Matt Bogart, who is currently starring in the La Jolla Playhouse world premiere staging of Zhivago, will head the cast of Ace, according to the actor's official website. He will be joined by his wife, Broadway actress Jessica Boevers, seen on Broadway this past season in In My Life. Directed by Stafford Arima, Ace will play Sept. 6-Oct. 1.
Ace features music by Richard Oberacker and book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor. The musical, according to the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' website, is described thusly: "An unexpected gift and visits from a mysterious Army aviator named Ace send troubled 10-year-old Billy Lucas soaring from 1950s St. Louis on a journey around the world. Billy takes flight in his dreams, embarking on a series of heroic and haunting World War I and World War II adventures and discovering that the secrets of his past may hold the key to unlock the door to his future."
Matt Bogart was seen as Paul in the Kennedy Center mounting of Stephen Sondheim's Company, and his Broadway credits include Aida, The Civil War, Miss Saigon and Smokey Joe's Cafe. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music, Bogart has appeared in regional productions of Camelot, Carousel and Side Show, and his debut solo recording, "Simple Songs," is available on the Jay Records label. He was also part of the premiere cast of Frank Wildhorn's Camille Claudel at Goodspeed, and his recent theatrical credits include Himself and Nora (Old Globe), Phantom (Music Theatre of Wichita) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Kennedy Theatre).
On Broadway Jessica Boevers has been seen in In My Life, Oklahoma!, Les Misérables, Rent, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Beauty and the Beast. Her other theatrical credits include A Little Night Music, Way of the World, Private Fittings, Hamlet and Philadelphia Story. Boevers will be seen later this summer opposite Patti LuPone in the Ravinia Festival's mounting of Gypsy.
After the St. Louis run, Bogart and Boevers will be featured in the same production of Ace at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. The Cincinnati engagement is scheduled for Oct. 17-Nov. 17. For more information visit www.repstl.org or www.cincyplay.com.
