Sondheim's Road Show Ends Limited Public Theater Run Dec. 28 | Playbill

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News Sondheim's Road Show Ends Limited Public Theater Run Dec. 28 The Public Theater premiere of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's latest musical, Road Show — starring Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani — concludes its engagement at the Off-Broadway venue Dec. 28.
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Alexander Gemignani Photo by Joan Marcus

Road Show, Sondheim's first new musical since his Tony- honored Passion in 1994, reunited the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning composer with book writer Weidman (Assassins, Pacific Overtures) and director John Doyle (Sweeney Todd, Company). Road Show began performances at the Public Oct. 28 and officially opened Nov. 18.

The New York debut of Road Show marked a circuitous homecoming for the musical, which was seen in a 2006 workshop presentation at the Public, under its previous title Bounce. Bounce was originally to have made its way to Broadway in 2004 following engagements at the Goodman and the Kennedy Center. The musical has undergone several workshops, titles and rewrites, with Sam Mendes at one time attached as the director of the then-titled Wise Guys in 1999.

Road Show made its long-awaited New York premiere with much of its earlier score intact. Sondheim penned new lyrics for the musical's opening, and a new song, "Brotherly Love," was added during previews at the Public.

Although Sondheim fans are hoping for a Road Show cast recording, no official announcement has been made. Nonesuch Records released a cast recording of the musical under its previous title, Bounce, in 2004.

Tony winner Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani star as the eccentric Wilson and Addison Mizner, respectively, in the two-hour work that spans 40 years of American history, from the Gold Rush to the Florida real-estate boom in the 1930's. Press notes for the work, which is performed without an intermission, read: "Road Show is the story of two brothers whose quest for the American dream turns into a test of morality and judgment that changes their lives in unexpected ways." Road Show also features Alma Cuervo (Wicked national tour) as Mama; Aisha de Haas (Caroline, or Change on Broadway) in the ensemble; Claybourne Elder (White Widow at Times Square Art Center) as Hollis; Colleen Fitzpatrick (Mother Courage and Her Children at Shakespeare in the Park) in the ensemble; Mylinda Hull (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway) in the ensemble; Mel Johnson, Jr. ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine") in the ensemble; Orville Mendoza (Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park) in the ensemble; Anne L. Nathan (Roundabout's Sunday in the Park With George on Broadway) in the ensemble; Tom Nelis (Iphigenia 2.0 at Signature) in the ensemble; William Parry (Passion on Broadway) as Papa; Matt Stocke (The Wedding Singer on Broadway) in the ensemble; William Youmans (The Farnsworth Invention on Broadway) in the ensemble; and Kristine Zbornik (A Catered Affair on Broadway) in the ensemble.

In addition to his directorial work, Doyle designed the physical production for Road Show. The musical also features costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Jane Cox, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and musical direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell.

For further information visit PublicTheater.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan.

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Alma Cuervo, Michael Cerveris, William Parry and Alexander Gemignani in Road Show Photo by Joan Marcus
 
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