Pipeline Theatre Company has announced that Damon Daunno will star in the title role of Beardo. The new Russian indie rock musical by Jason Craig (Beowulf – A Thousand years of Baggage) and Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) will be performed in a fully operational church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and will make use of the building’s high-arched ceilings, stained glass windows, and pipe organ.
Daunno, whose credits include Hadestown and Broadway’s Brief Encounter, replaces the previously announced Kenyon Phillips in the role of Beardo.
The musical features a book and lyrics by Craig and music by Malloy, with a story that chronicles the ascent of Rasputin, the infamous Russian mystic and the subject of much hearsay and legend. Beardo received its world premiere in California in 2011, and has been revised for its Off-Broadway debut. The show will be directed by Ellie Heyman.
Beardo will begin previews February 3 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, with an official opening night scheduled for February 12. The limited engagement is scheduled to play through February 26.
Daunno joins the previously announced Alex Highsmith (Angels in America) as Tsarista, Liz Leimkuhler (If You Wanna See the Devil) as Shack Sister, Brian Bock (Three Sisters) as Yusapoof, Pipeline ensemble member Willy Appleman (Clown Bar) as Tsar, Rolls Andre (CANT) as Shack Man, Shaye Troha (Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage) as Shack Woman, and Ben Langhorst (The Pirate La Dee Da) as Person of the Court.
The production will feature music direction by Ian Axness (Clown Bar), set design by Carolyn Mraz (The Hatmaker’s Wife), costume design by Katja Andreiev (The Caucasian Chalk Circle), lighting design by Mary Ellen Stebbins (LongYarn), sound design by Dan Moses Schreier (Broadway’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and Joshua Reid (Broadway’s American Psycho, associate sound design), props design by Jess Adams (Broadway’s Long Day's Journey Into Night), choreography by the Kuperman Brothers (The Light Princess), and production stage management by Kristy Bodall (Clown Bar).
The band for Beardo includes conductor Sam Kulik (guitar), Blake Allen (viola), Ezra Gale (bass), Sarah Haines (violin), Serena Miller (cello), and Hajnal Pivnick (violin).
Tickets can be purchased at PipelineTheatre.org/tickets.
