September 5, 2007
Contact: Kirsten Park
(801) 581-6270
kirsten.park@ptc.utah.edu
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE NEWLY REVISED
PAINT YOUR WAGON
(Salt Lake City, UT) — Pioneer Theatre Company proudly presents a brand new version of the Lerner and Loewe Broadway classic, Paint Your Wagon. Originally produced on Broadway in 1951, Paint Your Wagon received high marks for its memorable, lively score but the story never achieved the popularity of other Lerner and Loewe classics such as My Fair Lady and Camelot.
In collaboration with commercial producer Chris Allen and his partners, Pioneer Theatre Company is producing a new version of the musical. In 2000, Allen secured approval from the Lerner and Loewe estates to commission a new book for the musical, which in turn required the creation of new orchestrations. Allen and PTC Artistic Director Charles Morey first began discussing the project in 2000. The PTC production will feature a revised book by David Rambo, a playwright and television writer who currently serves as a writer/producer for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, one of the most widely-viewed television shows in the world. The new orchestrations are by Steve Orich, who was nominated for a Tony award last year for his work on Jersey Boys.
An earlier version of the script and orchestrations were produced nearly three years ago at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles under the direction of Gil Cates. Morey, Allen, Rambo and Orich have spent the last two years working on the new script and orchestrations.
“The revised version we’re doing has additional musical numbers as well as a larger cast and orchestra than the Geffen version,” notes Morey, “and there will be considerably more dance in it. The beauty of David’s script is that it has solved the problems and weaknesses of the original 1951 book, and created a story with real heart and a quintessential American theme—the impulse to roam, to be a pioneer, and how that is reconciled with the need to create a home and a community for oneself.”
Paint Your Wagon follows Ben Rumson, who has been chasing the big gold strike in California for years. When his headstrong daughter Jennifer falls in love and a stagecoach full of beautiful fandango girls arrive the whole camp turns topsy-turvy.
PTC’s production, directed by Morey, features Dennis Parlato as Ben Rumson, Emily Rabon Hall as his daughter Jennifer, and Enrique Acevedo as the handsome Mexican miner with whom she falls in love. Jacqueline Bayne plays Cherry Jourdal, the proprietress of a traveling troupe of fandango girls, and Terence Goodman plays Jake Whippany, the miner who wins Cherry’s heart by building her a dance hall in Rumson town. Anne Stewart Mark plays Lily “Shakespeare” Smith, an actress who catches Ben’s eye.
The gold miners are played by Equity actors Buck Hujabre (Father Ignacio), Justin Ivie (Preacher McNulty), Kelvin Moon Loh (Ah-Wah), Daniel Marcus (L. Salem Strauss), Mark Mineart (Bull Bullnack), Erick Pinnick (Ulysses Wilson), Max Robinson (Wilmer Wagner), and in the Ensemble, Mike Kirsch, Peter Leskowicz, Shaun Parry, Daniel T. Simons, Correy West, and Zephyrus White.
The fandango girls are played by Equity actors Teresa Bramwell (Ruby), Vanessa Cheney (Lupita), Elizabeth Clinard (Opal), Rebecca Lord (Shamrock), and Jessica Wu (Kwai Fa).
Rounding out the cast are Kim Stephenson as Magda, and in the Ensemble, Jon Brady Copier and Thomas Marcus.
Dennis Parlato as Ben Rumson has been seen on Broadway as Lawrence in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mr. Robinson in The Graduate, John the Baptist in Salome with Al Pacino, and as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. He has appeared on television in Law & Order, and on film in Tom DiCillo’s Johnny Suede with Brad Pitt, as well as in many soap operas. Parlato is best known for the characters of Roger Thorpe on The Guiding Light, Michael Grande on One Life to Live, and villain Clay Alden on Loving.
Emily Rabon Hall, playing Jennifer, has been seen on Broadway in Follies and in The Apple Tree, and on tour in O Henry’s Lovers, James Joyce’s The Dead, Gypsy, and Whistle Down The Wind.
Enrique Acevedo, who plays Julio, was last seen at PTC in West Side Story. He received a Drama-Logue Award for Best Performance as Julio in a production of Paint Your Wagon at Fullerton Civic Light Opera in California. Acevedo recently returned from touring in Broadway Asia’s production of The King and I, and in Europe was seen as Danny in Grease and as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Erick Pinnick as Ulysses is returning to PTC after 2006’s Five Guys Named Moe. He has most recently been seen as Curtis in Dreamgirls, Adrian in Smokey Joe’s Café and Valentin in Kiss of the Spiderwoman. He has performed on Broadway in A Christmas Carol and toured the country in Sunset Boulevard starring Petula Clark.
Daniel Marcus, as L. Salem Strauss, returns to PTC where he appeared as Nicely-Nicely in Guys and Dolls. Since then he has appeared on Broadway in 1776, Woman in White, A Christmas Carol and Urinetown, in which he created the role of Officer Barrel.
Mark Mineart makes his musical debut at PTC as the lecherous Bull Bullnack, but Utah audiences may remember him as Porthos in PTC’s Three Musketeers, in SLAC’s God’s Country, or in King Lear at Utah Shakespearean Festival. Mineart was on Broadway in Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington and in Macbeth with Kelsey Grammer.
Anne Stewart Mark as Lily “Shakespeare” returns after a long run in last season’s Les Misérables. She has appeared at PTC in many musicals including Camelot, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, and Evita. This past February, she directed SexSting for SLAC.
Terence Goodman is well known to Salt Lake City audiences after playing Billy Flynn in last year’s production of Chicago at PTC. He was also recently named the new Artistic Director of the historic Egyptian Theatre Company in Park City.
Jacqueline Bayne as Cherry Jourdel was most recently seen on Broadway in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and in National Tours including Ragtime, Some Like It Hot with Tony Curtis, and in the original cast of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.
Max Robinson, playing Wilmer, was just seen as Thénardier in last season’s Les Misérables, and has appeared in nearly 95 other productions at PTC.
Director Charles Morey has been the artistic director for PTC since 1984. A fellow of the MacDowell Colony, Morey is an accomplished director as well as playwright. He has directed for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, PCPA Theaterfest and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He is the author of stage adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo, A Tale of Two Cities, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula, and The Three Musketeers, the translation/adaptation of Georges Feydeau’s The Ladies Man, and his original plays Laughing Stock and Dumas’ Camille. All received their premieres at PTC and most have subsequently moved on to successful productions in professional theatres across the country.
Patti D’Beck will be providing the choreography for the production, her tenth at PTC. D’Beck most recently choreographed Chicago at PTC in 2006. Her Broadway credits include Assistant Choreographer for Annie Get Your Gun starring Bernadette Peters and later Reba McEntire, Bells Are Ringing, Grease! and The Will Rogers Follies.
Mearle Marsh will be the musical supervisor and conductor for the performance, a position he filled in last season’s Les Misérables. Marsh is a graduate of the University of Utah and has been actively involved in both the Music and Theater Departments for over 24 years. Marsh was the assistant conductor for the University of Utah Orchestra and the A Cappella Choir, as well as the Assistant Conductor at PTC. His work as music director, conductor and performer have taken him across Europe, and from California through the mid-west and to the Kennedy Center.
Musical director Annie Lebeaux was last seen at PTC as musical director of 2006’s Chicago.
Set design is by PTC resident scenic designer George Maxwell. Last season Maxwell designed the sets for Chicago, You Can’t Take It With You and Les Misérables. He also designed Death of a Salesman for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. A member of United Scenic Artists, he has designed the sets for Utah Opera Company and for several seasons for the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
David Kay Mickelsen returns to PTC as costume designer for Paint Your Wagon. He designed for last season’s Othello, as well as Five Guys Named Moe, Amadeus, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Camelot, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Crazy for You, and 1776. Other theatres David has designed for include The Guthrie, Berkeley Rep, The Geffen, Northlight, The Denver Center Theatre Company, The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis and Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.
Lighting Designer Phil Monat designed Five Guys Named Moe for PTC two seasons ago, and Chicago last season. He has designed over 350 productions in regional theatres throughout the country, including productions at The Old Globe in San Diego, The Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Arizona Theatre Co., La Jolla Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theatre,
Joe Payne provides sound design for the production. Payne has designed sound and/or composed music for more than 100 productions in theatres throughout the country, including The Utah Shakespearean Festival (eight years), Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Salt Lake Shakespeare (two years), The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park, The Virginia Stage Company (four years), The Egyptian Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Utah Opera, The Fulton Opera House and Utah Musical Theatre. He is the resident sound designer for PTC.
Designing hair and makeup is resident designer Amanda French. French has worked for The Utah Shakespearean Festival, The Utah Opera, The Egyptian Theatre and the University of Texas at Austin. She is a contributing writer in the ninth edition of Stage Makeup by Richard Corson and James Glavan and is a featured artist in The Costume Technician’s Handbook by Rosemary Ingham and Liz Covey. She attended the College–Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where she studied with Hair and Makeup designer Lenna Kaleva.
Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah’s premiere resident professional theatre performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus, at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, and easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is available and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.
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MEDIA PHOTO SHOOT: There will be a media photo shoot at 7:30 p.m. September 18, 2007, at Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 E., SLC. Please RSVP by calling 581-6870.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE: High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, September 19, 2007 after 3:00 p.m. Go directly to www.pioneertheatre.org/season/presspix.html
INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast and artistic staff are available. Call 581-6270.
PRESS TOURS: Tours of the set for the press are available. Call 581-6270.
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WHO: Pioneer Theatre Company
WHAT: Paint Your Wagon
WHEN: September 28—October 13, 2007
TIMES: Mondays—Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday matinees, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre
300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City
PRICE: $25 – $49; Children are half price on Mondays and Tuesdays
MORE INFO: Box Office (801) 581-6961
Open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon—Fri
www.pioneertheatre.org
EQUITY CAST:
Dennis Parlato as Ben Rumson
Emily Rabon Hall as Jennifer Rumson
Enrique Acevedo as Julio Valveras
Daniel Marcus as L. Salem Strauss
Erick Pinnick as Ulysses Wilson
Mark Mineart as Bull Bullnack
Terence Goodman as Jake Whippany
Jacqueline Bayne as Cherry Jourdel
Anne Stewart Mark as Lily “Shakespeare” Smith
Max Robinson as Wilmer Wagner / Old Prospector
Buck Hujabre as Father Ignacio
Justin Ivie as Preacher McNulty/Mormon miner Woodling
Kelvin Moon Loh as Ah-Wah
Mike Kirsch as Ensemble
Peter Leskowicz as Ensemble
Shaun Parry as Ensemble
Daniel T. Simons as Ensemble
Correy West as Ensemble
Zephyrus White as Ensemble
Teresa Bramwell as Fandango Girl Ruby
Vanessa Cheney as Fandango Girl Lupita
Elizabeth Clinard as Fandango Girl Opal
Rebecca Lord as Fandango Girl Shamrock
Jessica Wu as Fandango Girl Kwai Fa
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director……………………………….Charles Morey
Choreographer ………………………..Patti D’Beck
Set Designer…………………………..George Maxwell
Costume Designer ……………………David Mickelson
Lighting Designer ………………….…Phil Monat
Musical Supervisor/Conductor ………Mearle Marsh
Musical Director………………………Annie Lebeaux
Sound Designer …………………..…..Joe Payne
Wig and Make-up Designer………….Amanda French