Bobby Steggert, Mara Davi and More to Lead Cast of Goodspeed's MY PARIS

Discover the story of Toulouse-Lautrec, the man whose art evoked the spirit of a changing society. Experience the vibrant nightlife of turn-of-the-20th century Paris and meet the characters who inspired Toulouse-Lautrec's most provocative and unforgettable paintings. My Paris will run July 23 through August 16 at the Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn.

My Paris is a new musical about the life and times of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the artist who captured the gaiety, color and heartbreak of Montmartre, Le Can-Can and the world of Le Moulin Rouge. Inhabited by the colorful people he painted, it's the story of a great artist who loved a world that never quite loved him back. Music and lyrics are by legendary French performer Charles Aznavour. The book is by Oscar, Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winner Alfred Uhry with English lyrics and musical adaptation by three-time Tony-winner Jason Robert Brown. Tony-winning director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall brings it all to whirling, spinning and sassy life. C'est magnifique!

Bobby Steggert will lead the cast as Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. His Broadway credits include playing Will Ogden in Mothers and Sons, Will Bloom in Big Fish (Drama Desk nominee), Mother's Younger Brother in Ragtime (Tony and Drama Desk nominee) and Jimmy in 110 in the Shade (Outer Critics Circle nominee). Off-Broadway, he has received Drama Desk nominations for his performances in The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island and Yank!. Mara Davi, who will play Suzanne Valadon, has appeared on Broadway as Judy Haynes in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, as Maggie in A Chorus Line and as Janet van de Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone.

Donna English will play Maman (Adele). Her Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include: Living on Love, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Lend Me a Tenor, Ruthless! (Drama Desk nominee), Forbidden Broadway and more. At the Goodspeed Opera House, Ms. English appeared in Half a Sixpence, On The Twentieth Century, On The Town, and They All Laughed , and in Princesses and The Gig at the Norma Terris Theatre. John Glover will play Papa (Alphonse) and Bonnat. Glover won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a play for Love! Valour! Compassion! and a Drama Desk Award for The Great God Brown. He has also been seen in the Broadway productions of Waiting for Godot (Tony nominee), The Paris Letter (Drama Desk nominee), Macbeth, Death of a Salesman, The Drowsy Chaperone, Tartuffe and many more. In addition to his work on stage, he has been seen in dozens of films and television shows. Mr. Glover has been nominated for five Emmy Awards.

Joining the cast will also be Greg Hildreth who performed in Broadway's Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Peter and the Starcatcher and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson as Anquetin/Doctor and John Riddle from Broadway's The Visit as Grenier. Paul Castree, whose Broadway credits include 9 to 5, Young Frankenstein, High Fidelity and All Shook Up, will play Rachou. At Goodspeed, Mr. Castree was a part of the original cast of All Shook Up at the Norma Terris Theatre. Chad Jennings, who appeared in the National Tours of War Horse and South Pacific, will play Aristide Bruant. Tari Kelly, whose Broadway credits include Anything Goes, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Boy From Oz and Show Boat, will play La Gouloue. Jeffrey Pew who appeared in Broadway's Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella will play Valentin and Jermaine R. Rembert, whose Broadway credits include Memphis, La Cage aux Folles, Oklahoma and Swing, will play Le Chocolat. Kate Marilley, who performed in Broadway's Billy Elliot , will play Yvette Guilbert. Ms. Marilley has appeared in the Goodspeed Opera House productions of Guys and Dolls, Good News!, Half a Sixpence and Li'l Abner, and the 2012 production of Amazing Grace at The Norma Terris Theatre. Shawna Hamic who appeared in Broadway's The Last Ship will play Cha-u-kao / Little Henri and Wendi Bergamini who has appeared in the Broadway productions Doctor Zhivago; Evita;, Promises, Promises; and South Pacific as well as Goodspeed's production of The Baker's Wife, will play May Milton. Jane Avril will be played by Cameron Adams, who has been seen in Broadway's Gigi; Nice Work if You Can Get I;, How to Succeed. . .; Promises, Promises; Shrek, and Hairspray among others. Ms. Adams also appeared in Goodspeed's The 60s Project at the Norma Terris Theatre.

My Paris features Music and Lyrics by Charles Aznavour. Beloved French songwriter and entertainer, Charles Aznavour's music has been featured in over 90 films and TV shows and he has starred in five special solo concerts on Broadway. He has composed more than 600 songs, sung in eight different languages and sold over 100 million records. My Paris boasts a book by Alfred Uhry, who has won two Tony Awards - one each for Parade and The Last Night of Ballyhoo, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Driving Miss Daisy and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Driving Miss Daisy."

My Paris features English Lyrics and Musical Adaptation by Jason Robert Brown, who has won three Tony Awards: Best Original Musical Score (Parade), Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre (The Bridges of Madison County). Brown's musical 13 premiered at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in 2008 before opening on Broadway later that year. He also wrote the orchestrations for Goodspeed's John & Jen.

My Paris Director and Choreographer will be Kathleen Marshall . Marshall won Tony Awards for her choreography for Anything Goes, The Pajama Game and Wonderful Town. Some of her other Broadway credits include Living on Love, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Little Shop of Horrors, Follies, Kiss Me Kate and Swinging on a Star, which she also choreographed at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre before the production transferred to Broadway.

Derek McLane, who won a Tony Award for 33 Variations and Drama Desk Award for Anything Goes, will be Scenic Designer for My Paris. His other Broadway Credits include: Living on Love, Gigi, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Heiress, Nice Work if You Can Get it, George Vidal's The Best Man and many others.

My Paris will feature Costume Designs by Paul Tazewell, who has designed for over 20 Broadway productions, including Hamilton, Doctor Zhivago, Side Show, A Streetcar Named Desire, Lombardi, Memphis, Guys and Dolls, In the Heights, The Color Purple and more.

Lighting Design will be by Donald Holder, who won the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design for South Pacific and for The Lion King. Holder has designed 46 Broadway musicals and plays, including The King and I, On the Twentieth Century and You Can't Take it With You. At Goodspeed, he designed The Norma Terris Theatre productions of The Circus in Winter, All Shook Up, Battle Cry of Freedom and Captains Courageous, and the Goodspeed Opera House production of Redhead. Jay Hilton, who is in his 31st season as Goodspeed's Lighting and Sound Supervisor, will serve as Sound Designer for My Paris.

David Gardos will serve as Music Director. Gardos has played keyboard for multiple Broadway productions including Finding Neverland, Side Show, Big Fish and Chaplin. My Paris' Music Supervisor will be David Chase, whose many Broadway credits include Finding Neverland, Side Show, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella and Nice Work if You Can Get It. Casting is by Telsey + Co. / Craig Burns, CSA.

My Paris will run July 23 - August 16, 2015. Curtain times are Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 pm, Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 pm and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are available through the Goodspeed Box Office (860.873.8668), open seven days a week, or on-line at www.goodspeed.org. For show highlights, exclusive photos, special events and more, visit us at goodspeed.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

For 30 years, The Norma Terris Theatre has been Goodspeed's home for developing fresh, innovative, and original new musicals. These new works have been developed in Chester, Conn., before they've moved on to Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours, and other Regional Theatres. Because this is a developmental theatre, the show can change on a day-to-day basis. New scenes are added, songs are moved, costumes are changed, dialogue is tweaked?all based on audience response and feedback.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Michael Gennaro, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the preservation, development, and advancement of musical theatre. Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of United Airlines, the official airline of Goodspeed Musicals, and official auto sponsor Hoffman Audi. Goodspeed is supported in part by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development with support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

Photo by Walter McBride