PR914

September 14 - For Immediate Release

Wildhorn’s DRACULA Cast Set for Kelsey Theatre
Weitzer, Tomcho, Angelini Headline New Edition of B-Way Hit

The most notorious horror story of all time will be set to the music of one of the most accomplished composers of the American musical theatre in October 2006, when Cheng/Ferrara Productions joins with the Kelsey Theatre of West Windsor to present the premiere of a new edition of Dracula: The Musical, music by Frank Wildhorn, book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.

Dracula: The Musical tells the familiar story of Count Dracula, a Romanian noble with notoriously severe insomnia, who leaves his crumbling castle for new accommodations – and a fresh menu – in London. Once arriving, the ancient vampire finds himself drawn to Mina Murray, the young fiancée of his London solicitor Jonathan Harker. The ensuing battle pits Mina against those who would destroy her – and against those who would save her. The production includes a number of hits songs from composer Frank Wildhorn, including “The Mist,” “Please Don’t Make Me Love You,” “Before the Summer Ends,” and “Life After Life,” as well as songs not heard in the Broadway production.

The cast of the new production is headed by David Weitzer in the title role. Mr. Weitzer joins the cast by special arrangement with the Actors’ Equity Association; and most recently performed in the rock musical Autum Moon at the Wings Theatre in New York City. He has appeared in dozens of professional, educational, and community productions in this area, and has been nominated three times for a Perry Award for Excellence in Community Theatre (winning in 2002 for Jekyll and Hyde).

Joining Mr. Weitzer atop the title are Michaela Tomcho (Hamilton, NJ) and Charlene Angelini (Fairless Hills, PA) as Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra, respectively. Miss Tomcho was recently nominated for the second time for a Perry Award for Outstanding Young Actress in a Musical (for 2005’s Bye, Bye, Birdie); she has performed on the US National Tour of The Sound of Music and performed as a backup singer for Celine Dion at Caesar’s Palace. Charlene Angelini graduated from West Virginia University as a Vocal and Piano Performance Major in 2004; her credits since then have included Lily Craven in The Secret Garden, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Hedy la Rue in How to Succeed...

The rest of the talented and experienced cast blends familiar area performers with singers and actors from around the state. Drew Cyburt of Hillsborough, NJ, takes on the rock tenor role of the lunatic Renfield, while veteran Kelsey performers Tom Bessellieu (most recently seen as Gus/Growltiger in Cats and Uncle Ernie in The Who’s Tommy) and Jim Petro play vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker, respectively. Sean Downing, Bill Kamps (Burlington, NJ), and Michael Schiumo (Clarksburg, NJ) play Arthur Holmwood, Dr. Jack Seward, and Quincey Morris, three suitors to the hand of Lucy Westenra; Ashley Anderson (Clarksburg, NJ), Nicole Farina (Hamilton, NJ) and Sasha Alexandria (Hamilton, NJ) play the vampires already in the thrall to Dracula. Rounding out the company are Cecelia Ticktin (Roosevelt, NJ), Kevin Palardy (Doylestown, PA), and the cast’s youngest member, Thomas Elijah Davis (Hamilton, NJ). For cast bios, pictures, and other information, visit www.chengferrara.org.

Performances will be held at Kelsey Theatre, on campus at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, New Jersey. There will be a total of eight performances: 8:00PM performances on Friday, October 20, Saturday, October 21, Friday, October 27, and Saturday, October 28; 2:00PM performances on Sunday, October 22 and Sunday, October 29; a performance at midnight on Saturday, October 28; and a final performance on Halloween (Tuesday, October 31). To order tickets, please contact the Kelsey Theatre box office at (609) 570-3333 or visit www.kelseyatmccc.org. Note: May be inappropriate for audiences under the age of 13.

About the Show

Dracula: The Musical, based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel, premiered at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre on July 30, 2004. After the production closed in January 2005, Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War, Victor/Victoria) joined with Academy Award winning librettists Black and Hampton (Tony Award winners for Sunset Boulevard) to reconstruct the show prior to a sold-out run at Stadttheater in St.Gallen, Switzerland. The production at Kelsey Theatre will mark both the first time Dracula: The Musical will be presented by a nonequity theatre company, and the first time this revised edition of the work will be performed in the United States; it will include songs not heard in the Broadway production.

The production at Kelsey Theatre will also feature original orchestrations by producer and musical supervisor Nicholas Cheng, who also works as the assistant to Frank Wildhorn. In an unusual twist for a nonprofessional theatre, Mr. Wildhorn himself will be directly involved in the development of the new production; he will also lead a master class following one performance of Dracula: The Musical. Dracula: The Musical will be presented by special arrangement with the authors and with Music Theatre International. It will be directed by Frank Ferrara, with choreography by Jillian Potash, set design by Andy Mahaney, makeup design by Hilary Wilkins, and stage management by Nancy Russell and Ruth Kresge.