Additional Casting Announced for the New Production of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s “Gigi”
Vanessa Hudgens is joined byTwo-time Tony Award-nominee Howard McGillin as Honore Lachaille, Corey Cott as Gaston Lachaille, and Steffanie Leigh as Liane d’Exelmans
Tickets on sale tomorrow for the Pre-Broadway Engagement
at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C., at the Eisenhower Theater,
January 16-February 12, 2015
Re-envisioned production adapted by Heidi Thomas
Choreography by Joshua Bergasse
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
Additional casting has been announced for the new Broadway production of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s beloved Oscar and Tony Award-winning film and stage musical, Gigi. Joining the previously announced Vanessa Hudgens in the title role will be two-time Tony Award-nominee Howard McGillin (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera) as Honore Lachaille, Corey Cott (Newsies) as Gaston Lachaille and Steffanie Leigh (Mary Poppins) as Liane d’Exelmans. Casting for the roles of Madame Alvarez and Aunt Alicia will be announced soon.
Gigi will be directed by Eric Schaeffer (Follies, Million Dollar Quartet), in a re-envisioned adaptation by British playwright and BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated screenwriter Heidi Thomas (“Call the Midwife,” “Cranford,” “Upstairs, Downstairs”). Joshua Bergasse (On the Town, “Smash”) will choreograph the production.
Gigi will play a pre-Broadway engagement in the Eisenhower Theater at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (David M. Rubenstein, chairman, Deborah F. Rutter, president) in Washington, D.C. from January 16-February 12, 2015. Opening night is January 29, 2015.
Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, October 1 at 10:00 AM to the general public. Visit www.kennedy-center.org for further details. Gigi will open on Broadway in 2015 following the Kennedy Center engagement.
| Howard McGillin (Honore Lachaille) Broadway: The Phantom Of The Opera, Kiss of the Spider Woman, She Loves Me, The Secret Garden, Anything Goes (Tony, Drama Desk Award nominations), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony, Drama Desk nominations; Theatre World Award), Sunday in the Park with George. London: Mack and Mabel, Anything Goes. Off-Broadway: It’s a Wonderful Life, I Remember Mama, High Spirits, As Thousands Cheer, La Boheme (Drama Desk Award nomination). National Tour: Peter Pan. Regional: Damn Yankees, It Shoulda Been You (George Street Playhouse), The 39 Steps (Cape Playhouse), Stephen Sondheim’s Bounce (Goodman Theatre, Chicago and Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. – Helen Hayes Award nomination). Films: South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut, The Swan Princess. Concerts: Ragtime, Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. Solo CD: Howard McGillin: Where Time Stands Still, available online.
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| Corey Cott (Gaston Lachaille) Immediately following graduation from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Corey Cott made his professional debut starring on Broadway for two years as Jack Kelly in Newsies. His other stage credits include university productions of Suddenly Last Summer, Assassins, Sweeney Todd and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Recently Corey has been involved in the development of several new musicals including Anastasia (McNally/Ahrens & Flaherty), Father of the Bride (Disney) and the Untitled Radio City Project. He will make his television debut this fall in “Madam Secretary” on CBS. A native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Corey made his solo concert debut in 2013 at the Kennedy Center as part of the ASCAP Centennial Celebration. He is represented by Gersh, Soffer/Namoff Entertainment and attorney Michael Mahan. Twitter: @NapOnACott
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| Steffanie Leigh (Liane d’Exelmans) Broadway/National Tour: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins,) NYC/Regional: Dani Girl (Exit Pursued by a Bear), Venus in Fur (Singapore Repertory Theatre), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Alliance Theatre), Into the Woods, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera). TV: “The Good Wife,” “Members Only.” Film: PROGRESS And Unrelated Things, They’re Out of the Business. BFA Acting/Musical Theatre: Carnegie Mellon. www.steffanieleigh.com
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The cast also features Cameron Adams, Madeleine Doherty, Hannah Florence, Jenifer Foote, Allison Jantzie, Sam Lips, Ian Paget, James Patterson, Justin Prescott, Manuel Stark, Tanairi Vazquez and Ashley Yeater, with additional casting to be announced.
Scenic design is by Tony Award-winner Derek McLane, costume design is by five-time Tony Award winner Catherine Zuber, lighting design is by four-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz and sound design is by Tony Award nominee Kai Harada. Hair design is by David Brian Brown. Musical director is James Moore. Orchestrations are by August Eriksmoen. Vocal and incidental music arrangement is by Matt Aument. Dance music arrangements are by Sam Davis.
Based on the 1944 novel by Colette, Gigi was first adapted for the Broadway stage in 1951 by Anita Loos, with an unknown Audrey Hepburn in the title role; then, following their success with My Fair Lady, the team of Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) adapted the material for the 1958 movie musical, winner of nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, directed by Vincente Minnelli, is widely considered the last great MGM movie musical, and is beloved for its wit, charm and sumptuous costume and production design. GIGI includes such numbers as “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “I Remember It Well” “The Night They Invented Champagne” and the Oscar-winning title song, “Gigi”. Gigi also won the Tony Award for Best Score in 1974.
This new adaptation of Gigi will feature all of the songs from the movie, including two songs, “The Parisians” and “Say a Prayer for Me Tonight,” which were dropped from the previous stage version. The production also includes four songs written and added to the score by Lerner and Loewe in 1973, “Paris is Paris Again,” “I Never Want to Go Home Again,” “The Contract,” and “In This Wide, Wide World.”
Gigi is produced by Jenna Segal. General management is by Foresight Theatrical.