James Lapine's MRS. MILLER DOES HER THING Premieres Tonight at D.C.'s Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre's world premiere production of Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winner James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods), based on the real-life story of Elva Miller, a middle-aged housewife who gained notoriety as an unlikely pop phenomenon in the 1960s for her warbling renditions of chart topping hits "Downtown," "Monday, Monday," "A Hard Day's Night," and more, runs tonight, February 28, through March 26 in Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre.

The production stars Emmy and Tony Award-winner Debra Monk (Curtains, ABC's Grey's Anatomy and NYPD Blue) and Tony Award-winner Boyd Gaines (Gypsy, Contact, and She Loves Me) as Mrs. And Mr. Miller. Monk and Gaines are joined in the cast by Rebekah Brockman (HBO's Divorce) as Joelle Taylor, Kaitlyn Davidson (Broadway's Nice Work If You Can Get It) as Carol Sue Singleton, Will LeBow (Broadway's Act One) as Larry Drummond and Dr. Shapiro, Corey Mach (Broadway's Hands on a Hardbody) as Simon Bock, Kimberly Marable (Broadway's Sister Act) as Denise Banfield, and Jacob ben Widmar (Broadway's Xanadu) as Bobby Sherin.

"I've always been a big fan of James Lapine, and when he received the 2015 Stephen Sondheim Award, we spoke about his upcoming projects and coming to Signature," said Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, "so I am thrilled that we are producing the world premiere of his newest work Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. With Debra Monk starring along with Boyd Gaines, this new comedy promises to be a wonderful evening of theater."

The creative team includes Choreography by Josh Prince (Broadway's Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Musical Supervision and Orchestration by Tony Award-winner Michael Starobin (Signature's Freaky Friday, Broadway's Falsettos), Musical Direction by Matt Hinkley (Broadway's Finding Neverland), Scenic Design by Tony Award-winner Heidi Ettinger (Broadway's Secret Garden), Lighting Design by Tony Award-winner Jeff Croiter (Broadway's Falsettos), Costume Design by Jennifer Caprio (Broadway's Falsettos), Wig, Hair and Makeup Design by J. Jared Janas (Broadway's Sunset Boulevard), Production Stage Manager Kerry Epstein, Assistant Stage Manager Allie Roy, Production Assistant Paul Luckenbaugh, New York Casting by Tara Rubin Casting, CSA.

IF YOU GO:

Mrs. Miller DOES HER THING

Written and Directed by James Lapine

Four weeks only!

Performances run February 28, 2017 through March 26, 2017

Single tickets now on sale.

Lead sponsorship provided by the Bernard Family Foundation.

New work at Signature Theatre is sponsored by The Reva & David Logan Foundation.

ABOUT THE CAST:

Debra Monk BROADWAY: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Curtains (Drama Desk Award, Tony Award nomination); Chicago; Reckless; Thou Shalt Not; Ah, Wilderness!; Steel Pier (Tony Award nomination); Company; Picnic (Tony nomination); Redwood Curtain (Tony Award); Nick and Nora; Pump Boys and Dinettes (Co-Author, Tony nomination). OFF-BROADWAY: Assassins; Love, Loss, and What I Wore; Show People; The Seagull; The Time of the Cuckoo (Obie Award); Death-Defying Acts; Three Hotels; Oil City Symphony (Co-author, Drama Desk Award). REGIONAL: Steppenwolf: Visiting Edna (world premiere). FILM: Demolition, This is Where I Leave You, The Savages, Center Stage, Devil's Advocate, Bridges of Madison County, Jeffrey; Fearless, Reckless. TV: Mozart in the Jungle, Grey's Anatomy, Damages, Girls, Madam Secretary, Difficult People, Blindspot, Glee, Desperate Housewives, NYPD Blue (Emmy Award).

Rebekah Brockman (Joelle) NEW YORK: The Pearl Theater: A Taste of Honey; Irish Repertory Theatre: Burial at Thebes. REGIONAL: Yale Repertory Theatre: Arcadia (CCC Award); Westport Country Playhouse: The Liar (CCC Nomination); The Gift Theatre: The Children; Actors Theater of Louisville: Our Town; American Conservatory Theater: Arcadia, Dead Metaphor, Elektra; California Shakespeare Theater: Romeo and Juliet, Blithe Spirit. TV/FILM: Bridge of Spies, Divorce, The Knick, The Mysteries of Laura, Jessica Jones, The Slap. EDUCATION: MFA, American Conservatory Theater.

Kaitlyn Davidson (Carol) BROADWAY: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It. NATIONAL TOUR: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Ella), Irving Berlin's White Christmas (Judy). REGIONAL: Riverside Theatre: Chicago (Roxie); The Cape Playhouse: The Music Man (Marian Paroo), Sweet Charity (Helene); American Repertory Theatre: Johnny Baseball; The Marriott Theatre: 42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer); The Maltz Jupiter: La Cage Aux Folles (Anne); The Pioneer Theatre Company: Irving Berlin's White Christmas (Judy), A Chorus Line (Val); Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera: Into the Woods (Rapunzel), West Side Story (Velma), Mame (Gloria Upson), The Full Monty (Estelle), CATS (Victoria/Sillabub). EDUCATION: University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music.

Will LeBow BROADWAY: Act One. OFF-BROADWAY: Nocturne (NYTW Drama Desk nomination). REGIONAL: Huntington: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Sonia Flew, The Rivals, The Cherry Orchard, The Corn is Green, Love's Labour's Lost; ART: The Merchant of Venice, The Birthday Party, Full Circle, We Won't Pay We Won't Pay, Picasso At The Lapin Agile, Ubu Rock, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Uncle Vanya, Animals and Plants, Romance, Duck Variations, Marvelous Party; ACT: Once in a Lifetime; MRT: Glengarry Glen Ross, Twelfth Night; Boston Lyric Opera: Abduction From the Seraglio, Ariadne Aux Naxos; BSO: Porgy and Bess; Boston Pops: Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. FILM/TV: What Doesn't Kill You, Next Stop Wonderland, Home Movies, Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist.

Corey Mach (Simon) BROADWAY: Hands on a Hardbody, Godspell (Jesus/Judas standby). OFF-BROADWAY: Second Stage Theatre:

Invisible Thread (director Diane Paulus); La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: CHIX 6. NATIONAL TOURS: Wicked (First National), Flashdance the Musical (First National), Rent. TV: HBO: Codes of Conduct (upcoming; director Steve McQueen). REGIONAL: Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival: Tim Rice's From Here To Eternity; American Repertory Theatre: Sara Bareilles' Waitress; Pippin (Pippin);

Violet (Monty); Harold & Maude (Harold); Lippa's Wild Party (Burrs); I Love You Because (Austin). EDUCATION: Baldwin-Wallace.

Kimberly Marable BROADWAY: The Lion King (u/s Shenzi & Sarabi), Sister Act (u/s Deloris Van Cartier). NATIONAL TOURS: The Book of Mormon (1st National, original cast), Sister Act (1st National, Deloris Van Cartier standby), Dreamgirls, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer (1st National, original cast). REGIONAL: Ain't Misbehavin', Curtains (New Hampshire Theatre Award Nomination for Best Actress), Blithe Spirit, Aida. WORKSHOPS/LABS: Pal Joey (with Marin Mazie and Patina Miller), A Taste of Chocolate, STRING. EDUCATION: Dartmouth College.

Jacob ben Widmar BROADWAY: Xanadu (u/s Whoopi Goldberg), White Christmas, Book of Mormon (u/s Elder McKinley). OFF BROADWAY: Encores!: No, No, Nannette; Radio City: The New York Spectacular (Mad Hatter). NATIONAL TOURS: Mary Poppins (u/s Robertson Ay), White Christmas, Book of Mormon. REGIONAL: Paper Mill Playhouse: White Christmas, A Christmas Story, The Producers; Old Globe: Dancing in the Dark (Teddy); Goodspeed: Singin' In the Rain (Production Tenor); Sacramento Music Circus: Kiss Me, Kate (Hortensio); Fiddler on the Roof; South Pacific; Hello, Dolly!; Music Man; La Petit Theatre: White Noise; Reprise!: On the Town; AMT of San Jose: A Chorus Line (Mark); McCoy Rigby Productions: My Fair Lady; Original cast of Los Angeles company of White Christmas.

Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginia dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 44 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces.

In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such luminaries as Chita Rivera, Sheryl Crow, Barry Levinson, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Kathleen Marshall, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 97 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 386 nominations.