L Morgan Lee And More Join Goodspeed's New Musical A COMPLICATED WOMAN At The Terris Theatre

Goodspeed Musicals has announced the cast for A Complicated Woman, a new musical about embracing your true identity that features a gender-diverse cast. A Complicated Woman will appear at Goodspeed's Terris Theatre from May 10 – June 2 in Chester, Conn.

Opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals, The Terris Theatre will also be celebrating 40 years and its return to a full season of three new musicals.

John Kenley was a theatre impresario who brought Hollywood stars like Gene Kelly and Ann Miller to Ohio's summer stock stages. But when summer ended, he wintered in Florida where John disappeared… and Jean came to life. A Complicated Woman is a new musical that features a Golden Age score and a gender-diverse cast. Join us for the intriguing story of a theatre legend who had to navigate the joy, pain and pitfalls of leading a double life.

When asked why they wanted to be part of A Complicated Woman, Nora Brigid Monahan who will play John/Jean said, "It's been an amazing experience participating at various stages in the development of A Complicated Woman, and I'm humbled to get to bring the show to life at The Terris Theatre this spring with this wonderful creative team. Special credit is due to Donna Lynn Hilton and the entire team at Goodspeed for investing in new musicals – and for making sure that trans voices and stories are included in the future of the musical theatre canon."

L Morgan Lee who will play Nina Mae said, "Ianne (book), Jonathan (composer) and Jeff (director) are cooking up quite the meal with this show. I'm thrilled to be part of its development! Nina Mae is a kind of woman many theatre ‘girls like us' have been waiting for and her 40+ year friendship with Kenley is one for the ages. Mame and Vera better watch out because Kenley and Nina Mae are on the prowl!"

A Complicated Woman features a book by Ianne Fields Stewart whose work spans across many fields including: theatre, film, dance, creative writing, arts administration, and social justice. Music and lyrics are by Jonathan Brielle (Broadway: Foxfire, Off-Broadway: Himself and Nora) with additional lyrics by Sam Salmond.

John/Jean will be played by Nora Brigid Monahan, a playwright and performer best known for writing and starring in the award-winning solo comedy Diva. Nina Mae will be played by L Morgan Lee, who made history as the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Tony Award (Broadway: A Strange Loop). Oscar will be played by Christian Brailsford (Off-Broadway: Oratorio for Living Things, Cleopatra, Francois & the Rebels). Myrtle will be played by Klea Blackhurst (The Goodspeed: Hello, Dolly!; Off-Broadway: Party Face, Bingo). Lee Shubert will be played by Danny Rutigliano (The Goodspeed: Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn; The Terris: The Fabulous Lipitones; Broadway: I Need That, Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, Beetlejuice). Carl will be played by Dashiell Gregory (Off-Broadway: Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical). Muhlaysia will be played by Zachary A. Myers (Broadway: A Strange Loop). Diamond will be played by Arewà Basit (Off-Broadway: A Map to Know Where).

The ensemble will feature Bryan Munar and Siena Rafter (Off-Broadway: Runaways, Deep Blue Sea, The Division).

A Complicated Woman will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award-nominee Jeff Calhoun (Broadway: Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde, Jekyll & Hyde, Grease).

Music direction will be by Debra Barsha (Broadway: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Jersey Boys). Scenic design will be by Tobin Ost (The Goodspeed: Bye Birdie; Broadway: Disaster!, Jekyll & Hyde, Newsies (Tony Award nominee)). Costume design will be by Phương Nguyễn (The Terris: Private Jones). Lighting Design will be by Jason Lyons (The Goodspeed: Hello, Dolly!, Something's Afoot; The Terris: The Bikinis, The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, Cutman; Broadway: Hand to God, On the Town). Sound design will be by Jay Hilton who has designed countless productions at both The Terris Theatre and The Goodspeed and serves as Goodspeed's Audio Supervisor/Resident Sound Designer. Wig, hair & make-up design will be by Tommy Kurzman (The Goodspeed: The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Broadway: I Need That, Gutenberg: The Musical!, The Cottage). Orchestrations will be by Jonathan Brielle and Nathan Dame.

Devin Day will be the Production Stage Manager. Casting for this production is by Paul Hardt / Hardt Casting.

Tickets

A Complicated Woman will run May 10th – June 2nd, 2024, at The Terris Theatre located at 33 North Main Street, Chester, Conn.

Curtain times are Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.).

Single tickets are on sale now and start at $20. Season tickets are also available starting at $117 for all three shows at The Terris Theatre. Tickets are available through the Goodspeed Box Office (860.873.8668), open weekdays at 10:00 a.m. and weekends at 11:00 a.m., or online at goodspeed.org. 

About Goodspeed Musicals

Goodspeed Musicals has achieved international acclaim and is the first theatre in the nation to receive two Tony Awards for outstanding achievement in musical theatre. Under the leadership of Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director, and David B. Byrd, Managing Director, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the celebration, development and advancement of musical theatre. Goodspeed creates powerful, world-class productions of enlightening new and established works to delight, inspire and challenge audiences on its two stages – The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn., and The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. From Goodspeed, 21 musicals have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Annie, Shenandoah and Holiday Inn) and 88 world premieres have been launched. Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals, GoodWorks commissioning program and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed are distinguished cornerstones of the organization that highlight its commitment to nurture creators and the creative process. Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. The organization is supported in part by the Burry Fredrik Foundation; the Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; The Hoffman Auto Group; Masonicare; The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; The Shubert Foundation; and WSHU Public Radio. Additional support is provided by Sennheiser, the official audio sponsor; and United Airlines, the official airline of Goodspeed Musicals. For more information, visit www.goodspeed.org.

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