Jenn Gambatese Replaces Allison Case in Wildcat 12/19

Jenn Gambatese (All Shook Up, Tarzan) steps into the role of Janie after Allison Case had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts.

She joins Lenny Wolpe (Wicked, The DrowsyChaperone), Beth Fowler (The Boy From Oz, Beauty and the Beast), Robert Cuccioli (Jekylland Hyde), and Luba Mason (Chicago, Jekyll and Hyde) for one night only in the Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh musical Wildcat, presented December 19 in Manhattan to benefit the ActorsFund.Wildcat, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and book by N. Richard Nash,tells the story of a frontier woman named Wildcat Jackson (Mason) who arrives in a border town in the American southwest with dreams of striking oil and, with the help of her sister Janie (Gambatese), eccentric new friend Countess Emily O'Brien (Fowler), and the local hermitSookie (Wolpe), tricks foreman Joe Dynamite (Cuccioli) into helping her.

Not-for-profitTheatrical Gems produces the first New York revival of the show since 1961.The event will be held at The Julia Miles Theatre at the Women's Project, 424 West 55th Street on Sunday, December 19 at 7:00 PM. Theatrical Gems Artistic Director Jacob Shoesmith-Fox directs, with musical direction by Steven H. Taylor.

Full casting will be announced shortly.

Wildcat was Cy Coleman's first musical. It opened on December 16, 1960 and is best remembered for being the sole Broadway appearance of comedienne Lucille Ball, although the cast also featured Keith Andes, Paula Stewart, Edith King, and a young Valerie Harper (Rhoda) in the dance ensemble. Audiences adored Ball and flocked to see her in person. Unfortunately,when Ball started to become ill and miss performances, the producers could not afford to keep the show open without her. Wildcat closed on June 3, 1961 after two hiatuses and 171 performances.

Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by emailing tickets@theatricalgems.org.

Tickets will be purchased at the door. Proceeds benefit the Actors Fund.

The Actors Fund is a nationwide human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis or transition.

Theatrical Gems strives to educate audiences about the past, present, and future of theater.
Through the entertaining and engaging presentation of popular classics, new works, and underappreciated relics, we hope to expand horizons and tastes with the goal of preserving these works of art for future generations of theatergoers. Theatrical Gems is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. For more information, visit: www.theatricalgems.org