Matthew Lopez's SOMEWHERE Makes East Coast Premiere at Hartford Stage, Now thru 5/4

Matthew Lopez's Somewhere, the captivating, dance-filled saga of a Puerto Rican family in 1959 New York City, springs to life today, April 3 to May 4 in its East Coast Premiere at Hartford Stage. By the author of the critically-acclaimed The Whipping Man, which garnered rave reviews at Hartford Stage in 2012, Somewhere will feature Priscilla Lopez (Morales in the original cast of A Chorus Line) and will be directed by Giovanna Sardelli, with original music by Tony Award winner Bill Sherman and choreography by Greg Graham.

In 1959, West Side Story is storming Broadway, and a movie version is on the way. It fuels the show-business dreams of Inez Candelaria (Lopez), who works as an usher but hopes that her children will succeed on the other side of the footlights. The play's journey over the past two years included well-received productions at The Old Globe in San Diego and TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA, and then a workshop as part of Hartford Stage's Brand:NEW series four months ago. Matthew Lopez also served as the 2013-2014 Aetna New Voices Fellow here.

The cast of Somewhere includes Zachary Infante (Julie Taymor's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theatre for a New Audience; Peter Pan, Paper Mill Playhouse); Priscilla Lopez (Broadway's A Chorus Line, Tony Award nomination; A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical; In the Heights; and Anna in the Tropics); Jessica Ann Naimy (South Pacific, National Tour; A Chorus Line, San Diego Musical Theatre); Michael Rosen (Broadway's West Side Story; Nikolai and the Others, Lincoln Center Theater); and Cary Tedder (Broadway's Big Fish and Memphis: A New Musical). Priscilla Lopez, who is the playwright's aunt, as well as director Giovanna Sardelli and choreographer Greg Graham, have been a part of all previous productions of Somewhere.

Director Giovanna Sardelli's previous works include Off-Broadway's Earth Girls Are Easy and The North Pool, at such theatres as Cherry Lane Theatre, Second Stage, The Vineyard, and The Woman's Project. Choreographer Greg Graham's credits include the TV series "SMASH" and "Ugly Betty." Broadway dance credits include Fosse, Hairspray, Chicago, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Billy Elliot.

Composer Bill Sherman is the Tony Award winner for Best Orchestrations and Grammy Award winner for Best Cast Album, Co-producer, for In the Heights. He is the composer of the New York-bound musical FLY. Sherman is also the longtime music director for "The Electric Company" and "Sesame Street," where his credits include the recurring Elmo: The Musical montages and an Emmy Award for Original Song for "What I Am."

Somewhere features scenic design by Donyale Werle (Tony Award-winner for Broadway's Peter and the Starcatcher and Tony Award-nominee for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson); costume design by Amy Clark (Broadway's A Night with Janis Joplin and Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus); lighting design by Philip Rosenberg (Hartford Stage and Broadway's A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, also Mary Stuart and Shrek: The Musical on Broadway); and sound design by Jason Crystal (Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella and The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess on Broadway). Lori Lundquist will serve as production stage manager.

Information and Special Events:

• Press Night: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9
• Opening Night: 8 p.m. Friday, April 11

Dinner + Design
On Wednesday, April 9, a member of the Hartford Stage design team shares what it takes to create the theatrical worlds of our season. Learn more about the magic that happens backstage while enjoying a pre-show dinner. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. before the 7:30 curtain. Reservations required. Event tickets are $25.

The Producer's Table
On Thursday, April 17, Managing Director Mike Stotts hosts a pre-show dinner, where he gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a play. The tour will begin at 5:45 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. curtain. Reservations required. Event tickets are $25. Please note this is an UPPER LOBBY event, accessible only by stairs.

LGBT Night Out!
On Thursday, April 10, please join us for a pre-show nosh and complimentary wine (plus drink specials at the bar) for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patrons. Event begins at 6:15 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. curtain. The reception is free with purchase of a ticket for that evening's performance.

AfterWords Discussion
Join members of the cast and our Artistic staff for a free discussion, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performances on Tuesday, April 15 and 22, or the 2 p.m. performances on Wednesday, April 16 and 23. Free.

Sunday Afternoon Discussion
Enjoy a lecture from artists and scholars connected with the production immediately following the 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 13. Free.

The production runs April 3 through May 4, 2014. Evening performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinee performances at 2 p.m.; and select Wednesday and Saturday matinees are at 2 p.m.

Tickets for all shows start at $25. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more and for students (recommended for ages 14 and up). For a more specific schedule of performances or to buy tickets for Somewhere, please call the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.

ABOUT HARTFORD STAGE: Now its 50th Anniversary season, Hartford Stage is one of the nation's leading resident theatres, known internationally for producing classics, provocative new plays and musicals, and neglected works from the past, as well as a distinguished education program that reaches 21,000 students annually. Currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts, Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation's most distinguished awards, including a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Margo Jones Award for Development of New Works, OBIE awards, two New York Critics Circle Awards, a Dramatists Guild/CBS Award and an Elliot Norton Award, and has produced nationally renowned titles, including the Broadway productions of Enchanted April and Our Country's Good and the Off-Broadway productions of The Orphans' Home Cycle and The Carpetbaggers Children.

The 2012 Hartford Stage production of A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder is now playing to rave reviews on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre (www.agentlemansguidebroadway.com), and the 2013 production of Man in a Case is currently on national tour.

The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Hartford Stage's offerings include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses.