U.S. National Tour of the West End Smash Hit Musical To
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Tweet it! You will always love this musical! @TheBodyguardUS comes to @KimmelCenter 2/21–26, based on the Oscar-nominated film & starring @Deborah_Cox Press Contacts: Amanda Conte [email protected] (215) 790-5847 Carole Morganti, CJM Public Relations [email protected] (609) 953-0570 U.S. NATIONAL TOUR OF THE WEST END SMASH HIT MUSICAL TO PLAY PHILADELPHIA’S ACADEMY OF MUSIC FEBRUARY 21–26, 2017 STARRING GRAMMY® AWARD NOMINEE AND R&B SUPERSTAR DEBORAH COX FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, December 22, 2016) –– The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization proudly announce the Broadway Philadelphia run of the hit musical The Bodyguard as part of the show’s first U.S. National tour. The Bodyguard will play the Kimmel Center’s Academy of Music from February 21–26, 2017 starring Grammy® Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B/pop recording artist and film/TV actress Deborah Cox as Rachel Marron. In the role of bodyguard Frank Farmer is television star Judson Mills. “We are thrilled to welcome this new production to Philadelphia, especially for fans of the iconic film and soundtrack,” said Anne Ewers, President & CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “This award-winning stage adaption and the incomparable Deborah Cox will truly bring this beloved story to life on the Academy of Music stage.” Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar-nominated Warner Bros. film, and adapted by Academy Award- winner (Birdman) Alexander Dinelaris, The Bodyguard had its world premiere on December 5, 2012 at London’s Adelphi Theatre. The Bodyguard was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and Best Set Design and won Best New Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards. The UK production of the musical recently completed a sell-out 16-month UK and Ireland tour and made its triumphant return to London’s West End at the Dominion Theatre on July 15, 2016. Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, The Bodyguard features a host of irresistible classics including So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest selling songs of all time – I Will Always Love You. Direction is by Thea Sharrock. Set & costume design is by Tim Hatley, lighting design by Mark Henderson, sound design by Richard Brooker, and video design by Duncan McLean. Choreography is by Karen Bruce, orchestrations by Chris Egan, musical supervision by Richard Beadle and production musical supervision by Mike Dixon. The U.S. national tour of The Bodyguard is produced by Michael Harrison, David Ian, and Nederlander Presentations, Inc. Rounding out the principal cast are Alex Corrado (Gotham, Hannibal) as Tony Scibelli, Rachel’s personal security guard, Charles Gray (Broadway: The Color Purple, Tour: The Lion King) as manager Bill Devaney, Jonathan Hadley (Broadway: Jersey Boys, A Class Act) as publicist Sy Spector, Jorge Paniagua (Regional: The Full Monty, Oregon Shakespeare Festival) as the Stalker, Jasmin Richardson (Tour: Memphis, Dreamgirls) as Rachel’s sister Nicki Marron, and Douglas Baldeo (Broadway: Kinky Boots, Tour: Motown) and Kevelin B. Jones III (Idlewild Music Festival) alternating in the role of Rachel’s son Fletcher. The ensemble includes Arielle Campbell, Brendon Chan, Willie Dee, Jarid Faubel, Megan Elyse Fulmer, Emily Jenda, Alejandra Matos, Bradford Rahmlow, Benjamin Rivera, Sean Rozanski, Matthew Schmidt, Jaquez André Sims, Lauren Tanner, and Naomi C. Walley. For more information, visit thebodyguardmusical.com. THE BODYGUARD Academy of Music at the Kimmel Center Campus Dates and times: Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 7:30 pm Wednesday, February 22, 2017, 7:30 pm Thursday, February 23, 2017, 7:30 pm Friday, February 24, 2017, 8:00 pm Saturday, February 25, 2017, 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm Sunday, February 26, 2017, 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm Tickets Tickets are on sale to the public now and start at $20.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling (215) 893- 1999, visiting www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883. More information at kimmelcenter.org. The Shubert Organization For more than 100 years, The Shubert Organization has been in the forefront of the American theatre. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, the Shubert Organization owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres and six Off-Broadway venues, as well as the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia The company has produced and co-produced hundreds of plays and musicals, including the original Broadway production of CATS, Dreamgirls, Sunday in the Park with George, Amadeus, The Real Thing, The Grapes of Wrath, Equus, The Elephant Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, School of Rock The Musical, and The Humans. The Shubert Organization is proud of its ongoing refurbishment program for its theatres, seeking to preserve the historic character while modernizing them to accommodate the needs of today’s audiences. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center Campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2016-2017 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org. # # # For photography, please visit www.kcpress.smugmug.com thebodyguardmusical.com facebook.com/thebodyguardmusical twitter.com/TheBodyguardUS instagram.com/thebodyguardus is the official makeup sponsor for the US tour of The Bodyguard www.jaymanuelbeauty.com CAST BIOS DEBORAH COX (Rachel Marron) Grammy® Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B/pop recording artist and film/TV actress Deborah Cox made her Broadway debut in the lead role in Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical, Aida. She most recently starred on Broadway in 2013 as Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde, and starred as legendary Josephine Baker in Josephine at Asolo Repertory Theatre in the spring of 2016. Cox began her recording career as a background singer with Celine Dion, before securing her first recording contract with Clive Davis at Arista Records. She has recorded six award-winning and critically-acclaimed albums, and has written and recorded on numerous celebrated soundtracks. Her platinum selling debut album Deborah Cox earned her an American Music Award nomination. She won her first of 3 Juno Awards including a Female Vocalist of the Year nomination. From her second CD One Wish, came the double platinum “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” which held the record for being the longest running #1 R&B Single for 14 consecutive weeks and earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination, a Soul Train Award, A Lady Of Soul Award, Best Female vocalist Juno nomination and a Billboard Music Award Nomination for R&B Single Of The Year. Cox has collaborated with such artists as Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Josh Groban, The Isley Brothers, Cyndi Lauper, Sarah McLachlan and numerous others. The Canadian born star has an impressive list of #1 Billboard hit records, including twelve #1 songs on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. In 2000, Cox collaborated with Whitney Houston to record the duet “Same Script Different Cast” for Houston’s Greatest Hits CD. Cox has been recognized for her longstanding commitment to various social issues in the LGBTQ community. In January 2015, she received the Out Music Pillar Award. In 2014, she received the California State Senate Award and in 2007, she received The Civil Rights Award from the New York Senate for her efforts in the fight for Human Rights and Equality. She was recently honored by The Harvey Milk Foundation at the 2015 Diversity Honors for all of her efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQ community. On June 12, 2016, she was given the Liberty Bell and Proclamation in Philadelphia by Mayor James Kenney to proclaim June 12 as LGBTQ Philadelphia Pride Parade and Festival Day. www.deborahcox.com @Deborah_Cox www.facebook.com/DeborahCoxDRG JUDSON MILLS (Frank Farmer) was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Northern Virginia in a little stone house in the woods built by George Washington before he was President. Mills grew up hunting and fishing, and up through high school enjoyed a small town life. After high school, Judson went on to major in Theatre at Barry University in Miami. From there, it was off to NY where Mills attended the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After school, he booked his first audition and spent 3 years on the soap opera “As The World Turns.” Mills has since done over 35 guest starring roles on television including “Law and Order,” “The X Files,” “Dexter,” “The Mentalist,” ABC’s new “Notorious” and can be seen on HBO’s new hit series from JJ Abrams, “Westworld.” Judson was also a series regular alongside Chuck Norris on the popular action show “Walker, Texas Ranger” from CBS.