Josh Rhodes-Helmed GUYS AND DOLLS to Launch 2016-17 Season at Asolo Rep

GUYS AND DOLLS, hailed as one of the greatest musical comedies of all time, kicks off Asolo Rep's highly anticipated 2016-17 season, the fifth and final of its celebrated American Character Project.

GUYS AND DOLLS will be directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, acclaimed Broadway (Bright Star, It Shoulda Been You, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella), film and television artist, who previously choreographed Working, Barnum, My Fair Lady, and Yentl at Asolo Rep. Sinai Tabak (Asolo Rep's productions of Josephine and Luck Be a Lady) returns to Asolo Rep as Music Director of the hit musical.

GUYS AND DOLLS previews November 15, 16 and 17, opens November 18 and runs through Sunday, January 1. GUYS AND DOLLS is presented in association with The Old Globe.

In this dazzling Tony Award-winning musical, the bright lights of Broadway illuminate famed author Damon Runyon's iconic American characters and their high-stakes quest for love and luck, from the lovelorn showgirl Adelaide, and roguish gamblers Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson, to straight-laced save-your-soul missionary Sarah Brown. GUYS AND DOLLS features music and lyrics by Tony, Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winner Frank Loesser, and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

Director/choreographer Josh Rhodes received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations as well as Astaire and LA Critics Circle Awards for his choreography of the hit Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. He also choreographed the Emmy-award wining production of Sweeney Todd. On Broadway he also recently choreographed It Shoulda Been you, First Date and Bright Star, for which he received Outer Critics Circle and Astaire Award nominations.

"GUYS AND DOLLS practically explodes with joy and humor and has always been a favorite of mine," said Director/Choreographer Josh Rhodes. "I marvel at the colorful world created by Damon Runyon, who still makes me laugh with jokes and characters that any writer would kill to create. Bringing this story to life with this brilliant cast is a gift from the Broadway gods."

Rising Broadway stars lead Asolo Rep's talented cast. Chris Hoch, who will play Nathan Detroit, has been seen on Broadway in Amazing Grace, Matilda, La Cage aux Folles, Shrek, Beauty and the Beast and more. Veronica J. Kuehn will portray showgirl Miss Adelaide and has appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia! Cole Burden will take on the role of hotshot gambler Sky Masterson. Mr. Burden has appeared in the national tours of Bridges of Madison County and the 25th Anniversary of LES MISERABLES. Right off the heels of the national tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella where she played the title role, Audrey Cardwell will portray missionary Sarah Brown.

The musical premiered on Broadway in 1950, and garnered five Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical, and was revived in 1955, 1965, 1976, 1992, and 2009, and most recently on London's West End. The hit musical features some of the most irresistible songs of all time, from "Luck Be a Lady", to "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", "If I Were a Bell", and more.The iconic 1955 film adaptation starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

Asolo Rep will host a special Family Day at GUYS AND DOLLS on Saturday, December 10, where families can take part in family-friendly activities that explore the world of the musical prior to the performance, experience the performance with discounted tickets, and join a post-performance discussion with the cast. Throughout Asolo Rep's run of GUYS AND DOLLS, the theatre will proudly provide 900 students access to the world-class production through student matinee performances and public performances.

"What a joy to be including GUYS AND DOLLS, one of the best musicals of all time, in our five year American Character Project," said Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. "Brimming with one hit song after another by American icon Frank Loesser, brilliant new choreography and direction by the extraordinarily talented Josh Rhodes, and an immensely talented cast of bright young stars, Asolo Rep's production of GUYS AND DOLLS is a must-see theatrical experience sure to wow Sarasota!"

CAST:
(In Order of Appearance)

Todd Buonopane*..................................................Nicely-Nicely Johnson

Elliott Mattox*.............................................................Benny Southstreet

Brad Bradley*..................................................Rusty Charlie/Crap Shooter

Audrey Cardwell*..............................................................Sarah Brown

Wayne Morton*.............................................................Arvide Abernathy

Michael Coale Grey......................................................Harry the Horse

John Lombardi*................................................................Lt. Brannigan

Chris Hoch*....................................................................Nathan Detroit

Veronica J. Kuehn*............................,...............................Miss Adelaide

Cole Burden*.................................................................Sky Masterson

Fredena J. Williams*...................................General Matilda B. Cartwright

Steve Greenstein*....................................................................Big Jule

ENSEMBLE: (In Alphabetical Order):
DeShawn Bowens; Juan Caballer; Michael Callahan*+; Tim Capodice; Alicia Charles*; Cody Davis*; KEVIN Ray Johnson; Julie Kavanagh*; Hillary Porter; Joseph Rosario; Salvatore Vieira; Erin Weinberger

SWINGS: (In Alphabetical Order):
Jacob Sherburne; Kelly ElizaBeth Smith

*Members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
+Dance Captain

SELECTED CREATIVE TEAM MEMBERS:

Director/Choreographer...........................................................Josh Rhodes

Music Director and Additional Arrangements........................... Sinai Tabak

Scenic Designer........................................................................Lee Savage

Costume Designer.........................................................Brian C. Hemesath

Lighting Designer........................................................................Paul Miller

Sound Designer...................................................................Kevin Kennedy

Hair/Wig & Make-up Designer.................................................Michelle Hart

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Cole Burden* FIRST SEASON (Sky Masterson) National Tour: Bridges of Madison County (Robert u/s performed), 25th Anniversary LES MISERABLES. Off-Broadway: Priest/Giorgio in Himself and Nora (Minetta Lane), Applause (Encores!), Bonnie & Clyde (NYMF). Regional: Tom in Murder Ballad (Studio Theatre), Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden (Capital Repertory Theatre), Joe Kennedy/Jerry in Grey Gardens (Philadelphia Theatre Company), Warner Huntington III in Legally Blonde (Marriott Lincolnshire), Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (Arvada Center), Che in Evita (Mason Street Warehouse), Slaughterhouse Five, The War Department (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center). Film and TV: Beautiful Creatures, The Rainbow Bridge Motel, 30 Rock, As The World Turns, One Life to Live. Baldwin-Wallace University. @coleburden

Audrey Cardwell* FIRST SEASON (Sarah Brown) is thrilled to be making her Asolo Rep debut. She has appeared in the national tours of Anything Goes, Elf, and Rodgers Hammerstein's Cinderella in the title role. Her regional credits include The MUNY, North Shore Music Theatre, Dallas Summer Musicals, and Houston TUTS. Audrey is a graduate of Penn State University (BFA, Musical Theatre). Endless gratitude to Josh and Lee and lots of love to my family. For my Andy. @akatcard

Chris Hoch* FIRST SEASON (Nathan Detroit) Broadway: Amazing Grace, Matilda, La Cage aux Folles, Shrek, Spamalot, Dracula, Beauty and the Beast. National Tours: Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast. Off Broadway: Far From Heaven, Die Mommie Die!, Play It Cool, Face the Music (Encores!). Regional: War Paint (Goodman Theatre); A Christmas Story (Paper Mill Playhouse); Dracula, Zhivago, Palm Beach, Private Fittings (La Jolla Playhouse); Far From Heaven (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Amazing Grace (Goodspeed Musicals); Next To Normal (Hangar Theatre); Spamalot (MUNY); Candide (Prince Music Theatre); Picasso at the Lapin Agile (City Theatre). Television: 30 Rock, Guiding Light, All My Children, One Life to Live, The Good Wife, Gossip Girl, Braindead. BFA: Carnegie-Mellon University.

Veronica J. Kuehn* FIRST SEASON (Miss Adelaide) is thrilled to make her Asolo Rep debut. Broadway and National Tour credits include Jovie in ELF: The Musical (Madison Square Garden), Euterpe/Kira u/s in Xanadu (Helen Hays Theatre) and Ali/Sophie u/s in Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden Theatre). Veronica also starred Off Broadway as Kate Monster/Lucy in Avenue Q and as Monica Lewinsky in Clinton: The Musical, both at New World Stages. She can be heard on Clinton's Original Cast Recording, and has twice soloed with The Boston Pops at Boston's Symphony Hall. BFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory. Thanks to Henderson Hogan and Tara Rubin Casting. @veronicajkuehn

Josh Rhodes FOURTH SEASON (Director/Choreographer) Asolo Rep: Barnum, Working, Yentl, My Fair Lady. On Broadway, Josh choreographed Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Outer Critic Circle, Astaire Award, and Drama Desk nominations and LA Critics Circle Award winner), It Shoulda Been You, First Date, and Bright Star (Outer Critics Circle, Astaire Award nominations). On the West End in London, he choreographed the Emmy-award winning production of Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thompson. Other stage credits include Company starring Neil Patrick Harris (Screenvision/PBS), the Emmy-winning production of "Sondheim's 80th Birthday Concert" (PBS), Zorba (Encores), The Landing (Vineyard Theater), "Broadway: Three Generations" (Kennedy Center), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Shakespeare Theater Company) and the Drama Desk Award-winning production of Working (Prospect Theater). Josh directed Ken Ludwig's Baskerville (Old Globe), Spamalot (5th Avenue) and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees in Diagon Alley at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. A proud graduate of the University of Michigan.

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING:

Inside Asolo Rep: GUYS AND DOLLS
Wednesday, November 9 at 11am
Asolo Rep's Mezzanine
Panel discussions are $5; and free for all donors and Asolo Rep Guild Members

Get rare insights into the artistic process, hear directly from the people responsible for producing GUYS AND DOLLS, and engage in stimulating discussion inspired by the musical's themes and issues. This discussion will feature GUYS AND DOLLS set designer Lee Savage and lighting designer and Paul Miller.
Inside Asolo Rep is sponsored by Hotel Indigo and the Observer

OUT@AsoloRep: GUYS AND DOLLS
Thursday, December 1 at 6:30pm; show starts at 7:30pm
Asolo Rep's Mezzanine
Contact Asolo Rep's Box Office for subscription and ticket information

Now in its seventh season, OUT@AsoloRep is Sarasota's premier cultural event connecting local Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities with fantastic theatre. Enjoy a pre-show reception and learn about participating LGBT organizations, gain personal insight into GUYS AND DOLLS from the creative team and cast members, and mingle with the actors and other OUT attendees after the performance.

OUT@AsoloRep is sponsored by U.S. Trust, Visit Sarasota County, Morton's Gourmet Market & Catering, Community Foundation of Sarasota County - Our Sarasota Fund and McCauley Brown Fund, and Watermark Media.

The Scoop
One hour prior to every performance of GUYS AND DOLLS
Asolo Rep's Mertz Theatre, orchestra level

Arrive one hour before curtain to hear the ideas and inspirations that contributed to the making of GUYS AND DOLLS. (Opening Night, November 18, is excluded.)

Tuesday Talkbacks
Every Tuesday throughout the run
Asolo Rep's Mezzanine

Join us for an intimate post-show discussion with featured actors or guests following every Tuesday performance of GUYS AND DOLLS.

Meet the Actors
Sunday, December 4 at 2pm
Asolo Rep's Mertz Theatre

Immediately following the 2pm matinee, ask questions and learn more from members of the cast in a facilitated discussion.

Family Day at GUYS AND DOLLS
Saturday, December 10 at 2pm; pre-show activities at 1pm
Asolo Repertory Theatre
Tickets are $79-$99 for a family of four. Additional children's tickets can be purchased for $15-$20. Two tickets must be for patrons under the age of 18.

A special matinee performance offers theatre-loving families an affordable way to see this classic American musical, and welcomes you to learn more about how the magic is made at Asolo Rep. With four tickets for the price of one, bring the whole family! GUYS AND DOLLS Family Day is made possible, in part with lead support from Community Foundation of Sarasota County and additional support from Publix Super Markets Charities.

TICKETS:

Tickets for GUYS AND DOLLS and the entire 2016-2017 Asolo Repertory Theatre season are on sale now. Tickets for GUYS AND DOLLS start at $32.

To purchase tickets, call 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, visit www.asolorep.org, or visit the Asolo Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the theatre. Asolo Repertory Theatre is located at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. Through October 31, the box office is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm. Beginning November 1, the Box Office is open Monday 10am - 4pm, Tuesday - Thursday 10am - 7:30pm, Friday - Saturday 10am - 8pm, and Sunday 10am - 2pm. The box office closes at 5pm when there are no evening performances and phone lines close one hour prior to the start of any performance. Season subscription packages are also available online and by visiting or calling the box office.

Now in its 58th season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. One of the few select theatres in the nation that performs in true rotating repertory, Asolo Rep's highly skilled Acting Company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that gives audiences the opportunity to see multiple productions in the span of a few days. Asolo Rep presents up to 15 productions each season including contemporary and classic works and provocative musical theatre experiences. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with the best theatre artists working in the industry today and cultivating new artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, Asolo Rep's ambitious theatrical offerings and ground-breaking education and outreach programming engage audiences and ensure its lasting legacy for future generations.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the annual holiday musicalDr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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