KNUFFLE BUNNY Musical with Stephanie D'Abruzzo Ends Run at Kennedy Center, 5/23

KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL will hold its world premiere run at the Kennedy Center from May 8th to May 23rd. The production will star Broadway veteran Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Trixie. The musical is based on the book "Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale." The play has book and lyrics by Mo Willems and features music by Michael Silversher.

Trixie's favorite stuffed Knuffle Bunny feels lost when he's left all alone. On what seemed to be just a quick trip to the Laundromat with Daddy, Trixie, and her beloved Knuffle Bunny, things go horribly, hilariously wrong. Chock full of adventure, song, and gigantic dancing laundry, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical tells a tale of firsts: a stuffed animal's first trip in the laundry, a little girl's first words, and a Daddy's first time dealing with his child going "boneless."

Based on his beloved Caldecott Honor-winning picture book, six-time Emmy Award winner Mo Willems joins Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Silversher to lovingly celebrate the heart and heartache that can only come from a family visit to the local Laundromat. Casting includes Tony Award nominee Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Kate Monster, Avenue Q) as Trixie, Michael John Casey as Dad, Matthew McGloin as a Puppeteer, Gia Mora as a Puppeteer, and Erika Rose as Mom.

D'Abruzzo has spent most of her career performing as a puppeteer in children's television, but she is best known for originating the roles of single schoolteacher Kate Monster and sultry chanteuse Lucy The Slut in the Broadway musical Avenue Q. D'Abruzzo earned widespread acclaim for her performance of the dual role, including a nomination for the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk nomination, the Theatre World Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Special Ensemble Award.

Her other stage credits include I Love You Because (off-Broadway), If You Give A Mouse A Cookie (TheaterworksUSA), Carnival (for City Center Encores!), Kiss and Makeup (New York City Fringe Festival), and Austentatious (New York Musical Theatre Festival).

D'Abruzzo has performed in developmental readings of Avenue Q, I Love You Because, Oh, What a Lovely War!, The $trip, The Medium at Large, and The Green Room. She has also been featured in several concerts and benefits, including Skitch Henderson's New Faces of 2004 at Carnegie Hall, Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash, Chess (for the Actors' Fund), Children and Art: Stephen Sondheim's 75th Birthday Gala, and Stephen Sondheim's 75th: The Concert (at the Hollywood Bowl).

D'Abruzzo appears on the original cast recordings of Avenue Q and I Love You Because, and performs the parts of "Sheldon" and "Deb" on the studio recording of Finding Nemo - The Musical, a new musical production performed several times each day at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

For more information, visit www.kennedy-center.org.