Complete Casting Announced for the North American Tour of Spamilton: an American Parody
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COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR OF SPAMILTON: AN AMERICAN PARODY WILL PLAY CLEVELAND’S PLAYHOUSE SQUARE FROM DECEMBER 20 TO JANUARY 6 “SMART, SILLY AND CONVULSIVELY FUNNY!” - The New York Times “THE NEXT BEST THING TO SEEING HAMILTON!” - New York Post “SPAMILTON IS SO INFECTIOUSLY FUN THAT IT COULD EASILY RUN AS LONG AS ITS INSPIRATION!” - The Hollywood Reporter [CLEVELAND, OHIO] [DECEMBER 4, 2018] – Casting has been announced for the North American tour of the acclaimed musical comedy, Spamilton: An American Parody. The tour will launch at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH on December 20, 2018 and will go on to play ten multi-week engagements in its first season. Tickets are available at the Playhouse Square Ticket Office (1519 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland), by visiting playhousesquare.org, or by calling 216-241-6000. Group orders of 15 or more may be placed by calling 216-640-8600. Created by Gerard Alessandrini, the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit Forbidden Broadway and performed by a versatile cast of seven, Spamilton is a side-splitting new musical parody. After tearing it up in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London, Spamilton: An American Parody will stage a singing, dancing, comedy revolution in a city near you. The cast will feature Chuckie Benson, Ani Djirdjirian, Marissa Hecker, Brandon Kinley, Adrian Lopez, Dominic Pecikonis and Datus Puryear. SPAMILTON creator Gerard Alessandrini and the company of SPAMILTON: AN AMERICAN PARODY North American Tour Below is a list of announced first year tour stops for Spamilton: An American Parody, with additional cities to follow. Cleveland, OH Playhouse Square December 20, 2018 – January 6, 2019 Las Vegas, NV The Smith Center January 22 – February 10, 2019 Boston, MA Huntington Theatre Company February 12 – March 10, 2019 Tampa, FL Straz Center April 9 – May 12, 2019 Marilyn Stasio of Variety mused, “Hip-hop, Broadway showtunes, Viennese waltzes — is there anything this guy can’t write? No, not Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, but Gerard Alessandrini, whose ingenious parody Spamilton simultaneously salutes and sends up Miranda and his signature musical.” Ben Brantley of The New York Times said, “This smart, silly, and often convulsively funny thesis, performed by a motor-mouthed cast that is fluent in many tongues, is the work of that eminent specialist in Broadway anatomy, pathology, and gossip, Gerard Alessandrini.” ABOUT THE CREATOR: Gerard Alessandrini (Creator, Writer & Director) is a Special Tony Award winner for Excellence in the Theatre. He created, wrote, and directed all 25 editions of Forbidden Broadway in NYC, Los Angeles, and around the world, and performed in the original 1982 cast. He can be heard on four of the 12 Forbidden Broadway cast albums and on the Disney classics Aladdin and Pocahontas. He has written television specials for Bob Hope, Angela Lansbury, and Carol Burnett. He contributed material to the recent Barbra Streisand album Encore. His other musicals include Madame X (co-written with Robert Hetzel) and an all-sung version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. Most recently in New York, he directed the new revue Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Songs of Maury Yeston. His Spamilton won Best Unique Theatrical Experience (Off-Broadway Theatre Alliance) and Show of the Year (2017 MAC Award). Other awards include seven Drama Desks (including two for Best Lyrics), one Obie, two Lucille Lortels, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drama League. The creative team includes Gerry McIntyre (Choreography), Morgan Large (Set Design), Dustin Cross (Costume Design), Curtis Reynolds (Music Direction) and Fred Barton (Music Supervision). The North American tour of Spamilton: An American Parody is produced by Spamiltour LLC. Spamilton was originally produced by John Freedson, David Zippel, Gerard Alessandrini and Christine Pedi. # # # CAST BIOS: Chuckie Benson (Ensemble). Incredibly grateful to reunite with my Spamilton family. Recent credits include: Heartbreak Hotel (Chicago Cast), Spamilton (Chicago), The Wiz (Lion), Big River (Jim), etc. Thank you to God, my beautiful parents and Paonessa Talent Agency. Ani Djirdjirian (Ensemble) is a native New Yorker and was most recently seen in The Office Musical Parody Off-Broadway. She is so excited to be traveling the country putting smiles on people's faces in Spamilton! Marissa Hecker (Swing). National tour debut! Regional: West Side Story (Consuela) at Weston Playhouse, Cabaret (Lulu/Dance Captain) at Lake Dillon Theatre Company. Endless love to The Price Group, Mom, Dad, Fiona, and Phoebe. Proud CCM grad. For Max. Brandon Kinley (Swing). Xenia, Ohio native, writer, actor and musician with a BFA from Wright State University. Was in Spamilton-Chicago, and is very grateful to be part of the Spam Fam again! Gratitude: Mom & Dad the best support system ever, my siblings and extended family and friends. Adrian Lopez (Lin Manuel Miranda). Spamilton National Tour. Graduate of SHSU (BFA Musical Theatre c/o 2018). Endless gratitude to Gerard Alessandrini, Michael Cassara Casting, The Open Jar Institute, my friends, mi familia, and every teacher I’ve ever had. Dominic Pecikonis (Daveed Diggs and Others). National Tour debut! Thanks to God, my family, Michael Cassara Casting and the entire Spamilton team. Shout out to Jeff Whiting and The Open Jar Institute for making this dream a reality. BFA Musical Theatre: Sam Houston State University. Datus Puryear (Aaron Burr and Others) is thrilled to join the national tour of Spamilton! His favorite credits include Broadway’s Cotton Club musical After Midnight, Tarell McCraney's Choir Boy, Dreamgirls, 50 Shades! the Musical (National Tour), and Dunkfest88 (Off-Broadway). Proverbs 16:9. Follow Playhouse Square on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @playhousesquare #playhousesquare #BWYinCLE The largest performing arts center in the country outside of New York, the not-for-profit Playhouse Square is Northeast Ohio’s destination for Broadway and more great entertainment. Playhouse Square is a champion of arts education and downtown Cleveland, and proud to be the home of Cleveland Play House, Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance, DANCECleveland, Great Lakes Theater and Tri-C Jazz Fest. .