Carmello (Parade), who has been playing Ma Tuck throughout workshops of the musical, will star in the production when it premieres Jan. 21 at the Alliance Theatre. She is set to remain with Tuck Everlasting through Feb. 5 and will depart the company to join the new Broadway musical Finding Neverland, which begins previews March 15 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Leavel, a Tony Award winner for The Drowsy Chaperone, will assume the role beginning Feb. 6 and is slated to remain with Tuck Everlasting through the show's scheduled closing on Feb. 22.
Tuck Everlasting officially opens Feb. 4. Tony Award-winning Book of Mormon director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin, The Drowsy Chaperone) will direct and choreograph.
Based on Natalie Babbitt's popular 1975 children's novel, Tuck Everlasting has a score by Burnt Part Boys songwriters Miller (music) and Tysen (lyrics) and a book by Tony Award-nominated playwright Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde).
Atlanta-based actress Sarah Charles Lewis will star as Winnie Foster, the young girl who befriends a unique family that has gained eternal life by drinking from a spring that flows from a tree in the woods. Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies, "Looking") will star in the central role of immortal boy Jesse Tuck. The cast also features Robert Lenzi (South Pacific) as Miles Tuck, Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann (Pippin, Beauty and the Beast) as the Man in the Yellow Suit, Michael Park (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Pa Tuck, Bill Buell (Cyrano de Bergerac) as Constable Joe, Michael Wartella (Wicked) as Hugo, Shannon Eubanks (The Savannah Disputation) as Nana and Liza Jaine (Mary Poppins) as Betsy Foster. The creative team includes set designer Walt Spangler (A Christmas Story The Musical), Tony Award-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes (Kinky Boots, Follies), Tony Award-winning lighting designer Kenneth Posner (Kinky Boots, Pippin) and Tony Award-winning sound designer Brian Ronan (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Book of Mormon).
According to the Alliance, "A young girl dreaming of adventure meets a family with a fabulous secret. Their chance encounter will change them all forever. Take an exhilarating journey you'll never forget in this new musical about everlasting love, never-ending life, and discovering what it means to truly feel alive. Based on the beloved, best-selling, award-winning novel by Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting comes to life on stage in a wholly original production."
For tickets, visit alliancetheatre.org.
