NewsPHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at Star-Studded Carnegie Hall Guys and Dolls Concert With Allison BlackwellA starry concert presentation of Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls, starring Nathan Lane, Patrick Wilson, Sierra Boggess and Megan Mullally, was held April 3 at Carnegie Hall. Allison Blackwell (A Night With Janis Joplin), who played the role of Agatha, shares exclusive backstage photos from the company's one day of tech rehearsal.
By
Matthew Blank
April 08, 2014
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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at Star-Studded Carnegie Hall Guys and Dolls Concert With Allison Blackwell
Three-time Tony Award-winning director Jack O'Brien (Hairspray, The Nance, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) staged the 7:30 PM concert presentation in the Stern Auditorium. The evening featured music direction by Rob Fisher (Anything Goes, Chicago, The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall and founding music director of Encores!), conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
Lane (The Producers, The Nance, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) was Tony-nominated for playing Nathan Detroit in the Tony Award-winning 1992 Broadway revival of the classic musical. He returned to the role in a principal cast that also featured two-time Tony nominee Wilson (Oklahoma!, The Full Monty) as Sky Masterson, Boggess (The Little Mermaid, Master Class) as Sarah Brown and Mullally (Young Frankenstein, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) as Miss Adelaide.
The cast also featured Tony winner Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music) as Arvide Abernathy, Tony winner Judy Kaye (Phantom of the Opera) as General Matilda B. Cartwright, Tony nominee Lee Wilkof (Little Shop of Horrors; Kiss Me, Kate) as Harry the Horse, John Bolton (A Christmas Story the Musical, Curtains) as Angie the Ox, Robert Clohessy ("Boardwalk Empire") as Lieutenant Brannigan, Tony nominee Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys, Passing Strange) as Rusty Charlie, John Treacy Egan (The Producers, Sister Act) as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, two-time Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein, Wicked) as Benny Southstreet and Steve Schirripa ("The Sopranos") as Big Jule. Members of the Mission Band included Allison Blackwell (Agatha), J.D. Webster (Calvin), Linda Mugleston (Martha) and Joseph Torello (Joseph).
With music and lyrics by Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, Guys and Dolls "is an adaptation of short stories by Damon Runyon and paints a picture of 1930s New York City, focusing on gamblers Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit, missionary Sarah Brown, and nightclub dancer Miss Adelaide," press notes state. "The score includes favorites such as a 'A Bushel and a Peck,' 'Luck Be A Lady,' 'Take Back Your Mink,' 'Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat,' and 'If I Were A Bell.' Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950 and was subsequently revived in 1976, 1992, and, most recently, in 2009."
The musical was presented with full orchestra, cast and ensemble, and was a gala benefit, providing support for the artistic and music education programs of Carnegie Hall.
Mr. Garcia was active across numerous international markets, founding one of Asia’s most prolific theatre companies while establishing an extensive working relationship with Lea Salonga.