The Tony Award winning production of the new American musical Bandstand, directed and choreographed by three time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In The Heights) and featuring music by Richard Oberacker and a book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker, will conclude its critically acclaimed engagement on Broadway on Sunday, September, 17, 2017 following 24 previews and 166 regular performances.
“It has been rewarding and humbling to have had the opportunity to bring a completely original and unique kind of musical to the stage,” producer Tom Smedes said. “Guided by Andy Blankenbuehler’s vision, my producing partners Gabrielle Palitz, Terry Schnuck and Roger Horchow along with the Bandstand creatives and cast are proud to have a created a show that, in addition to being first class entertainment, has heart, a message and most importantly pays tribute to our veterans. Having opened during a historically crowded season we are gratified to have had an effect on so many lives. We look forward to being able to continue telling this important story with future productions across the country and elsewhere.”
Bandstand began performances on March 31, 2017 and officially opened April 26 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45 Street) on Broadway.
Bandstand stars two time Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella) and Corey Cott (Gigi) and features Tony Award winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone), Joe Carroll (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Brandon James Ellis (Once), James Nathan Hopkins (What’s It All About: Bacharach Reimagined), Geoff Packard (Matilda) and Joey Pero (Broadway debut).
1945. As America’s soldiers come home to ticker-tape parades and overjoyed families, Private First Class Donny Novitski, singer and songwriter, returns to rebuild his life with only the shirt on his back and a dream in his heart.
When NBC announces a national competition to find the nation’s next great musical superstars, inspiration strikes! Donny joins forces with a motley group of fellow veterans, each an astonishing musician. Together, they form a band unlike any the nation has ever seen. Along the way, they discover the power of music to face the impossible, find their voice and finally feel like they have a place to call home.
The Bandstand ensemble features Carleigh Bettiol (Hamilton), Mary Callanan (Mamma Mia!), Max Clayton (Something Rotten!), Patrick Connaghan (Broadway debut), Matt Cusack (One Man Two Guvnors), Andrea Dotto (Broadway debut), Marc A. Heitzman (Broadway debut), Ryan Kasprzak (Broadway debut), Andrew Leggieri (Broadway debut), Erica Mansfield (Finding Neverland), Morgan Marcell (Hamilton), Drew McVety (The Front Page), Kevyn Morrow (The Color Purple), Becca Petersen (Broadway debut) , Keven Quillon (Shrek), Jonathan Shew (Broadway debut), Ryan VanDenBoom (Something Rotten!), Jaime Verazin (Finding Neverland), Mindy Wallace (An American in Paris) and Kevin Worley (On the Town).
The award winning Bandstand design team includes Tony Award nominee David Korins (Scenic Design), Tony Award winner Paloma Young (Costume Design), Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design), Tony Award nominee Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design), 2017 Tony Award nominee Greg Anthony Rassen (Co-Orchestrator, Music Supervisor and Music Arranger), Tony Award winner and 2017 Tony Award nominee Bill Elliott (Co-Orchestrator), Fred Lassen (Musical Director and Conductor), Mark Stuart (Associate Choreographer) and makeup, hair and wig design by J. Jared Janas and Dave Bova.
Bandstand played a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Paper Mill Playhouse last fall.
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Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
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