Christine Baranski and Walter Bobbie are the comedy character leads.
Randy Skinner and Karen Ziemba play Junior's parents. Thirty years ago, they starred opposite each other in a summer stock production of Babes in Arms, directed by Ginger Rogers.
Ziemba has other connections to Ms. Rogers: She played what is esentially the Ginger Rogers role in Crazy for You(based on Girl Crazy) as well as playing Roxie Hart. Encores cast
just watched a YouTube video of Shonn Wiley, whose work I didn't know and who has the leading role of Junior. Very good singer, cute, and according to his bio, is also a dancer. Hope he's really good; this show needs strong leads in the roles of Junior and Frankie, not just brilliant support from Christine Baranski and Walter Bobbie, great though they may be. But it is a really fun show, and can't wait to see it again. But don't expect to hear the interpolated "You Took Advantage of Me," which Stritch immortalized in the 1954 revival. Encores usually sticks to the original show (although their MERRILY did not, but it wasn't very good anyway).
Jon, I saw that production of Babe in Arms somewhere up the Hudson River. That's when I fell in love with Karen Ziemba and have followed her career ever since. She is immensely charming on stage.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
"The “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” ballet, originally choreographed by George Balanchine, will be staged by Susan Pilarre, who served as a Ballet Mistress of the show’s 1983 Broadway revival." LINK
I will add this ... for those of you who don't know the score, it's really wonderful. Rich melodies and lyrics that will resonate with you for a lifetime.
(No, I'm not a shill. I fell in love with this show when I saw the '83 revival.)
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
There would be NO point at all in eliminating the Slaughter Ballet. It's the high point of the show, musically spectacular (one of Rodgers's very best) and crucial to the plot. I have no idea how Encores! is going to go about it, but they wouldn't have DARED go near this show without it. I trust Encores! passionately and hope to see this. Very excited and they're using ballet people to execute it.