Philly's Walnut Street Revives Finian's Rainbow With Wonderful Town Star, Sept. 6-Oct. 23

Jennifer Hope Wills, of Broadway's recent Wonderful Town, plays Sharon McLongergan, whose father Finian (Ian D. Clark) has fled to American after stealing a pot of gold from a frisky leprechaun named Og (Christopher Sutton). "Continuing with its commitment to stage rarely produced musicals, the Walnut is proud to present this 1947 Broadway hit, a landmark in American musical theatre history in that it was the first musical ever to feature a fully racially integrated cast," according to production notes. "Finian's Rainbow bravely tackles issues of racial prejudice and injustice in an emotionally touching plot that mingles fantasy and reality." Malcolm Black directs a cast that also includes Don Burroughs (WST's Annie and Annie Warbucks, Off-Broadway's Dessa Rose) as Woody, Sharon's beau, and Broadway veteran Mike O'Carroll as Senator Rawkins, with Hasani Allen, Alia Allen, Jeff Coon, Mary Martello, Lyndy Franklin, Greg Wood, Billy Bustamante, Dan Olmstead, Steven Wright, James T. Lane, Michael Phillip O'Brien, Joilet Harris, Christine Robertson, Michael Susko, Michael Crowley, Arthur Ryan, John Russell, Ashley Arnold, Forrest McClendon, Deborah Billups, Alexis Sims, Kristyn D. Smith, Shylo Smith.

Musical director is Douglass G. Lutz. Choreography is by Sharon Halley. The creative team includes set and lighting designer Paul Wonsek, resident costume mistress Colleen McMillan and sound designer Marc Kaplan.

For tickets and information, call the Walnut Street Theatre's box office at (215) 574-3550 or visit the theatre’s website, www.wstonline.org.