Casting Announced for THE WORLD GOES ROUND at Reprise 2.0

REPRISE 2.0, led by Producing Artistic Director Marcia Seligson, in association with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Department of Theater (UCLA TFT) chaired by Brian Kite, announces Dawnn Lewis (This Is Us, Major Crimes and IZombie), Valerie Perri (LA Shubert Theatre Evita, Jerome Robbins' Broadway) Larry Cedar (Deadwood), Kelley Dorney (Annie at Hollywood Bowl) and Michael Starr (Bright Star national tour) for its production of The World Goes 'Round with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson. It will play September 5 through September 16 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.

The World Goes 'Round will be directed by Richard Israel with choreography by John Todd, and musical direction by Gerald Sternbach.

In The World Goes 'Round the audience enters the world of John Kander and Fred Ebb, with a stunning celebration of the songbook from this multi-Tony award-winning team. The original production won three Drama Desk Awards.

Filled with humor, romance, drama and nonstop melody, The World Goes 'Round is a celebration of life and the fighting spirit that keeps us all going. The cast finds themselves careening through the world of love, babies and coffee. From Cabaret to Chicago, the nonstop hit-parade features unforgettable gems, including "Mr. Cellophane," "My Coloring Book," "All That Jazz," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Money, Money," "Maybe This Time," "Cabaret" and "New York, New York" seamlessly interwoven into a passionate, harmonious, up-tempo evening of musical theatre.

Frank Rich in The New York Times said, "The evening is an unexpected delight: a handsome, tasteful, snazzily staged outpouring of song and dance that celebrates all the virtues of the Kander-Ebb catalogue. The revue is sophisticated enough to satisfy aficionados like myself, who recently spent a week's allowance to replace a worn copy of the out-of-print cast album of The Happy Time, and welcoming enough to convert new audiences to the Kander-Ebb fold."

The World Goes 'Round features scenic design by Stephen Gifford; costume design by Shon LeBlanc; lighting design by Jared A. Sayeg; and sound design by Jonathan A. Burke. Casting is by Michael Donovan Casting, CSA.

The season concludes with Grand Hotel - The Musical directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and choreographed by Kay Cole from October 24 to November 4. Single tickets starting at $30.00 for The World Goes 'Round and Grand Hotel - The Musical are now on sale at Reprise2.org or by phone at 800-982-2787. Subscription packages are still available at Reprise2.org or by phone at 1-866-811-4111.

Based on the 1929 Vicki Baum novel and 1932 MGM feature, Grand Hotel - The Musical, with music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, and book by Luther Davis, premiered in 1989 and garnered 5 Tony Awards, running 1,017 performances on Broadway. The show takes place over a weekend in Berlin's elegant Grand Hotel. Through revolving doors enters a varied cast of eccentric guests: a ballerina afraid of her advancing years; her dashing younger lover - a baron, also a jewel thief; a fatally ill Jewish bookkeeper who wants to spend his last days in luxury; and an honest businessman gone bad with his secretary, who dreams of Hollywood success. Fate has brought together, and they find themselves interacting in surprising, musical and thoroughly entertaining ways.

REPRISE 2.0 in association with UCLA TFT Department of Theater, returns a professional musical theater season to UCLA's intimate 586-seat Freud Playhouse. This initiative allows the school to expand activities for its theater students - in performance, lighting, sound and set design, as well as interning with REPRISE 2.0 personnel in directing, stage management, casting, producing, musical direction, costuming and choreography. Students also appear in the productions on stage as part of the ensemble, as appropriate.

REPRISE 2.0 is excited and honored to have this creative and mutually supportive partnership with UCLA TFT, which supports the School's central vision as a pre-eminent storytelling school - one whose mission is educating and developing a new generation of diverse, humanistic artists, industry leaders and scholars to use the power of story to not only entertain, but to enlighten, engage and inspire change for a better world.

All of the productions will be conducted by REPRISE 2.0 Musical Director Gerald Sternbach. Joining the REPRISE 2.0 team with Seligson are Co-Artistic Directors Glenn Casale and Michael Donovan; Executive Producers Kevin Bailey and Arthur Allan Seidelman; and General Manager Matthew Herrmann.

About REPRISE 2.0

REPRISE 2.0, led by its Producing Artistic Director Marcia Seligson, is presenting three classic American musicals at UCLA's Freud Playhouse in its inaugural season. REPRISE 2.0 is partnering with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television's Department of Theater (UCLA TFT), chaired by Brian Kite. Seligson was the founder of Reprise! Broadway's Best, which presented nearly 50 productions of classic musicals between 1997 and 2012. These included Promises, Promises; Finian's Rainbow; Wonderful Town; The Pajama Game; Sweeney Todd; Bells are Ringing; Call Me Madam; Hair; 1776; The Most Happy Fella; Follies; Anything Goes; Kismet; Company; Brigadoon; Pippin, On the Town, Carousel, How to Succeed, and the final show Cabaret.

Under Seligson's previous direction of Reprise! Broadway's Best, it presented productions starring some of the best musical theater talent in America, both gifted newcomers and established stars such as Christine Baranski, Kelsey Grammer, Maureen McGovern, Jean Smart, Rachel York, Tony Danza, Jane Krakowski, Donna McKechnie, Christopher Sieber, Davis Gaines, Steven Weber, Lucie Arnaz, Christine Ebersole, Orson Bean, and Judith Light. REPRISE 2.0 will continue to collaborate with many of these stellar performers.

"Since those days, after Reprise! had ended, so many of us have been approached by former audience members asking the same question: 'Can you bring Reprise! back? There's nothing like it in LA. We miss it!' With REPRISE 2.0, what is the same from the original is the passionate vision that made Reprise! so special," shared REPRISE 2.0 Producing Artistic Director, Marcia Seligson.

She added, "The new REPRISE 2.0 will be faithful to the original concept, combining simple sets and costumes with outstanding directors and choreographers, the band on stage, and stellar performances that lets the material shine, allowing audiences to experience musicals they have never seen before, or have not been performed in the area for many years."

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