City of Angels at Ogunquit Playhouse

Tony Yazbeck, Ben Jacoby, Alysha Umphress, More Cast in City of Angels at Ogunquit Playhouse

Hunter Foster will direct the Tony-winning musical by Larry Gelbart, Cy Coleman, and David Zippel.

Casting is complete for the Ogunquit Playhouse's upcoming production of Larry Gelbart, Cy Coleman, and David Zippel's Tony-winning musical City of Angels.

Tony nominee Hunter Foster will direct the limited engagement, which will play the Maine venue July 23-August 22.

The cast will be led by Ben Jacoby as Stine and Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck (On the Town) as Stone with Stephen DeRosa (BOOP! The Musical) as Buddy Fiddler/Irwin S. Irving, Omar Lopez-Cepero (On Your Feet!) as Muoz/Pancho Vargas, Lili Thomas(Gypsy) as Carla Haywood/Alaura Kingsley, Bella Serrano as Mallory Kingsley/Avril Raines, Alysha Umphress (On the Town) as Gabby/Bobbi, and Danielle Wade (Mean Girls) as Donna/Oolie.

The company will also include Katie Anderson, Josh Canfield, Meghan Olivia Corbett, Kyle de la Cruz Laing, Jackson Dunlap, Rick Faugno, Sam Foti, Claire Marshall (Chicago), Steven Martella, Elliott Mattox, Daniel Reardon, Aaron Michael Ray (Come From Away), Alysia Vastardis, and Riley Wesson. Casting is by ARC.

City of Angels, which opened on Broadway December 11, 1989, features music by the late Coleman, lyrics by Zippel, and a book by the late Gelbart. All three earned Tony Awards for their work. The production also took 1990 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (James Naughton), Best Scenic Design, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Randy Graff). The production subsequently closed January 19, 1992, following 24 previews and 879 regular performances.

City of Angels finds a crime novelist working on a screenplay adaptation of one of his books as his marriage is crumbling, while his hardboiled hero can't get over the one that got away in a much-beloved spoof of film noir and 1940s Hollywood.

The upcoming production will also have choreography by Jennifer Rias, music direction by Jeffrey Campos, scenic design by Nate Bertone, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by José Santiago, sound design by Kevin Heard, and wig/hair and makeup design by Roxanne De Luna. Nikki Lint is the production stage manager.

https://playbill.com/article/tony-yazbeck-ben-jacoby-alysha-umphress-more-cast-in-city-of-angels-at-ogunquit-playhouse

Saw the original production with its second cast -- Joel Higgins and Tom Wopat -- and absolutely loved it. Michael Blakemore's direction was crackling (some of those transitions - bravo!) and the score is brassy and funny and sublime. I guess we haven't had a revival because it's not as well known a title as it should be and period pieces are expensive, but it seems like this should be able to attract a crackerjack cast. Could we get Jonathan Groff and Jeremy Jordan and Stine and Stone and Annaleigh Ashford as Donna/Oolie?

Updated On: 8/10/26 at 01:17 PM

The Donna/Oolie character works so well with a plus-size performer. I would love to see Bonnie Milligan’s take on the role.

SidebySidebyLogan said: "Wonder every year why it doesn't show up in the season announcement for Encores."

I read in a separate thread from a year ago that a producing team has apparently been holding onto the rights for the last few years, with the hopes that the right creatives could be assembled for a full scale revival.
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/City-of-Angels-Revival-WHEN--#5517790

Updated On: 8/10/26 at 03:03 PM

Not since they changed the shows Encores does (and tarnished their original mission).

There are several professional clips of this production online and this production is certainly Broadway caliber. From the performers to the production design elements this looks like a must see. Bravo Ogunquit Playhouse! Also, I didn't realize that Hunter Foster directed this.

The program lists 8 musicians in the pit but the clips sound like there are more. I could be wrong but I wonder if the 8 musicians are enhanced with some backing tracks?



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