Alicia Hall Moran and Nathaniel Stampley to Lead PORGY AND BESS National Tour; Launches in Fall 2013

The National Tour of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS, winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, will star original Broadway cast members Alicia Hall Moran as Bess and Nathaniel Stampley as Porgy. The national tour, which begins in the late fall of 2013 will travel to more than 20 cities in its first season, including Los Angeles (Ahmanson Theatre), Seattle (5th Avenue Theatre), Dallas (Winspear Opera House), Charlotte, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Des Moines, Tampa, Las Vegas, Cleveland, West Palm Beach, Tempe and St. Paul, with additional cities to be announced in the coming days.

Moran performed the role of Bess in THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS during the Broadway run. She has also appeared in the critically acclaimed cabaret, the motown project, Things of the Heart, and The Three Penny Opera. Moran co-wrote and performed vocal music for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co.'s Chapel/Chapter. Moran embraces a broad musical repertoire, including classical and avant-garde, Jazz, Motown and Broadway.

In addition to his portrayal of Porgy in the Broadway production of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS, Stampley recently appeared on Broadway in The Color Purple and The Lion King as well as the West End production of The Lion King and the national tour of Ragtime.Stampley's other credits include Pacific Overtures with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lost in the Stars with NY City Center's Encores!, as well as Strike Up the Band and One Touch of Venus with Auditorium Theatre's Ovations! series.

THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS by George Gershwin, DUBOSE and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin, features one of Broadway's most accomplished creative teams, led by Tony-nominated director Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog), and two-time Obie Award-winning composer DIEDRE L. Murray (Running Man). The creative team also includes choreographer Ronald K. Brown, set designer Riccardo Hernandez, costume designer ESOSA, lighting designer Christopher Akerlind and sound designer ACME Sound Partners.

Following its sold-out world premiere engagement at Boston's American Repertory Theater, THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS moved to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway for a limited engagement with an official opening on January 12, 2012. After extending the show twice, THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS closed on September 23, 2012 after 322 performances, making it the longest running production of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS to ever play Broadway. The 2012 Broadway Cast Recording of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS is now available on PS Classics.

Based on DuBose Heyward's novel "Porgy" and the play of the same name, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward, the Broadway revival of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS is a stunning and stirring new staging, including such legendary songs as "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "I Got Plenty of Nothing." The classic story is set in Charleston's fabled Catfish Row, where the beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the courageous Porgy. Threatened by her formidable former lover Crown, and the seductive enticements of the colorful troublemaker Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess' relationship evolves into a deep romance that triumphs as one of theater's most exhilarating love stories.

THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS first premiered at the Colonial Theatre in Boston on September 30, 1935. Broadway performances followed featuring a cast of classically trained African-American singers - a daring and visionary artistic choice at the time. This new adaptation of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS was specifically created for Broadway and features a revised book in a musical theatre format and jazz-oriented musical arrangements.

For more information, please visit www.porgyandbessthemusical.com