Bohmer, Darrington, Noll To Star In Kennedy Center's RAGTIME

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced casting for its production of RAGTIME in the Eisenhower Theater April 18 - May 10, 2009. Based on a 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, the production features book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and will be directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. The musical is part of the Kennedy Center's Broadway: The Third Generation, a series celebrating the current generation of Broadway musical composers. The official press night will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

The production will star Ron Bohmer as Father, Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse Walker, Manoel Felciano as Tateh, Christiane Noll as Mother, Jennlee Shallow as Sarah, and Bobby Steggert as Younger Brother. Additional casting will include Mark Aldrich, Sumayya Ali, Melvin Bell, Kevin Boseman, Corey Bradley, Shelby Braxton-Brooks, Christopher Cox, Susan Derry, Elizabeth Loren Earley, Gavin Esham, Aaron Galligan-Stierle, David Garry, Jamie Goodson, Jonathan Hammond, Leigh Ann Larkin, Gregory Maheu, Dan Manning, Donna Migliaccio, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Bryonha Parham, Sarah Rosenthal, Elisa Van Duyne, Josh Walden, Nellesa Walthour, Jim Weaver, and Eric Jordan Young.

At the start of the 20th century, New York City was for many the land of opportunity. Through a poor Jewish immigrant selling wares on the street, a wealthy Victorian couple offering aid to a runaway, and a Harlem jazz pianist out for justice, that unique brand of American hope runs strong. Together, their stories celebrate the struggle between tradition and independence in pursuit of the American dream.

Containing such popular songs as "Make Them Hear You" and "Wheels of a Dream," the original Broadway production of RAGTIME opened to critical acclaim in January 1998. The musical ran for 834 performances in the Ford Center for the Performing Arts and received four Tony Awards®, including those for Best Original Musical Score, Best Book, and Best Orchestrations.

Terrence McNally wrote the book for RAGTIME, for which he was awarded a Tony Award® in 1998. He received three other Tonys® for Master Class (1996); Love! Valour! Compassion! (1995); and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). His other plays include Corpus Christi, A Perfect Ganesh, Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play), The Lisbon Traviata, and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, among others. He has written a number of television scripts, including the Emmy Award® -winning Andre's Mother. Mr. McNally has received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

RAGTIME is composed by Tony Award®-winning Stephen Flaherty. His other music for Broadway includes the scores for Once on This Island, Seussical, My Favorite Year, songs for Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, and incidental music for Neil Simon's Proposals. He is also the composer of A Man of No Importance and Dessa Rose (both produced by Lincoln Center Theater), Lucky Stiff, and Loving Repeating:A Musical of Gertrude Stein. His film work includes Anastasia, for which Stephen received two Academy Award® nominations, two Golden Globe® nominations, and a gold record for its soundtrack. His numerous awards as a composer include the Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Los Angeles Critics Circle, Chicago's Joseph Jefferson and London's Olivier Award. He has been nominated for the Grammy® three times. His latest musical with Lynn Ahrens, The Glorious Ones, premiered in New York at Lincoln Center Theater in 2007.

Lynn Ahrens won the Tony Award®, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and received two Grammy® nominations as lyricist of RAGTIME. In the same year, she received two Academy Award® nominations, two Golden Globe® nominations and a gold record for the animated feature film Anastasia. She wrote book and lyrics for Seussical, Once on This Island, The Glorious Ones, Dessa Rose, A Christmas Carol, and Lucky Stiff. She provided lyrics for My Favorite Year, A Man of No Importance, and Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, as well as lyrics for the feature film Camp. 2009 marks her twenty-sixth year of collaboration with composer Stephen Flaherty.

RAGTIME will be directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Her directorial credits include the Off-Broadway and nationally touring productions of Seussical (Lucille Lortel Award Nominations for Outstanding Choreography & Revival); Hair; The Who's Tommy; and the world premiere production of Simeon's Gift (Bay Street Theatre). Off-Broadway credits include Cookin'; Radio Gals; Closer Than Ever; Romance In Hard Times; The Music Man at New York City Opera; and Broadway's High Society (Associate Choreographer). She has worked at such regional theaters as Arena Stage, Goodman Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Lyric Stage, Goodspeed Opera House, Huntington Theatre, Pittsburgh Public, La Jolla Playhouse, and Cape Playhouse. She directed the Kennedy Center presentation of Tell Me On A Sunday starring Alice Ripley in 2002.

RAGTIME will feature scenic design by Derek McLane, original costume design by Santo Loquasto, lighting design by Donald Holder, and sound design by Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm. James Moore will serve as music director and will conduct the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

BROADWAY: THE THIRD GENERATION

The production of RAGTIME is part of the Kennedy Center's season-long initiative Broadway: The Third Generation, celebrating the current generation of Broadway musical composers. Past performances in the season include Broadway: Three Generations, containing abridged concert versions of Girl Crazy, Bye Bye Birdie, and Side Show; and a newly commissioned Theater for Young Audiences production of The Trumpet of the Swan: A Novel Symphony, based on the children's book by E.B. White which was adapted by Marsha Norman with music by Jason Robert Brown. Upcoming performances include a free concert in the Opera House on January 31st to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Millennium Stage co-hosted by Stephen Schwartz and Brian Stokes Mitchell and featuring Scott Frankel, Michael Korie, Jeanine Tesori, Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, Liz Callaway, and Capathia Jenkins followed by a full week of performances by up-and-coming Broadway composers; a co-production of Michael John La Chiusa's Giant to appear at Arlington's Signature Theatre as part of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays; and the nationally touring production of Spring Awakening.

TICKET INFORMATION

Performances for Ragtime will run Tuesday through Sunday evenings in the Eisenhower Theater at 7:30 PM. Beginning April 25, matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday afternoons will run at 1:30 PM. Tickets from $25 to $90 are on sale now and are available for purchase at the Kennedy Center box office, on the Kennedy Center website, or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324.

Funding is provided by The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation and

Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.

Additional support is provided by The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation.
The Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater is equipped with

Harman International Advanced Audio Systems.

For more information, please visit the Kennedy Center website at www.kennedy-center.org.

Ron Bohmer is thrilled to return to the Kennedy Center, where he made his debut as the title role in The Phantom of the Opera and where he also met his wife, actress/author Sandra Joseph, who co-starred opposite him here as Christine. Broadway and National Tour roles include The Phantom in The Phantom of The Opera, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard (Jefferson Award nomination), the swashbuckling title role in The Scarlet Pimpernel (NBTA nomination), Alex in Aspects of Love (L.A. Robby Award), the evil Sir Percival Glyde in The Woman in White, Enjolras in Les Misérables and Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof. Off-Broadway: Forbidden Broadway: S.V.U. (2005 Drama Desk), Sebastian in The Thing About Men. Regional: Ravenal in Showboat at NSMT, title role in Floyd Collins at Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Volodya in Bed & Sofa at the Wilma Theatre (Barrymore Award nomination). Television: Rescue Me, Law & Order: SVU, Ryan's Hope, As the World Turns. Recordings: two solo (everyman and another life), cast recordings of The Thing About Men, Forbidden Broadway- S.V.U., Broadway Musicals of 1929 and Broadway Unplugged 2.

Quentin Earl Darrington is honored and humbled to be making his Kennedy Center debut. A native of Lakeland, FL, his dramatic style and selfless expression have captured the hearts and acclaim of audiences throughout the U.S. and Canada. He began his professional career in 1997 as a sophomore theater performance major at the University of South Florida, when he was accepted into the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's repertory theater company, the Centre Theatre Co. During the next four years, Quentin always found time to work and diligently volunteer his gifts and talents anywhere and anyway he could throughout the bay area. It was then that through a beautiful friendship with Ruth Eckerd Hall, Quentin received the chance of a lifetime, a door was opened that would later land him his first leading role in a national touring show. Ragtime actually marked this beginning, and he is still moving forward. As this journey brings him full circle, he has been working consistently performing in musicals, concerts, and commercials across the country while taking time to perfect his greatest role, Daddy! Recently Quentin has been touring the country featured as "Pa" in Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple. Other credits include: A Little Night Music (California Musical Theatre), Dreamgirls (Madame Walker Theatre), The Lion King (Broadway National Tour), Abyssinia (Goodspeed Opera House), and Ragtime (Paper Mill Playhouse).

Manoel Felciano was nominated for a 2006 Tony Award® for his portrayal of Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd, and won the Broadway.com Audience Award and Broadwayworld.com Choice Award for Favorite Featured Actor. Mano recently starred as Jan in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'N' Roll (A.C.T./Huntington). Broadway: Brooklyn, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret. Off-Broadway: Trumpery (Atlantic Theatre Co.), Shockheaded Peter, Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF/Public Theater). Regional: Flora, The Red Menace (Reprise), Three Sisters (Williamstown, dir. Michael Greif), Sunday in the Park with George (George, opposite Kelli O'Hara, dir. Jason Alexander), I Just Stopped By to See The Man (The Old Globe), Turandot: The Rumble for the Ring (Bay Street Theater). Film: Uncertainty, with Joe Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins, opposite Jen Colella. TV: Life on Mars, One Life to Live, All My Children. Concerts: The World Of Nick Adams with Jack Nicholson, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks (San Francisco Symphony), world premiere of Nathaniel Stookey's Zipperz with Pulitzer Prize nominee Eisa Davis (Oakland Symphony). Mano holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.F.A. from the N.Y.U. Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where favorite roles included Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Gaev in The Cherry Orchard, Giovanni in We Won't Pay! and Pericles in Pericles. He is also a singer-songwriter, performing his pop songs regularly at Joe's Pub in New York. Moonshot, his debut album of originals was released in December 2007 and he recently completed the online songwriting project SundaySongs 2008. Following Ragtime, Mano will return to his hometown of San Francisco to star as Jerry in A.C.T.'s production of Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo (Peter and Jerry). As a producer, credits include the New York workshop presentations of Peter Foley and Kate Chisholm's The Hidden Sky and I Just Stopped By to See the Man. mano.felciano.com

Christiane Noll Broadway/Tour: Urinetown, Mambo Kings, It Ain't Nothin But The Blues, Jekyll & Hyde, Grease, Miss Saigon, City of Angels, South Pacific. Film: The King & I (Singing Anna). Other: Witches of Eastwick (Signature Theatre, VA) New Moon (Encores!), Lizzie Borden (Goodspeed Opera), The Student Prince (Paper Mill Playhouse), Lincoln Center "American Songbook Series." Symphony Soloist with Marvin Hamlisch, Don Pippin and Peter Nero. Opera debut: Washington National Opera, opposite Placido Domingo. www.christianenoll.com

Jennlee Shallow was born in Trinidad and raised in the island of St. Vincent. After winning awards for songwriting in St. Vincent, she joined the ensemble of Disney's The Lion King in Hamburg, Germany. She subsequently played the role of Nala in The Lion King, opening two further productions in Sydney and Melbourne. Jennlee is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles. Since becoming a resident of the United States she has featured on several solo vocal albums. She frequently appears as a solo singer of both popular and gospel music, particularly in the Chicago area where she now lives. She will soon be appearing as a lead singer in Cirque du Soleil's upcoming Elvis Citicenter Project.

Bobby Steggert recently played Mordred in Camelot directed by Lonny Price (Live at Lincoln Center) and Buddy in the revised workshop of Side Show with director Bill Condon. Broadway: 110 in the Shade (Outer Critics Circle nomination), and Master Harold...and the Boys. Off-Broadway: The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island (Vineyard Theatre, Drama Desk and Drama League nominations), columbinus (NYTW), The Music Teacher (The New Group), Yank! (Gallery Players). Regional: Master Harold...and the Boys and Speech & Debate for L.A. Theaterworks/NPR, Shakespeare's R&J (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), The Great Game (Theater Previews at Duke), Brighton Beach Memoirs (Pioneer Theatre), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Milwaukee Rep). Film/TV: The Namesake, Game Six, Night Swimming, Kinsey, and a year as Sam Grey on All My Children. He is a graduate of NYU and studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He most recently appeared at the Kennedy Center in Broadway: Three Generations.

 

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