Powers – who was seen as Rizzo in the current revival of Grease – will portray Venetian courtesan Veronica Franco in the new musical, which will run July 25-Aug. 17 at Northwestern's Ethel M. Barber Theatre. Sheryl Kaller (Adrift in Macao) directs.

Joining Powers onstage will be eight-time Jefferson Award winner Hollis Resnik – slated to star in the upcoming Midwest premiere of Grey Gardens – as well as Jeffrey Baumgartner (Oedipus Complex), Peter Kevoian, Peter Oyloe and Chris Sullivan.

Completing the cast of Dangerous Beauty are Northwestern Music Theatre Certificate Program students Nina Dante, Rebecca Davis, Seth Dhonau, Anna Eilinsfeld, Jefferson Grubbs, Jason Heymann, Laura Huizenga, Tate Jorgensen, Jessica Kingsdale, Emma Rosenthal and Chris Strauss.

Dangerous Beauty features book and verse by Jeannine Dominy (based on her 1998 screenplay of the same title), music by Johnny Mercer Award winner Michele Brourman and lyrics by Golden Globe-winning songwriter Amanda McBroom.

Based on Margaret Rosenthal's book "The Honest Courtesan" and the 1998 motion picture "Dangerous Beauty," the musical "tells the tumultuous tale of Veronica Franco, a notorious courtesan and 16th century poet who recognized that only as a courtesan could she retain access to an education and a place in the cultural and political life of her beloved city," according to AMTP notes. The creative team comprises Tony nominee Robert La Fosse (choreography), Doug Peck (musical direction), Virgil Johnson (costume design), Collete Pollard (set design), Michelle Habeck (lighting design), Josh Horvath (sound design) and Matt Hawkins (fight choreography).

Tickets for Dangerous Beauty, priced $30, are available by phoning (847) 491-7282 or by visiting www.tic.Northwestern.edu/tickets.php.

The Ethel M. Barber Theatre is located at 30 Arts Circle Drive, on the University’s Evanston campus.