Theater News

Alex Brightman to Depart Broadway's School of Rock

The Tony nominee will play his final performance in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony-nominated musical.

Alex Brightman will play his final performance in School of Rock on Broadway.
Alex Brightman will play his final performance in School of Rock on Broadway.
(© David Gordon)

Tony nominee Alex Brightman and a score of others will depart the Broadway company of Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock on November 6, producers have announced. Brightman, who originated the role of Dewey Finn, will be replaced on November 7 by Eric Petersen, a veteran of Shrek: The Musical, Elf, and Peter and the Starcatcher.

Also joining the show on November 7 at the Winter Garden Theatre are Rachel Katzke as Katie the bass player and Walden Sullivan as Lawrence the keyboardist, alongside Olivia Chun as band manager Summer, Steven Booth as Ned, Annabelle Wachtel as Marcy, Terrance Bell Jr. as Mason, Chloe Bryan as Madison, and Ellie Kim as a swing.

The company also includes Will Blum as the Dewey alternate, Jenn Gambatese as Rosalie Mullins, Becky Gulsvig as Patty, Bobbi MacKenzie as Tomika, Luca Padovan as Billy, Brandon Niederauer as Zack the guitarist and Raghav Mehrotra as Freddy on drums. The adult ensemble includes Emily Cramer, Natalie Charle Ellis, John Arthur Greene, Merritt David Janes, Nehal Joshi, Lulu Lloyd, Jaygee Macapugay, Cassie Okenka, Patrick O’Neill, Morgan Rose, Jesse Swimm, Josh Tower, Joel Waggoner, and J. Michael Zygo. The kids ensemble features Paul Luke Bonenfant, Ava Della Pietra, Gabby Gutierrez, Gianna Harris, Jason Kisare, and Jersey Sullivan.

Nominated for four 2016 Tony Awards, School of Rock tells the story of a down-on-his-luck wannabe rock star named Dewey Finn (Alex Brightman), who poses as a substitute teacher at a prep school and enlists his fifth-graders to form a rock group and conquer Battle of the Bands. The film was directed by Richard Linklater and written by Mike White.

Directed by Laurence Connor, the musical features a Tony-nominated score by Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater and a Tony-nominated book by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. The production boasts choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, scenic and costume design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Natasha Katz, and sound design by Mick Potter. The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group & Access Industries, the Shubert Organization, and the Nederlander Organization serve as producers, with Nina Lannan as executive producer.

For tickets and more information, click here.

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