Principal Casting Announced for Diablo Theatre Company's ON THE TOWN, Runs 9/11-27

The Diablo Theatre Company will present the Leonard Bernstein-Betty Comden-Adolph Green musical ON THE TOWN, which will run September 11-27 at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Mindy Cooper will direct the production, which will be choreographed by Charles Anderson.

 The company will feature Bryan McElroy (Gaby), Ryan Drummond (Ozzie), Mark Farrell (Chip), Hope Mirlis (Hildy), Emma Goldin (Claire), Courtney Iventosch (Ivy), and members of Company C Contemporary Ballet.

Joined by professional dancers from Company C Contemporary Ballet, the Diablo Theatre Company will present Leonard Bernstein's classic ON THE TOWN, the high-stepping musical about three adventurous sailors on shore leave in New York. The performances will be held at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, opening at 8 p.m. September 11 and continuing through September 27 for 13 performances.

Tickets ($21-$42) are on sale at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, (925) 943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.org. More information is available at www.dloc.org

ON THE TOWN, with a fabulous score that includes "New York, New York," "Lonely Town," and "I Can Cook, Too," opened on Broadway in 1944. Five years later it was produced as a movie starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller and Betty Garrett.

"We're proud to bring the show to the Lesher Center's Hofmann Theatre for the first time and to engage the extraordinary dancers from the acclaimed Company C Contemporary Ballet," said Daren A. C. Carollo, artistic director for the Diablo Theatre Company, formerly Diablo Light Opera Company. " This is a full-fledged song and dance show and audiences will be enthralled with our production."

When the show premiered on Broadway 65 years ago, it won critical and audience acclaim- not only for Bernstein's vibrant score- but also for the dynamic choreography of Jerome Robbins. It was his first assignment as choreographer in musical comedy.

"We won't replicate any of his work," says Charles Anderson, Company C's founder and artistic director. "But having worked with Robbins for almost 10 years, I think I know the essence of his creativity. I can really feel him in the music and the collaboration with Bernstein . The show was and still is such a huge undertaking. I think I can bring it into today and not mess with the integrity of the work of these two men."

As for Bernstein, "his score is great," says Anderson. "He isn't making some artistic statement that you're not in on. That's what so American here. It's straightforward, f resh, optimistic. They really captured the times. And in many ways we are still that country."

Mindy Cooper, whose Broadway directorial and choreographic credits include DRACULA: THE MUSICAL is directing ON THE TOWN. She earned a Shellie Award last year for directing the Walnut Creek Center Repertory production of MUSICAL OF MUSICALS: THE MUSICAL, and this season, she directed "CABARET" for the company. Also a performer, Cooper has appeared in the Broadway revival of CHICAGO, TITANIC, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST among others.

Starring as the three sailors are Bryan McElroy, who starred as one of the boys in the San Francisco and Chicago productions of JERSEY BOYS; Ryan Drummond, who played Leo Bloom in Diablo Theatre Company's THE PRODUCERS earlier this year; and Mark Farrell, an award-winning actor who has performed in dozens of productions with TheatreWorks, San Jose Rep, The Willows Theatre Company, and others.

Hope Mirlis, Emma Goldin, and Courtney Iventosch are making their debut with the Diablo Theatre Company as the sailors' shore-leave companions. Mirlis has performed with the Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta. Goldin, who grew up in Diablo Theatre Company's Stars 2000 Teen Theatre program , has appeared in musicals at UC Davis. Iventosch appeared earlier this year in the Center Repertory Company production of CABARET.

Cheryl Yee Glass, Diablo Theatre Company's resident music director, will conduct a 16-member orchestra performing the Bernstein score. The show's lyrics were written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also appeared in the original Broadway production.

About Diablo Theatre Company (formerly Diablo Light Opera Company)
Diablo Theatre Company's enriches and entertains audiences by celebrating contemporary musical works and re-imagining musical classics. Founded in 1959 by a small group of Walnut Creek musical theater enthusiasts, Diablo Theatre Company has developed into a major force in the East Bay arts community. The company is an anchor tenant at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, which includes the Hoffman Theater, a 785-seat venue well suited for the production of Diablo Theatre Company's large-scale Broadway musicals. The company also offers theater education programs for adults and youth, including the acclaimed Stars 2000 Teen Theater, as part of its mission to inspire new audiences and cultivate the next generation of theater artisans.