Tony Winner Hensley Will Be Wozzeck in Philly

By Andrew Gans
10 Mar 2009

Shuler Hensley
Shuler Hensley

Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley, most recently on Broadway in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, will return to his alma mater, The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, March 13 to star in a limited engagement of the opera Wozzeck.

Part of an innovative cooperative venture among The Curtis Institute of Music, the Opera Company of Philadelphia and Kimmel Center Presents, the Alban Berg opera will play the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts' Perelman Theater through March 18.

Directed by Emma Griffin, the cast will also feature Jason Collins as The Drum Major, Jason Coffey as Andres, Joshua Stewart as The Captain, Evan Boyer as The Doctor, Joseph Barron and Adrian Kramer as Apprentices, Diego Silva as The Fool, Karen Jesse as Marie, Tammy Coil as Margret and Peter Momjian as Marie's son with Allen Boxer, Brandon Cedel, Evan Hughes, Elliot Madore, Kevin Ray and Thomas Shivone as the Soldiers, and Kirsten MacKinnon, Amanda Majeski, Marquita Raley, Elizabeth Reiter, Shir Rozzen, Sarah Shafer, Ashley Thouret as the Women.

Wozzeck will be sung in the original German with English supertitles.

Corrado Rovaris will conduct the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. The design team includes David Zinn, scenic design; Jessica Trejos, costume design; and Mark Barton, lighting design.

Shuler Hensley, recently on Broadway in Young Frankenstein, won a Tony Award for his work as Jud Fry, a role he created on the London stage to Olivier Award-winning effect, in the most recent Broadway revival of Oklahoma!. His other theatrical credits include Tarzan, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Most Happy Fella. Hensley's numerous screen credits include "Van Helsing," "Ed," "Deadline," "Gary Powers," "Monday Night Mayhem," "Sabrina," "Someone Like You," "The Bread My Sweet," "Legend of Zorro" and "Opa!"

Show times are March 13 at 8 PM, March 15 at 2:30 PM and March 18 at 7:30 PM.

For tickets call (215) 893-1999 or visit www.ticketphiladelphia.org.