Tartaglia Departs Las Vegas Avenue Q Dec. 6; Lyon Stays On Through Jan. 29

By: Dec. 09, 2005
AVENUE Q
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John Tartaglia, who will soon appear in off-Broadway's Newsical 2006: The Next Edition, will depart the Las Vegas production of Avenue Q on December 11th. Co-star Rick Lyon, however, will stay with the musical through January 29th, 2006.

The puppet-laden show opened at the Wynn Las Vegas' Broadway Theatre on September 8th after beginning previews on August 27th. Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre and The New Group, who produced the show on Broadway (where it continues to run), joined forces with the Wynn to bring the irreverent musical to Sin City. The Broadway Theatre, which boasts 1,200 seats and costs $40 million, was built specifically to house Avenue Q.

Tartaglia (who plays Princeton and Rod) and Lyon (Nicky, Trekkie Monster and others) were the only original cast members to make The Trip to Vegas, but they will be supported by a doubled ensemble that includes Angela Ai (Christmas Eve), David Benoit (Nicky, Trekkie Monster, more), Steven Booth (ensemble), Minglie Chen, Tonya Dixon (Gary Coleman), Rita Dolphin (Mrs. T. and more), Natalie Gray (Christmas Eve), Phyre Hawkins (ensemble), Nicholas Kohn (Brian), Michelle Lane (ensemble), Kevin Noonchester (ensemble), Brynn O'Malley (Kate Monster, Lucy, et al.), Cole Porter (Brian), Jonathan Root (Princeton and Rod), Kelli Sawyer (Kate Monster, Lucy, et al.), Sharon Wheatley (Mrs. T. and others) and Haneefah Wood (Gary Coleman).

A send-up of Sesame Street and other children's shows, Avenue Q mixes obscenity and tenderness in its story of wordly but still hopeful puppets and humans looking for love, success and purpose. The show won the Best Musical Tony in 2004, as well as Best Book (Jeff Whitty) and Best Score (Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez). Jason Moore directed the Broadway production, and Garry Adler served up the musical direction. Stephanie D'Abruzzo (who will leave on December 24th), Ann Harada, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber and Jennifer Barnhart were among the other puppeteers and performers of the original cast; all remain in the current cast with Barrett Foa and Christian Anderson as co-stars. Lyon was the conceiver and designer of the show's puppets.

In Las Vegas as on Broadway, Avenue Q features sets by Anna Louizos, costumes by Mirena Rada, lighting by Howell Binkley and sound by Acme Sound Partners, as well as musical supervision by Stephen Oremus and choreography by Ken Roberson.

Avenue Q currently plays Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 W. 45th St.) The Wynn is located at 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on Las Vegas ticket sales, For more information, call (702) 770-7000 or toll free (888) 320-7123, or visit the website at www.wynnlasvegas.com.

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