Cast Announced for Curtains
The cast for The Production Company’s new staging of the Broadway whodunnit, Curtains has been announced. Ken Mackenzie-Forbes, Artistic Director said ‘Colin Lane, John Wood and Nicki Wendt are joining Simon Gleeson, Alex Rathgeber, Lucy Maunder, Melissa Langton and Alinta Chidzey in this Kander & Ebb murder mystery musical comedy. For this hilarious detective thriller we have cast artists with the personality and skill to create Rupert Holmes’ colourful backstage characters. This cast reflects the depth of artistic excellence we have here in Melbourne.’
Curtains opens in the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne on August 20 for a season of 10 performances.
This is the Australian professional premiere season of Curtains, which first opened on Broadway in 2007.
It played more than 500 performances and was nominated for eight Tony Awards.
The company engaged for Curtains is: Simon Gleeson, Melissa Langton, Colin Lane, Lucy Maunder, Alex Rathgeber, Alinta Chidzey, Zoe Coppinger, Jared Bryan, Stephen Wheat, Simon Maiden, Nicki Wendt, Tony Rickards and John Wood.
With music and lyrics by Broadway legends John Kander & Fred Ebb – creators of Cabaret and Chicago - Curtains is based on the original book and concept by Peter Stone. A parody of backstage murder mystery plots, Curtains is set in Boston 1959 at the opening night of the cowboy musical Robbin Hood of The Old West. The talentless leading lady is murdered onstage during the curtain call and the whole cast are suspects. A grand tribute to Broadway, it features a company of characters including a very camp director, a bitter critic, clueless investors and ambitious actresses It is up to Lt. Frank Cioffi, a police detective who moonlights as a musical theatre fan, to save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love.
Director Roger Hodgman leads the creative team. Musical Director is John Foreman and the Choreographer is Dana Jolly. Designs are by Esther Marie Hayes (costumes), Christina Smith (sets), Matt Scott (lighting) and System Sound (sound).
FULL COMPANY
Lieutenant Frank Cioffi - Simon Gleeson
Niki Harris - Alinta Chidzey
Georgia Hendricks - Lucy Maunder
Carmen Bernstein - Melissa Langton
Aaron Fox - Alex Rathgeber
Sidney Bernstein - John Wood
Christopher Belling - Colin Lane
Bambi Bernet - Zoe Coppinger
Daryl Grady - Stephen Wheat
Johnny Harmon - Simon Maiden
Oscar Shapiro - Tony Rickards
Bobby Pepper - Jared Bryan
Jessica Cranshaw- Nicki Wendt
ENSEMBLE
Daniel Assetta, Alicia Attwood. Amy Berrisford, Matt Douglas, Brett Fisher, David Hammond, Ashleigh Hauschild, Jess Lindon, Joe Meldrum, Anthony Pepe, Madeline Perrone, Justine Puy, Emma Russell and Darren Tyler.