Purple Rose Theater Company Releases Cast Recording of 'Panhandle Slim'

The Purple Rose Theatre Company has announced the release of the original cast recording from Jeff Daniels' new comedy Panhandle Slim & The Oklahoma Kid. The album features cast performances of six original songs and one traditional hymn as well as original demo recordings performed by Daniels and "The Making of" commentary. CDs are $15.00 and are available at the PRTC Box Office or for purchase online.

Hard on the heels of Escanaba In Love, Daniels introduces his first Western. This winsome comedy tells the fateful tale of a prairie showdown between a vagrant outlaw and a singing cowboy. Thrown together by unfortunate circumstances, Panhandle Slim and The Oklahoma Kid argue the virtues of mayhem, music and the meaning of life. This World Premiere features original songs, as well as scoundrels, six-guns and a horse named Buttermilk.

"I have probably written no less than six versions over the past ten years," says Daniels about his newest script. "In this play, my characters led the way. They spoke to each other, fed me information, held things back, stopped me when I veered off ... They took me to my ending and before I knew it, had showed me what it was I had been trying to write for the past ten years." (read more ...)

Directed by Guy Sanville, the cast of Panhandle Slim & The Oklahoma Kid includes former PRTC apprentice Jessica Garrett (Sea of Fools), PRTC Resident Artist Phil Powers (Vino Veritas, When The Lights Come On), PRTC Associate Artist John Seibert (Sea of Fools, The Mystery of Irma Vep), and PRTC Associate Artist Tom Whalen (Honus And Me, The Glass Menagerie).

This production includes set design by Dennis G. Crawley, prop design by Danna Segrest, costume design by Christianne Myers, lighting design by Reid G. Johnson and sound design by Quintessa Gallinat. Michelle DiDomenico stage manages with Stephanie Buck as assistant stage manager.

Directed by Guy Sanville and featuring PRTC Associate Artists John Seibert and Tom Whalen, Panhandle Slim and The Oklahoma Kid will run from Thursday, June 19 through Saturday, August 30, 2008 .

Originally scheduled to close on August 30, 2008, Panhandle Slim and The Oklahoma Kid was extended by popular demand through Saturday, September 27, 2008. Tickets for the extension go on sale beginning Monday, August 4; annual PRTC donors of $250 or more may purchase tickets beginning on Monday, July 28, 2008. Advance group reservations are available now at (734) 433-ROSE (7673).

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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