Greene Will Be Adelaide in Hollywood Bowl Guys and Dolls; Casting Nearly Complete | Playbill

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News Greene Will Be Adelaide in Hollywood Bowl Guys and Dolls; Casting Nearly Complete "Pushing Daisies" star Ellen Greene, the celebrated singing actress known for her work on stage and on the silver screen in Little Shop of Horrors, will play the long-suffering Miss Adelaide in the the Hollywood Bowl's upcoming summer presentation of the classic Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls.

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Ellen Greene in "Pushing Daisies." Photo by ABC

As previously announced, Richard Jay-Alexander, who helmed last summer's acclaimed Les Misérables in Concert at the Bowl, will direct. Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie will choreograph the production, which will play the famed venue July 31-Aug. 2. Kevin Stites will be the musical director.

Greene joins a starry cast that includes the previously reported Jessica Biel (as Sarah Brown), Scott Bakula (Nathan Detroit), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Sky Masterson), Ken Page (Nicely-Nicely Johnson) and Ruth Williamson (General Matilda Cartwright).

Other newcomers to the cast include Herschel Sparber (Big Jule), Jason Graae (Benny Southstreet), Bill Lewis (Harry the Horse), Danny Stiles (Rusty Charlie), Amir Talai (Angie the Ox/Joey Biltmore), Jody Ashworth (Lt. Brannigan), Cindy Benson (Agatha) and Grace Wall (Martha). The actor playing the role of Arvide Abernathy will be announced at a later time (John Mahoney had originally been scheduled to play the part).

The Hot Box Girls will be played by Sandahl Bergman, Valarie Pettiford, Jane Lanier, Kathryn Wright, Jillana Laufer and Tracy Powell. Male dancers include Oskar Rodriguez, Stefan Raulson, Angelo Rivera, Christopher L. Morgan, Chris Holly and John Todd. The ensemble comprises David Raimo, Paul Dean, Daniel Guzman, Josh Christoff, Kyrra Richards, Nikki Tomlinson and Catherine Chiarelli.

The creative team for Guys and Dolls in Concert will also feature Evan Bartoletti and Lisa Lechuga, set designers; Tom Ruzika, lighting designer; Tommy Marquez, costume designer; Michael Moore, wig and hair designer; Valerie Jackson, hair and makeup designer; Kirk Graves, props coordinator; James Kinney, associate choreographer; and Marciann Shapiro, assistant costume designer. Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The original Broadway production opened at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre in November 1950, running 1,200 performances before closing Nov. 28, 1953. Among the premiere cast were Robert Alda as Sky Masterson, Isabel Bigley as Sarah Brown, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide. Blaine re-created her role for the 1955 film, which also starred Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Jean Simmons as Sarah Brown and Frank Sinatra as Nathan Detroit.

A new Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls currently plays the Nederlander Theatre and features Oliver Platt (as Nathan Detroit), Lauren Graham (as Miss Adelaide), Craig Bierko (as Sky Masterson) and Kate Jennings Grant (Sarah Brown).

Ellen Greene began her career as a nightclub singer, performing in the now closed New York cabaret Reno Sweeney. At age 21, Joseph Papp took her under his wing and cast her in productions of Boom Boom Room and The Threepenny Opera. Greene earned a Tony nomination for her work in the latter, but it was her role as Audrey in both the original stage and film productions of Little Shop of Horrors that brought her national attention. Among her recent theatrical credits are the West Coast staging of Side Man and an all-star reading of Women Behind Bars. Her many screen credits include "Pushing Daisies," "Heroes," "The Cooler," "One Fine Day," "Léon," "Fathers & Sons," "Stepping Out," "Pump Up the Volume," "Talk Radio" and "Next Stop, Greenwich Village." Her solo recording is titled "In His Eyes."

Show times at the Bowl will be July 31 and Aug. 1 at 8:30 PM and Aug. 2 at 7:30 PM.

The Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, CA. For tickets call (323) 850-2000. Visit www.hollywoodbowl.com for more information.

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(l.-r.) Sandahl Bergman, Donna McKechnie, Ellen Greene, Valarie Pettiford, Jane Lanier and Kathryn Wright
 
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