By Matt Windman
26 Sep 2006

The Night of the Hunter, a new musical based on the famed 1950’s horror novel, will debut at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Sept. 26 – Oct. 1 at 37 Arts.

As previously reported, Dee Hoty has replaced Carolee Carmello in a lead role, who is returning to the Broadway production of Mamma Mia!. Ron Bohmer, who was also initially announced, has left the cast.

The complete cast includes Brian Noonan (The Preacher), Dee Hoty (Willa), Beth Fowler (Rachel Cooper), Sy Adamowsky (John Harper), Kaylie Rubinaccio (Pearl Harper), Mary Stout (Icey Spoon), Gerry Vichi (Walt Spoon), Gordon Weiss (Uncle Birdie), Tom Gualtieri (Ben Harper), Tina Johnson (Miz Cunningham), Lois Hart (Mamie Ernest), Ellen Harvey (Nellie Boyd), Allison Fischer (Ruby), Emma Parks (Mary), Morgan Reilly (Clary), Michael Turay (Ensemble), Doug Paulson (Ensemble) and Matt Bailey (Ensemble).

The creative team includes Claibe Richardson (composer), Stephen Cole (lyricist, writer), Nona Lloyd (Director), Matthew Ward (Musical Director), and Michael Bottari and Ronald Case (Set and Costume Designers).

The Night of the Hunter began in 1954 as a noir novel penned by Davis Grubb. A Southern gothic tale, it follows a committed criminal who attempts to manipulate two children into revealing where their father hid money by pretending to be a priest. The lauded 1955 film version, directed by Charles Laughton, featured Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish and Robert Mitchum. Unlike many recent festival? musicals that parodied famous thriller films (i.e. Poseidon! An Upside-Down Musical, Silence: The Musical), The Night of the Hunter is taking the original story seriously in its musical stage adaptation.

Dee Hoty received Tony nominations for her performances in Footloose, Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public and The Will Rogers Follies. Hoty was also nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for her work in City of Angels, and her other Broadway credits include Mamma Mia!, Me and My Girl, Big River, The Five O'Clock Girl and Shakespeare's Cabaret. Off-Broadway Hoty appeared in Personals, Vanities and Forbidden Broadway, and she portrayed Phyllis in the Paper Mill production of Follies. Her numerous regional credits include A Little Night Music, Mame and Anything Goes.

Beth Fowler portrayed Peter Allen's mother in The Boy from Oz, earning a Tony nomination for her work. She also received a Tony nomination for her performance as Mrs. Lovett in the revival of Sweeney Todd. Among Fowler's other Broadway credits are Beauty and the Beast, Bells Are Ringing, A Little Night Music, Baby and Teddy and Alice.

Mary Stout was most recently on Broadway starring as Mrs. Fairfax in Jayne Eyre. Her other credits include Me and My Girl, Copperfield, A Change in the Heir, My Favorite Year, A Christmas Carol, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

(Playbill.com is a media partner of the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2006.)

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the
2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival website