Lonny Price (A Class Act, "Master Harold"...and the boys) directs the Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones and N. Richard Nash musical for the Roundabout Theatre Company. The show will officially open May 9 for a limited run at through July 15.
110 in the Shade is a musical take on Nash's play The Rainmaker by the team that created The Fantasticks. As production notes reveal, "The mercurial Starbuck (Kazee) promises rain for a drought-stricken town and passion for the stalwart but resigned Lizzie (McDonald)." Cullum plays the role of patriarch H. C. Curry.
The cast also features Broadway newcomer Chris Butler (Yellowman - L.A. Ovation Award), Carla Duren (Hairspray Las Vegas) and Broadway veterans Christopher Innvar (Les Misérables) and Bobby Steggert (Master Harold…and the boys).
The ensemble also includes Elisa Van Duyne, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Valisia Lekae Little, Darius Nichols, Mamie Parris, Devin Richards, Michael Scott, Will Swenson, Matt Wall and Betsy Wolfe.
Broadway veteran Cullum — who last appeared in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas — was last seen at the Roundabout in Arthur Miller's All My Sons. He earned Tony Awards for his turns in On the Twentieth Century and Shenandoah. He last appeared on Broadway in Urinetown and has previously played in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Camelot, 1776, Doubles, Old Money, The Boys in Autumn, The Trip Back Down, Man of La Mancha and Show Boat. McDonald has appeared on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun, Ragtime, Master Class and Carousel to Tony-winning success. Other Broadway credits for the actress-singer include Henry IV, Marie Christine and The Secret Garden.
Kazee recently appeared on Broadway as Sir Lancelot in Monty Python's Spamalot and served as understudy on Seascape. He also appeared Off-Broadway in As You Like It in 2005.
Dan Knechtges provides choreography, and Paul Gemignani serves as musical director. Orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick. The design team features Santo Loquasto (sets and costumes), Christopher Akerlind (lighting) and Dan Moses Schreier (sound).
The musical made its Broadway premiere Oct. 24, 1963, at the Broadhurst Theatre starring Inga Swenson and Will Geer under the direction of Joseph Anthony — all three were Tony Award-nominated for their work, as were co-creators Schmidt and Jones. The Roundabout revived the musical's source material, The Rainmaker, in 1999 starring Woody Harrelson and Jayne Atkinson.
Tickets are on sale at the Studio 54 Box Office, 254 West 54th Street, by phone at (212) 719-1300 or online at roundabouttheatre.org.
