Full Cast Announced for AUSTEN'S PRIDE; Steven Good, Olivia Hernandez, and More

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced the full cast for its new production of Austen's Pride: A New Musical of Pride and Prejudice, which is now in rehearsals and begins performances in Seattle on October 4, 2019. Joining the previously announced Laura Michelle Kelly (West End: Mary Poppins, Broadway: Finding Neverland) as Jane Austen and Clifton Davis (Broadway: Aladdin, TV: Madam Secretary) as Mr. Bennet are Olivia Hernandez (The Guthrie: Guys and Dolls) as Elizabeth Bennet, Steven Good (Broadway: Waitress) as Fitzwilliam Darcy, Michele Ragusa (Broadway: Young Frankenstein) as Mrs. Bennet, Gregory Lee Rodriguez (Hartford Stage: The Flamingo Kid) as Mr. Bingley, Manna Nichols(Broadway: The King and I) as Jane Bennet, and John Donovan Wilson (Riverside Theatre: My Fair Lady) as Mr. Wickham, all making their 5th Avenue Theatre debuts.

Returning to The 5th are Seattle favorites Cayman Ilika (The 5th: Kiss Me, Kate) as Cassandra Austen/Charlotte Lucas, Eric Ankrim (The 5th: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) as Mr. Collins/Mr. Gardiner, and Sarah Rose Davis (The 5th: Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn) as Caroline Bingley/Mrs. Gardiner. The cast also features Andrea J. Love as Mary Bennet, Delphi Borich as Lydia Bennet, Katie Dixon as Kitty Bennet/Georgiana Darcy, and an ensemble of Lucas Thompson, Gabriel Navarro, Matt Gibson, and Christopher C. Minor, and swings Ethan Carpenter and Chelsea LeValley.

Playing October 4 - 27, 2019 (press opening Friday, October 18, 2019), single tickets for Austen's Pride are on sale now at www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206.625.1900, or in person at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in Downtown Seattle.

"The 5th is fortunate to have this incredible cast explore Jane Austen's most iconic love story and watch them create something both new and beloved for Seattle audiences," said 5th Avenue Theatre Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry. "We are thrilled to produce our 21st new musical, especially one that was developed right here in our basement rehearsal hall, with this scope of talent that is recognized both nationally and abroad."

Austen's Pride is an extraordinary new musical feast bound for the world's stages that has a history with The 5th. Austen's Pride began its journey with the The 5th in its basement rehearsal hall as part of the New Musical Development Program, then titled NextFest, in 2018. This will be the first full-scale, professional production of Austen's Pride and marks the 21st new musical produced by The 5th Avenue Theatre. Austen's Pride features a book, music, and lyrics by Lindsay Warren Baker (Lily, A Musical Portrait; Truth in Beauty: A Shakespeare Sonnet Project; Daniel, The Musical) and Amanda Jacobs(Learning How to Drown; The Up Side of Down; Truth in Beauty: A Shakespeare Sonnet Project) and will showcase direction by the Bellingham, Washington-raised Igor Goldin in his 5th Avenue Theatre debut, with choreography by Lisa Shriver, who directed and choreographed last season's production of Rock of Ages.

In this sumptuous new musical, Jane Austen enters into her most famous love story and as she explores this beautiful new world, she begins to understand something about both her characters and herself. Austen's Pride is a musical of beauty, wit, and wisdom, wrapped up in a journey of self-discovery. It's Pride and Prejudice the way you have never before imagined: a story you will not soon forget, with an achingly beautiful score that will transport you to another time and place.

Photo Credit Mark Kitaoka

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