DAMES AT SEA announces complete cast

COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED

FOR THE FIRST BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF

BROADWAY’S BIGGEST LITTLE MUSICAL

STARRING JOHN BOLTON, MARA DAVI, DANNY GARDNER, ELOISE KROPP,

LESLI MARGHERITA AND CARY TEDDER

PERFORMANCES BEGIN THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

OPENING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

SETTING SAIL AT BROADWAY’S HELEN HAYES THEATRE

BOOK AND LYRICS BY GEORGE HAIMSOHN AND ROBIN MILLER

MUSIC BY JIM WISE

DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY RANDY SKINNER

(New York, NY – Tuesday, July 21, 2015) Infinity Theatre Company (Anna Roberts Ostroff & Alan Ostroff), Martin Platt and David Elliott are pleased to announce that the first Broadway production of DAMES AT SEA will star John Bolton as The Captain/Hennesey, Mara Davi as Joan, Danny Gardner as Lucky, Eloise Kropp as Ruby, Laurence Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita as Mona Kent, and Cary Tedder as Dick. The original 1968 production of DAMES AT SEA launched the career of the young ingénue playing Ruby, Bernadette Peters.

DAMES AT SEA will set sail at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre (240 West 44 Street), beginning performances Thursday, September 24, 2015, with an opening night of Thursday, October 22, 2015.

With a book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, music by Jim Wise, and music supervision and vocal & dance arrangements by Emmy Award winner Rob Berman (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Finian’s Rainbow), DAMES AT SEA will be directed and choreographed by three time Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner (42nd Street, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas).

JOHN BOLTON was most recently seen on Broadway as The Old Man in A Christmas Story, The Musical. He originated the role of the villainous Grady in Broadway’s Curtains, and was in the original Broadway casts of Spamalot, Contact and Titanic, all three of which won the Tony for Best Musical. He was also featured in the Broadway revivals of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995) and Damn Yankees. Other New York credits include soloist work with the New York Philharmonic, extensive Off-Broadway work, concerts, cabaret performances, improve and stand-up work. Mr. Bolton’s TV and film work includes “Gossip Girl,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Good Wife,” “Law & Order: CI,” “Ed,” “All My Children,” “As The World Turns,” “Heart and Soul,” and The Savages.

MARA DAVI’s Broadway credits include starring as Judy Haynes in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Janet Van de Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone, and Maggie Winslow in the original cast of the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. Ms. Davi’s other New York credits include Death Takes A Holiday at the Roundabout Theatre, and No, No Nanette and Of Thee I Sing at City Center’s Encores!. She was nominated for a Helen Hayes Awards for her performances in the new musical Beaches at Washington, D.C.’s Signature Theatre and Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Kennedy Center. Her regional credits include My Paris at Goodspeed, Ever After at Paper Mill Playhouse, Animal Crackers at Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Goodman Theatre, The Toxic Avenger at the Alley Theatre, Thoroughly Modern Millie at Sacramento Music Circus, and Dancing In The Dark at the Old Globe. Ms. Davi’s TV credits include “Mysteries of Laura,” “The Good Wife,” “Taxi Brooklyn,” “Smash,” and “Blue Bloods.” Her film works includes Kensho at the Bedfellow, New Year's Eve, and Every Little Step. Unspoken by Mara and the Bitter Suite is available on iTunes.

DANNY GARDNER is making his Broadway Debut in DAMES AT SEA. Danny’s New York credits include Dick Trevor in Lady, Be Good at City Center Encores!; Everybody Gets Cake! for which he received a Drama Desk nomination; Time Step at the New Victory; All Dancing! All Singing! at the 92nd Street Y; and Room 17B for which he received a second Drama Desk nomination. National tours include Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience, and 42nd Street. Regional credits include four shows at Goodspeed including Frank in Show Boat; nine shows at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse including Chuck in Promises, Promises; and the world premiere of Noah Racey’s Pulse at Asolo Repertory.

ELOISE KROPP made her Broadway debut last season in On the Town. Other New York credits include Ramona in Little Me and Most Happy Fella, both at City Center Encores! Regional credits include Louise in Carousel at Goodspeed, and Patty Simcox in Grease at Paper Mill Playhouse.

LESLI MARGHERITA won the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for her performance as Inez in Zorro The Musical on London's West End. Lesli is currently starring on Broadway in Matilda as Mrs. Wormwood, a role she originated. Film work includes Opening Night opposite Topher Grace and Taye Diggs, and Lucky Stiff with Jason Alexander. Born and raised in California, Lesli trained at UCLA and her television credits include the upcoming “Donny!”, "Fame LA", "Major Crimes", "The Suite Life On Deck", "Charmed", "NYPD Blue", "The District", and "On The Lot". Additional stage credits include The Gronholm Method at The Falcon, Aldonza in MTW's Man Of La Mancha opposite Davis Gaines for which she received an Ovation Award nomination, Kate in Reprise Theater's Kiss Me Kate for which she won an Ovation Award, Julie in Show Boat at the Goodspeed, Audrey in Little Shop Of Horrors at La Mirada, Lady of the Lake in Spamalot at Sacramento Music Circus, Ilona in She Loves Me at CLOSBC, the West Coast Premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's See What I Wanna See at the Blank Theatre, Rated RSO at the Boston Court, and Gloria in Damn Yankees for Reprise Theater. Lesli’s book Neck Punch and Carry On: Advice from the "Queen", a series of 'inspirational' messages inspired from her Twitter feed (@QueenLesli), is available exclusively on iBooks. Lesli's critically acclaimed nightclub act All Hail The Queen​continues to play to audiences in New York and LA. ​

CARY TEDDER’s Broadway credits include the original Broadway casts of The Times They Are A-Changin', Memphis, Big Fish, and Honeymoon In Vegas. Cary recently performed across American in the first national tour of West Side Story. Mr. Tedder’s regional theater credits include work at the MUNY, Pittsburgh CLO, GEVA Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, the Alliance, Hartford Stage, and Music Theatre of Wichita.

DAMES AT SEA is a tap-happy gem of a show that celebrates the golden era of movie musicals with dazzling dances, spectacular songs and delightful dames! Ruby steps off a bus in Manhattan, and into her first Broadway show, but hours before the opening night curtain is to rise, the cast learns their theater is being demolished, so it is “all hands on deck” to find a stage to put on the show. Featuring rollicking tap dancing, love at first sight, joyful music and a boatload of laughs, DAMES AT SEA has everything you need to sweep your glooms away.

DAMES AT SEA will feature scenic design by three-time Tony Award nominee Anna Louizos (In The Heights, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella), costume design by two-time Tony Award nominee David C. Woolard (West Side Story, The Rocky Horror Show), lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Act One), sound design by Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (South Pacific, The King & I), and casting by Binder Casting.

One of the most unique musicals ever created, the original production of DAMES AT SEA pulled off the feat of creating a magnificent musical experience with a tight, multi-talented cast of six. DAMES AT SEA opened Off-Broadway at the Bouwerie Lane Theatre on December 20, 1968, and became an immediate smash hit and quickly transferred to the Theater de Lys on April 22, 1969, were it went on to run for 575 performances. The Theater de Lys, now called the Lucille Lortel Theatre, has the same basic stage dimensions as Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre. DAMES AT SEA successfully crossed the Atlantic twice to play the West End’s Duchess Theatre in 1969 and again in 1989 to play the West End’s Haymarket Theatre.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are $67 - $144.50, and all prices include a $2 facility fee. For tickets visit Telecharge.com (212-239-6200) or the Helen Hayes Theatre box office (240, W. 44th Street, NYC) beginning Thursday, August 27, 2015. For groups of 10 or more visit www.Telecharge.com/groups (800-432-7780). The playing schedule for DAMES AT SEA is: Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Beginning October 19, the playing schedule is: Tuesday through Thursday at 7pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Please note there will be no performances Wednesday, October 7 at 2pm, Sunday, October 11 at 3pm, and Wednesday, November 25 at 7pm. There will be added performances Sunday, October 11 at 2pm and 7pm, and Friday, November 27 at 2pm.

Follow DAMES AT SEA at:

https://facebook.com/DamesAtSeaBroadway

https://youtube.com/DamesAtSeaBroadway

https://twitter.com/DamesAtSeaBway

@DamesAtSeaBway

For more information visit:

www.DamesAtSeaBroadway.com

CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

GEORGE HAIMSOHN (Book & Lyrics) was born in St. Louis and served in the Navy in World War II. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, where he had his first poetry published in the student literary journal. Mr. Haimsohn’s theater credits include the musicals Dames At Sea; Now, Zing! and Johnny American. He was also a professional photographer known as Plato in the early years of physique photography and passed away in 2002 at the age of 77.

ROBIN MILLER (Book & Lyrics) began his career as a journalist in New York just after World War II. He also wrote scripts, including a screenplay for The Canterville Ghost. Subsequently, he joined forces with George Haimsohn and Jim Wise to create Dames At Sea. He also wrote the book and lyrics for a musical version of Vanity Fair, and collaborated on Peg and Radio Times, both of which were produced in London. He passed away in 2010, aged 82.

JIM WISE (Music) wrote the musicals Dames At Sea, Yankee Ingenuity and the children’s musical Olaf. Mr. Wise founded the Allardice-Wise Scholarship at Wooster College where he received a degree in Classical Languages in 1941. During his lifetime, Wise sat in on the auditions and helped pick the scholars. The scholarship continues to be awarded, on the basis of a competitive audition to a senior Theatre major. Mr. Wise passed away in 2000, at age 81.

RANDY SKINNER (Director/Choreographer) was choreographer for Broadway’s 2008 and 20009 Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, earning him his third Tony and second Drama Desk nominations. He received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Astaire award nominations for his choreography of the 2001 revival of 42nd Street. He also earned Tony and Outer Critics nominations for Ain’t Broadway Grand, and an Outer Critics nomination for State Fair, which he also co-directed. His other Broadway credits include After the Night and the Music for Manhattan Theatre Club. For the West End, he choreographed Lend Me A Tenor, The Musical. Mr. Skinner has choreographed five City Center Encores! productions: Do Re Mi, Of Thee I Sing, Face the Music, No, No, Nanette and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He earned a Lucille Lortel nomination for Off-Broadway's Lone Star Love. In 2001, he choreographed the opening number for the Tony Awards. In Los Angeles, Mr. Skinner has choreographed Hello, Dolly! with Nell Carter, Pal Joey with Dixie Carter and Elaine Stritch, Strike Up the Band with Tom Bosley, and Garry Marshall's Happy Days. His other regional credits include Broadway: Three Generations at the Kennedy Center, Stormy Weather starring Leslie Uggams at the Pasadena Playhouse, The Gershwins’ An American in Paris at the Alley Theatre in Houston, and George M, Lucky In The Rain and Babes In Arms at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. He has received the L.A. Drama Critics, L.A. Dramalogue, Bay Area Critics, Connecticut Critics and Cleveland Times Theatre awards.

ROB BERMAN (Music Supervisor, Vocal & Dance Arrangements) is an Emmy Award winning New York based conductor and music director. He is the music director of Encores!, and in eight seasons there, he has conducted twenty productions. For nine years, Rob has been music director of the Kennedy Center Honors, for which he won the 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction. Rob’s many Broadway credits as a conductor include Irving Berlin’s White Christmas; and revivals of Wonderful Town, The Pajama Game, Finian’s Rainbow, The Apple Tree, and Promises, Promises. He was music director of A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House, which aired on PBS. Rob has conducted eleven original cast recordings, including the Encores! productions of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along and Jule Styne’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He was music director for Bright Star by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell at the Old Globe Theater, and also for Tuck Everlasting at the Alliance Theater.

INFINITY THEATRE COMPANY (Producer) is run by Anna Roberts Ostroff and Alan Ostroff, a Tony Award winning husband and wife team who co-produced the Broadway revival of Pippin. Their producing career began with the NYC Fringe Festival’s 2006 presentation of Tradition, written by Alan, which was one of the highest-grossing shows in that year’s festival. This was followed by many NYC benefits, starring such performers as Aaron Lazar and Alexander Gemignani, and Theatre for Young Audience tours, including PigPen Theatre Co.’s The Mountain Song - exclusively for the non-profit Arts For All, of which Anna is the Founder and Executive Director. Anna and Alan have associate produced two Cardinal Theatricals shows in Minneapolis, MN - the hit runs of Rent and The Rocky Horror Show staged at the Lab Theatre. In 2010, the couple formed Infinity Theatre Company, a regional theatre bringing NYC talent to Annapolis, MD for a summer season of musicals, where they have since set the standard for excellence in local entertainment, producing The Fantasticks, My Way, Little Shop Of Horrors, Sisters Of Swing, Dames At Sea, Always…Patsy Cline, She Loves Me, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, I Do! I Do!, and currently, Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash and Baby. Anna and Alan are graduates of NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

MARTIN PLATT AND DAVID ELLIOTT (Producer) are the Tony Award winning co-producers of Christopher Durang's 2013 hit comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. In 2011 they produced the Olivier nominated Lend Me A Tenor - The Musical in London’s West End. Mr. Platt’s other West End credits include Nixon’s Nixon, A Woman In Mind, Gumboots, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill and the international tour of Gumboots. In New York, Platt produced Here Lies Jenny (Bebe Neuwirth/Roger Rees/Ann Reinking), and additionally, Mr. Platt was also founding Artistic Director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He has directed theatre and opera extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Elliott produced the multi-award winning production, The Exonerated. As Perry Street Theatricals, productions include: Treason, Shylock, an oak tree (Obie Award Winner), and In The Continuum (Obie Award Winner). Perry Street Theatricals is currently developing the new musical by Adam Overett, My Life Is A Musical.

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