Directed and choreographed by producing artistic director Alan Patrick Kenny with music direction by Michael P. Hamilton, Springer will be presented by the five-year-old theatre company June 26-Aug. 3. The cast will be headed by Nick Rose, a winner of Cincinnati Entertainment and Acclaim awards and the co-founder of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, in the title role.
Rose will be joined onstage by Michael Shawn Starks as Warm-up Man/Satan, William M. Reed as Dwight/God, Maribeth Crawford as Peaches, Christina Marie Gill as Zandra, Jerome Doerger as Tremont, Jesse Draud as Montel/Jesus, Kelly Menglekoch as Andrea, Kera Halbersleben as Baby Jane, Tadzio Smith as Chucky/Adam, Helen Lyons as Irene/Mary and Cincinnati native and Equity special guest artist Beth Kirkpatrick as Shawntel/Eve.
The ensemble will comprise Aaron Brewer, S. Elizabeth Carroll, Jessica Coyle, Katie Henn, Paul Lieber, Brendan North, Madeline Paul, Jessica Quitter, Kenny Allan Smith, R. D'Andre Smith, Mandy Wilson, Michael Wirick and Chris Wesselman.
The creative team for the production will also include lighting designer Tom Robinson, set designer Samantha Reno, fight choreographer k. Jenny Jones, costume designer George Sarofeen, video designer Luke Brockmeier and assistant director/choreographer Sarah Breland Shotland. Marcie L. Schellenberger is stage manager; Alan Patrick Kenny and Erica McKeown produce.
Featuring music by Richard Thomas with book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Thomas, Jerry Springer—The Opera began as a "scratch night" event in 2001, then underwent a number of workshops before making a splash — also in a concert version — at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2002. National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner picked up the work as his first production. The opera extended twice at the National's Lyttleton Theatre, where it was recorded live for a Sony Music UK double-CD release. The work then transferred to the West End's Cambridge Theatre — where it won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Musical.
Jerry Springer played a benefit concert at MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre in Las Vegas and received its first full American production in May at Chicago's Bailiwick Repertory Theatre. It was recently seen at Carnegie Hall in a two-night production directed by Avenue Q's Jason Moore. For more information call the box office at (513) 621-3700 or visit www.newstagecollective.com.
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New Stage Collective is a non-profit organization whose goal is "to facilitate the development of the pre-professional artist while bringing to the region exceptional performances of meaningful and rarely performed works."
