Gordon Greenberg, who will direct the workshop, told Playbill On-Line that Benanti has been cast in the title role with Joe Cassidy as the con man who falls for her. Caraboo features a book by Marsha Norman, music by Jenny Giering and lyrics by Beth Blatt. The workshop will be held Dec. 7 in Palo Alto, CA, for an invited audience of Theatreworks subscribers. Caraboo, according to Greenberg, "tells the story of a poor serving girl in nineteenth-century England who disguises herself with a turban and speaks a made-up language to escape the police and ends up the toast of British society. It's the 'tall flower syndrome.' Society turns her into a princess to sell papers and fulfill their fantasies, and they soon begin the familiar process of cutting her down. Along the way, she manages to change peoples' lives — hers included."

A 1994 film based on the true fairy-tale story was titled "Princess Caraboo" and starred Phoebe Cates, Kevin Kline, Jim Broadbent, John Lithgow and Stephen Rea.

Laura Benanti most recently portrayed Claudia in the Tony-winning revival of Maury Yeston’s Nine. She received Tony Award nominations for her performances in Swing! and the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. She was also seen in The Sound of Music, Time and Again and the City Center Encores! mounting of Wonderful Town. Benanti’s regional credits include roles in A Little Night Music, Man of La Mancha and A Winter’s Tale.