Barrington Stage Company has announced initial casting for its 2019 season, which will launch May 22 with Jeanne Sakata's Hold These Truths. Directed by Lisa Rothe, Drama Desk Award nominee Joel de la Fuente stars as Gordon Hirabayashi; performances will continue through June 8.
The world premiere of Stacey Rose's America v. 2.1: The Sad Demise & Eventual Extinction of The American Negro will follow, running June 14-30. Directed by Logan Vaughn, the cast includes Ansa Akyea, Jordan Barrow, Kalyne Coleman, Peterson Townsend, and Peggy Pharr Wilson.
A mix of newcomers and Broadway favorites will populate Barrington's production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, which will begin previews June 19 for a run through July 13. Directed by Joe Calarco with music direction by Darren R. Cohen, the cast includes Mykal Kilgore (Motown the Musical) as The Witch, Jonathan Raviv (The Band’s Visit) as The Baker, Mara Davi (Dames at Sea) as The Baker’s Wife, Zoë Aarts (Rider University’s Heathers) as Lucinda, Leslie Becker (Amazing Grace) as Jack's Mother/Giant's Wife, James Cella (Judson Theatre Company’s Twelve Angry Men) as The Steward, Sarah Dacey Charles (Les Misérables) as Cinderella’s Stepmother/Granny/Cinderella’s Mother, Dorcas Leung (Miss Saigon) as Little Red Riding Hood, Pepe Nufrio (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Evita) as Rapunzel's Prince, Megan Orticelli (Northwestern University’s Little Shop of Horrors) as Florinda, Amanda Robles (Jerome Robbins Theater’s From Here to Eternity) as Cinderella, Thom Sesma (Second Stage’s Superhero) as Narrator/Mysterious Man, Clay Singer (Riverside Theatre’s Next to Normal) as Jack, Anna Tobin as Rapunzel, and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton (Walnut Street Theatre’s Matilda) as Cinderella’s Prince/The Wolf.
Debra Jo Rupp, recently seen Off-Broadway in The Cake, will be part of the cast of David Ives' Time Flies and Other Comedies, which will be presented July 5-27. Directed by Tracy Brigden, the company will also include Cary Donaldson (Straight White Men), Carson Elrod (BSC’s Taking Steps), Jeff McCarthy (BSC’s Kunstler), and Ruth Pferdehirt.
Gertrude and Claudius, a new play by BSC Associate Artist Mark St. Germain (Dancing Lessons, Freud's Last Session), is based on the novel by John Updike and will play the Massachusetts theatre July 18-August 3. Julianne Boyd will direct a cast that features Elijah Alexander (Metamorphoses) as Claudius, Nick LaMedica (War Horse national tour) as Hamlet, Kate MacCluggage (The Farnsworth Invention) as Gertrude, Douglas Rees (BSC’s The Cake) as Amleth, Obie winner Rocco Sisto (The King and I) as Polonius, Mary Stout (BSC’s A Doll’s House, Part 2) as Herda, and Greg Thornton (Law & Order) as King Rorik.
The season will continue August 1-September 1 with Steven Levenson's If I Forget. Jennifer Chambers directs J. Anthony Crane as Michael, Mitch Greenberg as Howard, Laura Jordan as Holly, Isaac Josephthal as Joey, Lena Kaminsky as Sharon, Kathleen Wise as Ellen, and Robert Zukerman as Lou.
Fall Springs, from BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab, will make its world premiere August 9-31. The new musical features music and lyrics by Niko Tsakalakos, a book and lyrics by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, musical direction by Vadim Feichtner, and direction by Stephen Brackett. Leading the cast are Alyse Alan Louis (Amelie) as Eloise Bradley, L.E. Barone as Vera Mariposa, Sam Heldt as Felix Cushman, Jorrel Javier (The Lightning Thief national tour) as Cooper Mitford, Lacretta (Disaster!) as Veronica Mitford, Ken Marks (Airline Highway) as Noland Wolanske, Julia Murney (Wicked) as Beverley Cushman, and Eliseo Román (In the Heights).
The season will conclude October 2-20 with the world premiere of American Underground by Brent Askari (Digby’s Home). Julianne Boyd directs a cast to be announced.
