Rachel York and La Chanze to star in Ahrens & Flaherty's Dessa Rose

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 4:59pm

From Playbill.com:

"Rachel York has been cast in the upcoming Lincoln Center Theater production of Dessa Rose, the new musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, a show spokesman confirmed. As previously reported, La Chanze is to star as the title character, a runaway slave.

Dessa Rose will fill the Mitzi E. Newhouse beginning Feb. 17, 2005, and open March 21."


http://www.playbill.com/news/article/89080.html

[Mattio98]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:03pm

Don't know much about LaChanze but I love Ahrens/Flaherty and Rachel York so I'm very excited about this.

[luvWICKED416]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:04pm

That's awesome... Rachel York is great!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:04pm

YAY. I love Rachel York.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:09pm

LaChanze was outstanding in Ragtime, Once On This Island and Dreamgirls, as well as in Off-Broadway's The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin by Kristen Childs (which I really hoped would move on to a commercial run at the time -- she was terrific).

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:12pm

I hope they release a cast recording because that is the only way I will get to experience it (thru audio)

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:13pm

Right, I read this yesterday. Sounds like it could be VERY good (great leads). Did La Chanze take over for Audra in Ragtime?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:16pm

Yep, she was Audra's replacement as Sarah.

[EffieWhite]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:20pm

There were two simultaneous companies of RAGTIME--Audra was in the New York one and LaChanze was in the LA one.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:23pm

True, but LaChanze did play Sarah in the Broadway company after Audra left.

[pab]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:34pm

I saw her on Broadway in "Once On This Island" and loved her performance.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 5:53pm

I saw Rachel York in Sly Fox. She was great!

[bwguyhottie]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 6:24pm

pardon my igornace...but is this a broadway or an off broadway house?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 6:45pm

Not an ignorant question at all. Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse is an off-Broadway house; The Vivian Beaumont is LCT's Broadway house.

[Mattio98]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:51pm

I'd just like to give a big THANK YOU to the Lincoln Center Theatre for consistently helping to acknowledge creativity in the theatre community by producing works that may not otherwise have had the chance to have a large scale New York run.

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:55pm

Omgarsh--Dessa Rose is like NESSAROSE!! From WICKED!!!!!!!

[Mattio98]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 11:10pm

Oh lord...

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 11:16pm

Thus proving my theory that Graciela Danielle will take part in any show that involves either LaChanze, Ahrens/Flaherty, Michael John LaChiusa---or a combination of the 3.

Cant wait for this! Love me some Rachel York.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 11:31pm

"Thus proving my theory that Graciela Danielle will take part in any show that involves either LaChanze, Ahrens/Flaherty, Michael John LaChiusa---or a combination of the 3."

Is that a bad thing?

[MusicMan]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:12am

Hmm, interesting that Donna Murphy's no longer involved. Mebbe she or her managers know something we don't.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:32am

Or maybe, with her recent attendance record, the producers thought twice about hiring her for a run.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:38am

No Governor, it is not a bad thing at all. I'm just calling the facts.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:57am

I LOVE "ONCE ON THIS ISLAND"


(and in case I haven't said this before, I would make a really awesome Asaka... for a skinny white girl.)

[EffieWhite]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:13am

Donna's pilot with Jeff Goldblum may still go as a mid-season replacement and she is unable to commit to DESSA ROSE. Donna and her managers all love the piece.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 4:30pm

Now Michael Hayden has joined the cast! This looks more and more promising.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/89137.html