score and Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album). West End: Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy (2009), Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies (2010, Olivier nomination for Best Musical). Regional: Leap of Faith (Ahmanson Theatre, L.A. 2010). Off-Broadway: newyorkers (Manhattan Theatre Club 2001, Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations). Film: Disney's Home on the Range (2004) and Tangled (2010, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Song). Awards: Kleban Award for Lyrics, ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award and the Jonathan Larson award. Slater lives in New York City and has two sons, Benjamin and Daniel.

Doug Wright (Book) is a Pulitzer Prize-winner and has received a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, GLAAD Media Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama League Award and a Lucille Lortel Award for I Am My Own Wife, which premiered at Playwrights Horizon in 2003. For Grey Gardens, he was nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Best Book of a Musical. In 1995, Wright won an Obie Award for his play Quills, his screen adaptation was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review and nominated for three Academy Awards. Wright was cited by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and awarded the Tolerance Prize from the KulturForum Europa. Plays include The Stonewater Rapture, Interrogating the Nude, Unwrap Your Candy, Grey Gardens, The Little Mermaid and The Pavilion. Currently, he serves on the board of the New York Theatre Workshop and is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council.

Tickets are on sale now at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Groups of 10 or more enjoy exclusive discounts and specialty packages. Call our Group Sales Hotline at 412-325-1582 for more information. Visit pittsburghCLO.org for further information.

Since 1946, Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Under the direction of Van Kaplan since 1997, this not-for-profit arts organization appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons yearly who attend its performances at three venues in the Cultural District: a seasonal subscription series at the Benedum Center, A Musical Christmas Carol at the Byham Theater and year-round shows at the CLO Cabaret. Its dedication to the musical theater art form includes educational programs such as the CLO Academy for Performance and Art, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award and The National High School Theatre Awards. As part of its new works development, the organization has been involved with 22 Broadway shows (29 Tony Awards), and in 2014 produced the world premiere of An American in Paris in Paris, on Broadway (4 Tony Awards) and in London's West End. For more information visit pittsburghCLO.org.

Photo Credit: Mark & Tracy Photography

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