CABARET, Starring Robin de Jesus and Kaleigh Cronin, Comes to Music Circus Tonight

The 66th Music Circus season continues with the multiple Tony Award-winning musical theatre classic CABARET. Performances are tonight, July 26 through Sunday, July 31 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

Welcome to Berlin's infamous Kit Kat Klub, where the Emcee, Sally Bowles and a raucous ensemble take the stage nightly to tantalize the crowd into leaving their troubles outside. But as life in pre-WWII Germany grows more and more troubled, how long can the show and the decadence surrounding it go on? This Kander and Ebb classic, winner of eight Tony Awards, has some of the most memorable songs in theatre history, including "CABARET" and "Willkommen."

Tickets for CABARET start at $45 and are available by phone at (916) 557-1999, online at Tickets.com, or in person at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Evening performances are Tuesday through Saturday, July 26 - 30, at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances are Thursday, July 28 and Saturday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 31 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit SacramentoMusicCircus.com.

Twice nominated for Tony Awards, for the roles of Jacob in the 2010 revival of La Cage aux Folles and Sonny in In the Heights, Robin De Jesus will portray the Emcee of the infamous Kit Kat Club in CABARET; in addition to his work in films like CAMP, De Jesus' Broadway credits include Rent and Wicked. Taking on the role of the enigmatic Sally Bowles is Kaleigh Cronin, whose previous work includes CABARET on Broadway, the National Tour of Jersey Boys and the world premiere musical A Bronx Tale at Paper Mill Playhouse. Clifford Bradshaw will be played by Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, who worked opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music in the role of Henrik, and recently appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Once Upon a Mattress.

Broadway veteran and Tony-nominated Mary Gordon Murray, whose Broadway shows include Hands on a Hard Body, Footloose, Into the Woods, and Little Me, returns to Music Circus as Fraulein Schneider, after previously appearing at Music Circus in Sweeney Todd and Damn Yankees among others. Opposite her as Herr Schultz is another Music Circus favorite, Ron Wisniski, whose wide-ranging work with Music Circus includes The Little Mermaid, LES MISERABLES, Oliver!, and Spamalot; Wisniski also has extensive touring, Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions to his name. In addition to performing on Broadway in Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and working on TV shows like "True Blood," Heather Lee, playing Fraulein Kost, is known to Music Circus audiences as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. Shannon Stoeke will add the character of Ernst Ludwig to his extensive Music Circus credits, on top of his numerous regional and touring productions including Camelot, Hair, Assassins and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

The cast will also include the following members: Kim Arnett returns for her ninth season at Music Circus after being in the Broadway Sacramento presentation of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Ward Billeisen, at Music Circus in the 2015 production of Hair, has performed on Broadway in Anything Goes, Curtains, and Fiddler on the Roof. Making her Music Circus debut this season, Lindsey Bracco has appeared in numerous productions with Pittsburg CLO, including The Wedding Singer, Man of La Mancha, and Gypsy. Seth Danner, returning to Music Circus this season after last summer's production of Hair, has toured nationally with the Japanese Tours of Chicago and A Chorus Line. Making her Music Circus debut is Alexa De Barr, who has toured regionally with Singin' in the Rain, Anything Goes, and West Side Story. Zak Edwards appeared in the First National Tour of Young Frankenstein and the Off-Broadway production of Yank!; he may be familiar to Sacramento audiences as Frederic from Sacramento Theatre Company's The Pirates of Penzance. Jordan Grubb is no stranger to Music Circus, having performed in Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, and 42nd Street, in addition to touring with Mary Poppins. Brittany Rose Hammond, who appeared in Hair last season, has performed in The Will Rogers Follies and Singin' in the Rain, in addition to touring with the national revival of Hair.

Sarah Marie Jenkins returns to Music Circus this season after appearing last summer in West Side Story, Peter Pan, and Bye Bye Birdie; she has also performed in the national tours of Legally Blonde, Guys and Dolls, Swing!, and Honeymoon in Vegas at Paper Mill Playhouse. Eric Anthony Johnson has toured with Evita, Elf the Musical, Miss Saigon, and West Side Story, and served as the Dance Captain of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella for its two-year Broadway run. Matthew J. Kilgore has performed on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, toured with numerous shows including Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, and Evita, and appeared in multiple Music Circus productions. Grace Stockdale returns to the Music Circus stage after playing Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde earlier this season and appearing in the first national tour of Kinky Boots. Also joining the ensemble is Zach Williams, making his Music Circus debut after touring with Billy Elliott, The Will Rogers Follies, and Street Scene. After performing with the National Tour of Monty Python's Spamalot and in numerous regional theatre productions, Jessica Wockenfuss appears at Music Circus for the first time this season.

CABARET will be directed by Glenn Casale, Artistic Director for California Musical Theatre since 2008, who has directed more than 50 productions for Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento over the past 20 years. Choreographer Bob Richard has not only choreographed the 50th anniversary tour of Hello, Dolly!, but has also choreographed "Lazytown," "The Tonight Show," "The Today Show," and "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." Musical Director Jeff Rizzo has conducted more than 80 productions for Music Circus; he has also conducted Madison Square Garden's The Wizard of Oz and toured in China with 42nd Street in 2007.

Music Circus is produced under the leadership of Artistic Director Glenn Casale and Executive Producer Scott Klier. California Musical Theatre President and CEO is Richard Lewis.

Photo Credit: JD Urban

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