The cast features John Bolton as The Captain/Hennesey, Mara Davi as Joan, Danny Gardner as Lucky, Eloise Kropp as Ruby (the role created by Peters), Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita as Mona Kent and Cary Tedder as Dick. The company includes Tessa Grady, Kristie Kerwin, Ian Knauer and Kevin Worley.
The musical Broadway's bow is directed and choreographed by three-time Tony nominee Randy Skinner.
With a book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, music by Jim Wise, and music supervision and vocal and dance arrangements by Emmy Award winner Rob Berman, Dames at Sea is described as "a tap-happy gem of a show that celebrates the golden era of movie musicals with dazzling dames and a heart as big as the ocean! Ruby steps off a bus in Manhattan, and into her first Broadway show, but hours before the opening night curtain is to rise, the cast learns their theater is being demolished, so it is 'all hands on deck' to find a stage to put on the show."
The musical features scenic design by three-time Tony Award nominee Anna Louizos, costume design by two-time Tony Award nominee David C. Woolard, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington and Jason Kantrowitz, sound design by Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer and casting by Binder Casting.
“This is a triple-threat American musical comedy with a funny, witty book and a wonderfully tuneful score. It's the first time in New York that Dames at Sea will be heard with an orchestra, and the show will have more dancing than ever before with all new dance and vocal arrangements by Rob Berman," said director/choreographer Skinner, "and the Helen Hayes Theatre is the perfect fit for our show." “Randy’s vision for this first ever Broadway production of Dames at Sea remains true to the original concept of the show, but will raise the bar much higher for our cast and creative team,” added producer Anna Roberts Ostroff in an earlier statement. “We are excited to share this beloved musical with Broadway audiences where they can leave their troubles at the door and escape into a world of tap dance, and laughter.”
This is the first show booked at the Hayes since it was sold in April to Second Stage, formerly an exclusively Off-Broadway theatre company. However, Dames at Sea is not a Second Stage production, but a commercial rental, like most Broadway productions.
Dames at Sea opened Off-Broadway at the Bouwerie Lane Theatre Dec. 20, 1968, to enthusiastic reviews and quickly transferred to the Theater de Lys on April 22, 1969, where it went on to run for 575 performances. The production starred a young Bernadette Peters as Ruby. The musical successfully crossed the Atlantic twice to play the West End’s Duchess Theatre in 1969 and again in 1989 to play the West End’s Haymarket Theatre.
The Broadway production is produced by Infinity Theatre Company (Anna Roberts Ostroff & Alan Ostroff), Martin Platt & David Elliott, Patricia M. Roberts & Bert C. Roberts, Carl Berg, Louise H. Beard, Julie Boardman/Sarahbeth Grossman, and Douglas & Steven Maine/Chris & Dawn Ellis.
Tickets are available by visiting Telecharge.com or (212) 239-6200. For groups of 10 or more visit Telecharge.com/groups.
