As previously reported by Playbill.com, three-time Tony Award nominee Harry Groener will star alongside Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Tony nominee Erin Dilly in the musical that features a new concept and book by playwright Ken Ludwig.
Also confirmed are The Wedding Singer's Felicia Finley as Hollywood starlet Hermia Chase and Jeffry Denman (The Producers) as Preston, the young Hollywood movie executive.
Newly announced principal casting includes 42nd Street star Meredith Patterson, who joins the company as Yvette, with Stephen DeRosa (Hairspray) as Hamish, and comedic Broadway actress Alix Korey (The Wild Party) as Hilda.
Complete casting for The Gershwins' An American in Paris will be announced shortly, according to the Alley.
Tony-nominated playwright Ken Ludwig – who confirmed initial casting for the new musical – is currently at work adapting the 1951 Academy Award-winning film for the stage, in a treatment which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a fictional 1950's MGM movie entitled "An American in Paris." In Ludwig's adaptation, Parisian music hall star Michel Gerard (Groener) fails to arrive for the filming of a new Hollywood musical in which he is set to star. As filming in Paris is halted, the film's producer sends his reluctant Hollywood secretary, Rebecca Klemm (Dilly), to Paris in order to locate the missing star.
Alley Theatre artistic director Gregory Boyd will direct the new musical, with a creative team that boasts choreographer Randy Skinner (42nd Street), set designer Doug Schmidt, lighting designer Paul Gallo and costume designer Carrie F. Robbins. Rob Berman — of the City Center Encores! series — serves as musical director with orchestrations by three-time Tony Award winner Doug Besterman (The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Fosse).
Rehearsals for The Gershwins' An American in Paris begin March 11 in New York City, prior to an April 26 world premiere at Houston's Alley Theatre. The production officially opens May 18 and plays a limited engagement through June 1.
Tickets are available by visiting www.alleytheatre.org or by calling (713) 220-5700.
The Alley Theatre is located at 615 Texas Avenue in Houston, TX.
