James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree

[somethingwicked]

James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#0

Posted: 10/11/06 at 9:58pm

James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree
by Broadway.com Staff

Brian d'Arcy James, Marc Kudisch and Walter Charles will join Kristin Chenoweth in the Roundabout Theatre Company's forthcoming Broadway revival of The Apple Tree. Directed by Gary Griffin (The Color Purple), the production begins performances on November 28 at Studio 54 and is set to open on December 14. The limited engagement is scheduled to end on March 11, 2007. The production marks the first joint Broadway appearance of Chenoweth and Kudisch, who were engaged several years ago.
As previously reported on Broadway.com, Chenoweth is reprising three roles—Eve, Princess Barbara and Passionella—that she first played in Griffin's May 2005 Encores! presentation of the three-part musical. James will play Adam, Sanjar and Flip (roles sung by Malcolm Gets at Encores!) and Kudisch will play the Snake (sung by Michael Cerveris at Encores!). Charles will play King Arik, Employer and Producer.

James most recently played Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Brendan in the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He received a Tony nomination for Sweet Smell of Success and appeared in the Broadway productions of Titanic, Carousel and Blood Brothers. He won an Obie Award for The Good Thief and appeared off-Broadway in The Pavilion, Flight, The Wild Party, Ancestral Voices, Public Enemy and Floyd Collins. He has starred in the Los Angeles and San Francisco companies of White Christmas.

Kudisch received Tony nominations for his performances in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Other Broadway credits include Assassins, Bells Are Ringing, The Scarlet Pimpernel, High Society, Beauty and the Beast and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Off-Broadway credits include See What I Wanna See and The Wild Party. At the New York City Opera, he appeared in A Little Night Music.

Charles' Broadway credits include The Woman in White, Big River, The Boys From Syracuse, Kiss Me Kate, A Christmas Carol, La Cage Aux Folles, Aspects of Love, Me & My Girl, Cats and Grease. At the New York City Opera, he appeared in Sweeney Todd and 110 in the Shade. Off-Broadway credits include Wit and The Immigrant.

The company of The Apple Tree will also include Meggie Nicole Cansler, Julie Connors, Sarah Jane Everman, Jennifer Taylor Farrell, Justin Keyes, Lorin Lataro, Mike McGowan, Sean Palmer, Dennis Stowe and Eric Santagata.

The Apple Tree features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and a book by Bock and Harnick, the team that created Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and The Rothschilds. Described as an evening of three one-act musicals about men, women and temptation, the show is based on "The Diary of Adam and Eve," by Mark Twain; "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton; and "Passionella" by Jules Feiffer, with additional book material by Jerome Coopersmith. The Apple Tree originally premiered on Broadway on October 18, 1966, at the Shubert Theatre starring Alan Alda and Barbara Harris, directed by Mike Nichols.

The Apple Tree's creative team includes Andy Blankenbuehler (choreography), Rob Fisher (musical direction and vocal/dance Arrangements), Jonathan Tunick (orchestrations), John Lee Beatty (sets), Jess Goldstein (costumes), Donald Holder (lights), Dan Moses Schreier (sound) and Charles LaPointe (hair and wigs).

Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.

Updated On: 10/11/06 at 09:58 PM

[theaterdude87]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#1

Posted: 10/11/06 at 9:59pm

kudish and cheno togther again!~ eeks...this should make for good stories.

for fierce, fabulous and fun times visit eric mathew's world. http://ericmathew.blogspot.com/

[Luckydave14]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#2

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:01pm

Interesting. I can't wait to see it.

[Yankeefan007]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#3

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:02pm

And Young Frankenstein, too.

[BSoBW2]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#4

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:02pm

Marc Kudisch!

100 reasons to go, right there!

[C is for Company]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#5

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:14pm

Amaaaaazing news, just an added bonus to already wanting to see the show.

[shesamarshmallow]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#6

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:19pm

Blah. But ok!

broadwayunderstudies.com - most underrated performers on broadway

[TomMonster]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#7

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:24pm

WOW!

How will Aaron Sorkin work it into the Studio 60 script?

Will Cherry Jones play Kudisch?

"It's not so much do what you like, as it is that you like what you do." SS

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx

[Yankeefan007]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#8

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:27pm

Hilarious.

[NJRae]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#9

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:32pm

Umm . . . wait . . . isn't Marc supposed to be doing Summer and Smoke at the Papermill starting in January? Not that I am not thrilled that he is going to be back on Broadway but . . . ???

Now I really can't wait to see this show! :)

"I wrote a book: "How to Be Popular". Now I've put together a top ten list of how to help you: -Elphie, everyday... shower. I mean, who knows? Maybe some of that green is gonna come off! -Deodorant Elphie. No body likes a stinky witch! -I think we've covered the hair, we'll get to that. -Clean underclothes. That's all I'm gonna say. -Look at your posture. That's no way to be popular! -Bed made, room straightened. We've done that. -Colors blended. Oookay. -But the most important thing to have, to make yourself popular, is to keep your beautiful smile." ~Kristin Chenoweth in her last performance of the song "Popular"

[AStack75]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#10

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:33pm

TomMonster...

I had to register and make this my first post just to say that was pretty damn funny!

[jonartdesigns]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#11

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:35pm

so wait marc is just playing one role in one of the 3 segments? he's gonna have a hell of alot of down time

"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

[cooperross]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#12

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:39pm

IIRC the 'snake' also plays the narrator/balladeer in 'Lady or the Tiger' and is the narrator in 'Pasionella' as well

-Politics is like driving. To go backward, put it in R. To go forward, put it in D.

[boxers7]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#13

Posted: 10/11/06 at 11:15pm

Soooo excited for this! I wonder if this production will feature full sets or the same simple cut-outs used at Encores.

"I don't wanna see that!" -Aunt Sassy (as played by Valerie Cherish) on Room & Bored

[CurtainPullDowner]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#14

Posted: 10/11/06 at 11:20pm

Anyone else think Kudish and D'Arcy James (except for height) are kinda similar?
Both are very talented, I quess a lot of wigs and make-up will help.
I'm sure it will be redesigned and they will have full sets and costumes.
I do like this show a lot.
I hope they do it justice.

[TomMonster]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#15

Posted: 10/11/06 at 11:36pm

hehehe. :

I'm glad some of you got that...

"It's not so much do what you like, as it is that you like what you do." SS

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx

[WesternSky2]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#16

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:09am

This literally just made my night. Congrats to Brian... he deserves this.

[gumbo2]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#17

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:29am

Wow, I am really excited especially since I'll be in the city during its preview period! And I love Brian d'Arcy James.

[rose_pearl]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#18

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:34am

"This literally just made my night. Congrats to Brian... he deserves this."

Amen.

~*Sara*~
Who would play you in the movie? "Taye Diggs." --Brian d'Arcy James

[RentBoy86]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#19

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:47am

Man, I already don't know what to see when I visit NYC in December....just more options. I love me some James.

[cooperross]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#20

Posted: 10/12/06 at 1:15am

well if you want to see Apple Tree..since it's a ltd run..I'd suggest you get tix when they first go on sale..otherwise..might not be seats avail unless you go thru a ticket broker or take your chances in the cancellation line.

-Politics is like driving. To go backward, put it in R. To go forward, put it in D.

[BwayBaby18]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#21

Posted: 10/12/06 at 1:51am

Wow Kristin and Marc, i wonder if the hatchet has been burried???

She still seemed kinda sore about it during her Carnegie Hall concert. I wonder wht Shanon Lewis has to say about this.

[gumbo2]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#22

Posted: 10/12/06 at 1:55am

cooperross, do you think tickets will be really hard to get even for previews?

[cooperross]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#23

Posted: 10/12/06 at 2:01am

If I were you I'd still be on the website the day they go onsale to Amex members...seriously..it's a ltd run...and it's the first show KC's done in NY since Wicked...

-Politics is like driving. To go backward, put it in R. To go forward, put it in D.

[FrontRowCenter2]

re: James, Kudisch and Charles to Join Chenoweth in The Apple Tree#24

Posted: 10/12/06 at 6:28am

So this is the season that could quite possibly earn Kristin Chenoweth 2 Tony nominations for Best Actress; one for The Apple Tree and the other for Young Frankenstein!

My bad - Young Frankenstein's opening will be the next season. Sorry. Updated On: 10/12/06 at 06:28 AM