CRT to Present PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Beg. 7/12

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) presents Gilbert & Sullivan's comic operetta THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, directed by Broadway veteran Terrence Mann, starring Seán Martin Hingston as the Pirate King, Steven Hayes as the Major-General and Connecticut native Diane Phelan as Mabel. Performances begin July 12 at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs and run through July 22. For tickets and information call the Box Office at 860.486.2113 and visit www.crt.uconn.edu.

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Written by W.S. Gilbert
Composed by Arthur Sullivan
July 12 – 22, 2012
Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre

Directed by Broadway's Terrence Mann, this pinnacle of musical ridiculousness is as wacky, irreverent and as entertaining today as it was when it first opened in 1879. It is the story of Frederic who was, as a child, apprenticed to a band of orphaned pirates by his nurse-who, being hard of hearing, had mistaken her master's instructions to apprentice the boy to a pilot. By the end, the tenderhearted pirates, a modern Major-General-played by last season's audience favorite Steven Hayes (Horton in Seussical), the Major-General's bevy of beautiful but unwed daughters, and the timid tap dancing Constabulary all contribute to a comic cacophony that can be silenced only by invoking Queen Victoria's name. Join us for the goofy glory of Gilbert and Sullivan at its hilarious swashbuckling best!

The show will be directed by Broadway veteran Terrence Mann and will feature Seán Martin Hingston as the Pirate King, best known for his Broadway appearances in Promises, Promises and Crazy For You. His TV/Film credits include Across The Universe, The Producers and Sex and the City. Steven Hayes is playing the Major-General. He recently portrayed The Barber in 2012 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Man of La Mancha. He also won Outstanding Actor at the NYC Fringe Festival. Diane Phelan is playing Mabel. She is a Connecticut native from New Haven. Her NYC credits include Disenchanted! and Carousel.

THE CAST

Seaìn Martin Hingston (Pirate King) Broadway: Promises, Promises, Curtains, Contact, Crazy For You. NYC Theater: The Cocoanuts, Encores! A Connecticut Yankee, Boys From Syracuse, L'Il Abner, Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall and The Met. Bernadette Peters at Carnegie Hall,The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at Radio City. Regional: Kiss Me Kate (L.A. Ovation Award Nomination) A Wonderful Life, The Pirate, What a Glorious Feeling,Yankee Doodle Dandy, Paula Vogel'sThe Long Christmas Ride Home, A.R. Gurney's Let's Do It!, Chita and All That Jazz, Evita, Lloyd Webber's Requiem/ Variations. Australia: Cats, 42nd Street, Man of La Mancha. Film: Across The Universe, The Producers, Beyond the Sea, Center Stage. TV: The Bronx is Burning, Sex and the City, Law and Order-Criminal Intent, Live from Lincoln Center - Contact, An Evening with the Boston Pops, One Life to Live, Guiding Light.

Steven Hayes (Major-General) recently appeared as The Barber in 2012 Nutmeg Summer Season production of Man of La Mancha and as Horton the Elephant in 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Seussical: The Musical. He is an award winning comedian, actor and writer, as well as the host of the classic movie review/comedy show: STEVEN HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies on YouTube. As an actor, he also starred in the motion picture, The Big Gay Musical directed by Casper Andreas and in Fine Line Features' Trick directed by Jim Fall, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Sundance Film Festival. Off-Broadway he starred in the world premiere of Queen's Blvd directed by Vincent J. Cardinal and appeared at Dixon Place in Bradford Scobie's Moisty The Snowman Saves Christmas. Steven won Outstanding Actor at the New York International Fringe Theatre Festival for The Penguin Tango. He performed his one-person show; STEVEN HAYES Hollywood Reunion and STEVEN HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies LIVE! with John Bixler at GAYFEST NYC. Steven is a three-time winner of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs MAC Award for Outstanding Comedian and Characterization, the Backstage Bistro Award and the ASCAP Popular Music Award.

Ryan N. Phillips (Frederic) appeared in the 2012 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Man of La Mancha and in the 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Guys & Dolls as Liver Lips Louie. His other credits include: the DJ and Judge from Tommy Tune's Fifty*Four*Forever, Phantom Characters in Nilo Cruz's Night Train to Bolina, Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Senex in A Funny Thing... Forum, Mike Spears in Pal Joey, and Fortinbras in Hamlet. Mr. Phillips recently graduated from the University of Miami.

Lynn McNutt (Ruth) played Mrs. Pearce in the 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series production of My Fair Lady. She has appeared in Cabaret, Damn Yankees and Nilo Cruz's Bolero (Arena Stage); National/ international tour and the 20th Anniversary of Annie (Goodspeed); The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Maid's Tragedy (Shakespeare Theatre); Katie Couric's A Brand New Kid and Hot or Cold (Kennedy Center); A Moon for the Misbegotten, Crimes of the Heart and Major Barbara (Charlotte Rep); She Loves Me (Indiana Rep); The Spitfire Grill (Regional Premiere, Florida Stage); Northanger Abbey (World Premiere, OOBR Award Best Play, NYC; Margaret of Anjou, Claudius (Flatiron Theatre, NYC). She received her training at Florida State University (BFA) and The Shakespeare Theatre (MFA.)

Diane Phelan (Mabel) is a Connecticut Native from New Haven and recently portrayed one of the disgruntled Disney Princesses in the hilarious NYC-bound workshop of Disenchanted! and Julie Jordan in Carousel directed by Baayork Lee. Credits include: Bernarda Alba (Adela standby/ Lincoln Center); West Side Story (Maria/50th Anniversary Int'l Tour); Suites By Sondheim (Principal soloist/ Lincoln Center); South Pacific (Lincoln Center Tour); The King & I (Tuptim/ regional tour); Cabaret: Diary Of An Abmbiguoulsy Ethnic Girl at The Duplex.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Terrence Mann (Director) most recently played Don Quixote in the 2012 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Man of La Mancha and Henry Higgins in 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series production of My Fair Lady. Mr. Mann made his Broadway debut in 1982 as Chester Lyman in the Tony Award-winning musical, Barnum, but his true break-through performance came when he created the memorable lead role of the "playful" cat Rum Tum Tugger in the original Broadway cast of Cats. Mann's portrayal of Inspector Javert in the original Broadway production of Les Miserables earned him his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His second Tony Award nomination came in 1994 when he played the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Most recently, he completed a Broadway run as Mal Beineke in The Addams Family. Other stage credits include: The Scarlet Pimpernel (Chauvlin), Rags, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Getting Away With Murder and the 2000 Broadway revival The Rocky Horror Show, Assassins, Lennon and The Lost Colony, North Carolina. Film credits include: A Chorus Line, A Circle on the Cross, Eavesdrop, all four Critters films.TV credits include: 30 ROCK,All My Children (Earl Boyd), The Equalizer,The Tick, and Law and Order. Mr. Mann is the Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre,Western Carolina University.

Cassie Abate (Choreographer) recently choreographed the 2012 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Man of La Mancha, directed and choreographed the 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Suessical: The Musical and appeared in that season's production of My Fair Lady. Her other directing and choreography credits include: Pirates of Penzance at the Stephen Sondheim Center, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, Music Man, Moby Dick: the Musical, Little Women, and Zanna, Don't!. Regional and Tour performing credits: Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stage starring Maurice Hines, National Tour of Urban Cowboy (Bubbles), 42nd Street at North Shore (Lorraine), West Side Story (Maria u/s), Pirates of Penzance (Mabel), Singin' in the Rain (Kathy Selden), The Boyfriend (Polly) and Little Women (Beth). Cassie will begin in the fall as Head of Dance in the Musical Theatre Program at Texas State University.

NDavid Williams (Music Director) was the Music Director for CRT's 2012 Nutmeg Summer Series production of Man of La Mancha and the 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series productions of Guys & Dolls and My Fair Lady. He is the head of and the music director for the University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts and the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, as well as the music director of the Adirondack Lakes Summer Theater Festival. Mr.Williams is a well-known classical pianist and accompanist who works throughout the world. His professional musical theatre credits include: Sunday in the Park With George, Rent, A New Brain, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, etc. He has served as guest pianist with the San Francisco Ballet, Florida Grand Opera,the Miami City Ballet, Maximum Dance and is the founder of several interNational Theatre summer programs.

The Design team includes: Michael Anania, Scenic Designer; Olivera Gajic, Costume Designer; Greg Purnell, Lighting Designer and Nathan Leigh, Sound Designer.

PERFORMANCE & TICKET INFORMATION:

Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Matinee performances start at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Single ticket prices range from $10 to $42. The intimate Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre is located on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs and offers air-conditioned comfort and convenient nearby parking (free parking is in Lot 9 across from the Jorgensen Center, paid parking is available in the North Garage). Please call 860.486.2113 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu for tickets and additional information. Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/CTRepTheatre and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/connecticut.repertory.theatre.

CRT's Season Sponsor for the Summer series is SI Financial Advisors, the Wealth Management Division of Savings Institute Bank & Trust. Community Partners are Hamilton Sundstrand, XL Color, Nathan Hale Inn, the Mansfield Community Center and the UConn Dairy Bar.