Musical Theatre West's 1776 Runs 7/9-25

You say you want a REVOLUTION? Musical Theatre West kicks off the summer and the celebration of the birth of our great nation with its upcoming production of 1776. 1776 previews Friday, July 9 and opens July 10, 2010 at the beautiful Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

The stellar cast stars Steven Glaudini, who reprises his 2004 Ovation Award-winning role as John Adams; Steve Vinovich (Lost in Yonkers, Broadway) as Benjamin Franklin; John Bisom (MTW's The Wizard of Oz, The Full Monty) as Thomas Jefferson; Andy Umberger (Guys and Dolls, National Tour) as John Dickinson; Tami Tappan Damiano (MTW's The Full Monty, Never Gonna Dance) as AbiGail Adams; and Robert J. Townsend (Ovation Award-Winner, Best Actor in a Musical for Jekyll and Hyde, Cabrillo Music Theatre, National Tours Mamma Mia!, Camelot) as Edward Rutledge. Featured in the cast are Tom Shelton (An Italian Straw Hat, South Coast Repertory) as John Hancock, Todd Nielsen (MTW's The Wizard of Oz) as Charles Thomson, Jessica Bernard (MTW's Sweeney Todd, Guys and Dolls, Cabrillo Music Theatre), Richard Gould (MTW's Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, San Francisco cast) as Stephen Hopkins, Damon Kirsche (Little Shop of Horrors, Cabrillo Music Theatre) as Dr. Lyman Hall, Robert Towers (National Tours, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, 1776) and Michael Kean (Rent, Zombie Prom, AMDA) as The Courier. The cast also includes Tony Teofilo, Jack Messenger, Chris D. Thomas, Daniel Thomas, Bradley Miller, Jon Powell, James May, Jason Webb, John Richard Petersen, Nicholas J. Leinbach, Brad Fitzgerald, and Blake Sterling.

In addition, Davis Gaines will play the role of Richard Henry Lee. Mr. Gaines performed the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera more than 2,000 times for over five million people during his run on Broadway, in Los Angeles and in San Francisco, where he received the Bay Area Critics' Award for Best Actor. He was also featured in the recent production of Jason Robert Brown's Parade at the Mark Taper Forum.

1776 is under the helm of Ovation Award-winning director Nick DeGruccio (MTW's Rent, The Andrews Brothers) with musical direction by Matthew Smedal (Little Shop of Horrors, Cabrillo Music Theatre). With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone, 1776 premiered on Broadway in 1969 and is based on the events leading up the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams, disliked by many in Congress, joins up with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to bring forward a resolution for independence that will eventually set America free from England's tyranny. Powerful performances and an impeccably crafted script make 1776 as relevant today as it was when this piece was first written.

ABOUT MUSICAL Theatre West

Now in its 57th season, Musical Theatre West is Southern California's premier musical theater company. Under the leadership of Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman and Producing Artistic Director Steven Glaudini, the company has garnered numerous awards and accolades for its work presenting the entire spectrum of musical comedy, including 21 Ovation Award nominations over the past three seasons and the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre.

Musical Theatre West is the proud resident musical theatre company at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Tickets for 1776 are now available and prices range $30-$80 and can be purchased through the MTW Box Office at (562) 856-1999 x4 or online at www.musical.org.