Whitney Winfield to Lead TheatreZone's BROOKLYN; Cast Announced!

TheatreZone artistic director Mark Danni today revealed the cast of five performers who stage a "street theater" production of a modern-day fairy tale in Brooklyn - The Musical. According to Danni, Brooklyn is "lost treasure of Broadway" - a poignant story about a French girl who loses her mother and comes to the United States in search of the father she's never known.

The StreetSinger (Anthony Murphy) compares the performers and the show's characters to the clusters of weeds that grow in the cracks of the sidewalk. They may not always be pretty, but they're hearty. They're survivors.

The show starts with the soul-flavored "Heart Behind These Hands," which contains one of several memorable melodies in Brooklyn. Young American musician, Taylor (Larry Alexander), goes to France in the early 1970s, where he meets a young woman, Faith (Lynn Craig). They make a deep connection, but he departs and she never hears from him again. But not before leaving her a child to raise, a girl Faith names Brooklyn, after the city Taylor comes from.

Brooklyn is played by actress Whitney Winfield, who sings with strength and beauty that expresses sweetness and damaged innocence. Brooklyn becomes a famous singer in America and decides to use her fame to find her father, singing at the end of concerts the effortlessly catchy "unfinished lullaby," written by Taylor and taught to Brooklyn by her mother, in the hopes that her dad will find her and provide the words that only they know.

Conflict comes, ironically, bearing the name of Paradice. Played with sassy gusto, Paradice (Renee Jackson) is America's reigning diva, and is everything Brooklyn isn't: cynical, calculating, cocky and really funny.

Brooklyn - the Musical will be directed by Mark Danni, choreographed by Karen Molnar and music directed by Michael Horsley. The musical performs at TheatreZone March 5 through March 15, 2015. Tickets cost $48 and $53 each plus a $2 per ticket fee.