The Best Of Times: A Tale Of Two Cities Musical Heading To Broadway

As Curtains pulls back, A Tale Of Two Cities will rise to take its place at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

The announcement was made on March 25th that Jill Santoriello's adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities will begin previews on Broadway at the Hirschfeld on August 19th towards a September 18th opening.

Dickens' classic tale kicks off, according to press notes, "When Dr. Manette is released from the French Bastille after 17 years, he must be resurrected from the brink of madness by his daughter, Lucie. In England they meet two very different men: the exiled French aristocrat, Charles Darnay, whom Lucie marries, and the drunken cynic, Sydney Carton. Soon family secrets and political intrigue combine to draw Lucie and her family back to Paris. At the height of the Reign of Terror, the musical finds an unlikely hero in Carton."

Since its inaugural publication on April 30th, 1859, A Tale Of Two Cities has sold over 200 million copies in several languages. This musical adaptation is composer-lyricist-librettist Jill Santoriello's first large-scale stage work.

The production had a try-out run in Sarasota, Florida in the fall of 2007. Many of the cast and crew are expected to be invited back for the Broadway run, although no announcements have been made.

The musical of A Tale Of Two Cities was directed by Michael Donald Edwards and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. It starred James Barbour, Craig Bennett, Joe Cassidy, Michael Hayward-Jones, Derek Keeling, Katherine McGrath, Jessica Rush, Alex Santoriello, Natalie Toro, and Nick Wyman. Ensemble members included Janine DiVita, Kevin Greene, Tim Hartman, Jodie Langel, Jay Lusteck, Les Minski, Walter Winston O'Neil, Rob Richardson, Rebecca Robbins, and Wayne Schroder.

The musical is being designed by Tony Walton (scenery), David Zinn (costumes), Richard Pilbrow (lights), Carl Casella, and Domonic Sack (sound). Orchestrations are by Edward B. Kessel and Bob Krogstad; arrangements are by Edward B. Kessel and Wendy Bobbitt Cavett.

For more information, visit www.talemusical.com.

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