John Bolton, Stacia Fernandez, Autumn Hurlbert, Katie Adams and 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Josh Grisetti (Off-Broadway's Enter Laughing) join Tony Award winner Beach (The Producers) for the developmental production (open to audiences but not to critics), playing to June 14.
The musical comedy has book, music and lyrics by Willard Beckham. The Goodspeed version of Lucky Guy includes revisions made since earlier unrelated regional productions of the show.
Warren Carlyle (Broadway's A Tale of Two Cities and the Encores! concert of Finian's Rainbow) directs and choreographs.
According to Goodspeed, "Come meet the down-home dreamers and low-down schemers of Music City, USA. Set in the colorful world of Nashville, Lucky Guy is a laugh-filled look at the country music scene. Watch out for the Queen of Country Music and the Biggest Used Car Dealer in town who will stop at nothing for a new hit record. They'll use every trick in the book to get the prize-winning singing cowboy and his song into their clutches. Will this devious duo prevail? Or will our hero end up a Lucky Guy? Don't miss this original musical comedy packed with plenty of action and toe-tapping songs the whole family will enjoy."
Grisetti (Goodspeed's Where's Charley?) recently appeared as David Kolowitz, the lead of the acclaimed, extended Off-Broadway revival of Enter Laughing at The York Theatre Company, for which he was nominated as Outstanding Actor in a Musical by the Outer Critics Circle. He plays singing cowboy Billy Ray in Lucky Guy opposite Producers and Beauty and the Beast veteran Beach as Big Al, the car dealer. The ensemble includes Stephen Carrasco, Robert H. Fowler, James Gray and Gavin Lodge.
Chicky will be played by Adams (Goodspeed's King of Hearts, Broadway's Wicked); Hurlbert (from Broadway's Legally Blonde and MTV's "Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods") plays Billy Ray's sweetheart, Wanda; Bolton is a veteran of Goodspeed's Big River and Broadway's Curtains and Spamalot; Fernandez (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Swing!) plays country queen Jeannie.
Writer Beckham is a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music. He made his debut as a composer-lyricist at Carnegie Hall and was commissioned to write the first musical comedy ever produced in Korea, Magic in the Mirror, directed by Baayork Lee. As a performer, Beckham toured with the first and second national companies of No, No, Nanette. On Broadway, he originated the roles of Geoffrey in Something's Afoot and Richard Tidewell in The Utter Glory of Morrisey Hall.
The musical director is Antony Geralis. Music supervisor is Todd Ellison, who also provides the orchestrations.
The creative team also includes scenic designer Walt Spangler, costume designer William Ivey Long (a five-time Tony Award winner) and lighting designer Ken Billington.
Lucky Guy is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price.
The Norma Terris Theatre is in Chester, CT. For more information call the Goodspeed Musicals box office at (860) 873-8668 or visit www.goodspeed.org.
