Eric Petersen to Jam with New Class in Broadway's SCHOOL OF ROCK - THE MUSICAL; Alex Brightman to Depart Next Month

Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit musical School of Rock - The Musical will enter its second smashing year on Broadway with a new class of cast members.

Comedic actor Eric Petersen will assume the role of wannabe rock star, Dewey Finn, on Monday, November 7, 2016.

The Kid Band, who perform Andrew Lloyd Webber's score live at every performance, will include new cast members Rachel Katzke as Katie the bass player and Walden Sullivan as Lawrence the keyboardist, along with returning cast members, Brandon Niederauer as Zack the guitarist and Raghav Mehrotra as Freddy on drums. Additionally, Olivia Chun will assume the role of super serious band manager Summer, Steven Booth will assume the role of Ned, Annabelle Wachtel will play Marcy, Terrance Bell, Jr. will play Mason, Chloe Bryanwill play Madison, and Ellie Kim will join the cast as a swing.

Eric Petersen has been seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in national tours, most notably as Shrek in Shrek: The Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. On television, Petersen played Arlo Barth on TVLand's "Kristie," and has been seen on Disney Channel's "Jessie," "Pair of Kings" and "Kirby Buckets."

Alex Brightman, the original Tony Award-nominated star of School of Rock - The Musical, will play his final performance on Sunday, November 6, 2016.

The new class of School of Rock - The Musical also features Will Blum as the Dewey alternate, Jenn Gambatese as Rosalie Mullins, Becky Gulsvig as Patty, Bobbi MacKenzie as Tomika, and Luca Padovan as Billy. The adult ensemble includes Emily Cramer, Natalie Charle Ellis, John Arthur Greene, Michael Hartney, Merritt David Janes, Nehal Joshi, Lulu Lloyd, Jaygee Macapugay, Cassie Okenka, Patrick O'Neill, Morgan Rose, Jesse Swimm, Josh Tower, and J. Michael Zygo. The kid's ensemble features Paul Luke Bonenfant, Ava Della Pietra, Gabby Gutierrez, Gianna Harris, Jason Kisare, and Jersey Sullivan.

Currently in performances at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway), School of Rock - The Musical is based on the smash hit 2003 film of the same, featuring music from the movie, as well as an original score byAndrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, a book by Julian Fellowes and direction by Laurence Connor. School of Rock - The Musical opened to rave reviews on Sunday, December 6, 2015. School of Rock - The Musical was nominated for four 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Lloyd Webber and Slater), Best Book (Fellowes), and Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alex Brightman).

Based on the hit film, School of Rock - The Musical is a hilarious new musical that follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school's beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.

School of Rock features choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, scenic and costume design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Natasha Katz, and sound design by Mick Potter and music supervision by Ethan Popp.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, once again, has the rare distinction of having three musicals running simultaneously on Broadway: School of Rock - The Musical, CATS, and The Phantom of the Opera.

School of Rock - The Musical will play London's West End at the New London Theatre. Performance begin on October 24, 2016 with an official opening scheduled for November 14, 2016.

School of Rock - The Musical is produced on Broadway by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group & Access Industries, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization. Nina Lannan and Madeleine Lloyd Webber serve as Executive Producers.

Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson

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