As first reported by Playbill.com on June 21, O'Hara (Far From Heaven, The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific) will play Francesca in the Broadway production that begins previews Jan. 13, 2014, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Opening will be in late February.
O'Hara's current Far From Heaven co-star Pasquale ("Rescue Me," reasons to be pretty) will portray Robert Kincaid. Pasquale will first play the role this summer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where The Bridges of Madison County will have its developmental premiere.
O'Hara had been originally announced to appear in that production, but is expecting her second child in September. Elena Shaddow (The Light in the Piazza) will play Francesca in the Williamstown engagement.
Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (Golden Boy, South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) will stage the project that has a score by Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World) and a book by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, 'Night Mother).
The Williamstown and subsequent Broadway production will reunite Sher with his Tony Award-winning South Pacific creative team, including scenic designer Michael Yeargan, costume designer Catherine Zuber and lighting designer Donald Holder. Sound design will be by Jon Weston.
The lead producers of The Bridges of Madison County are Jeffrey Richards, Stacey Mindich, and Jerry Frankel. They will be joined by Tulchin Bartner Productions, Jay & Cindy Gutterman and Cathy Chernoff, Scott M. Delman, Aaron Priest, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Bellanca Smigel Rutter, Will Trice, and The Shubert Organization.
