(© Joseph Marzullo/WENN)
Casting has been announced for the national tour of the hit Broadway musical Xanadu, based on the 1980 movie of the same title, which will open at the La Jolla Playhouse in November and then move on to the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place beginning January 16, 2009. It will be directed by Christopher Ashley.
The show will star Elizabeth Stanley as Kira, Max von Essen as Sonny, Joanna Glushak as Melpomene, Sharon Wilkins as Calliope, and Larry Marshall as Danny. The ensemble will include Tallia Brinson, Amy Goldberger, Vince Rodriguez III, Jason Michael Snow, Kristofer Stock, JB Wing, Julius Thomas III, and Tiffany Topol.
The show has a book by Douglas Carter Beane. The score, by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne, includes the pop hits “Magic,” “Xanadu,” “Party All Over the World,” and “I’m Alive.” The musical features choreography by Dan Knechtges, scenic design by David Gallo, costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by T. Richard Fitzgerald and Carl Casella, projection design by Zachary Borovay, and musical direction by Eric Stern.
Stanley starred on Broadway in Cry-Baby and Company. Von Essen’s Broadway credits include Les Miserables, Dance of the Vampires, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Glushak has appeared on Broadway in Sunday in the Park With George, Hairspray, and Urinetown. Wilkins’ Broadway credits include All Shook Up, Seussical, and The Life. Marshall received a Tony Award nomination for Porgy and Bess and last appeared on Broadway in The Color Purple.
