Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald (and current nominee for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune), original Hamilton cast member Javier Muñoz, and Be More Chill's George Salazar are part of the cast of the online concert premiere of the new musical Sticks & Stones.
The online premiere, beginning October 16 at 8 PM ET as part of National Bullying Prevention Month, is available through October 20 on BroadwayCares.org. The stream benefits both Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Born This Way Foundation.
Sticks & Stones, which adapts the Biblical story of David and his triumph over Goliath to address the issue of teen bullying, stars Joshua Colley (Les Misérables) as David, Muñoz as David’s father Jesse, Salazar as King Saul, Mykal Kilgore (Motown The Musical) as The Prophet Samuel, and McDonald as David’s mother Nizevet.
The cast also features Gabriella Gonzalez as Zeruiah, Cassie Donegan as Abigail, Jackson Hurt as Eliab, Dylan Bivings as Abinadab, Drew Elhamalawy as Shimea, James Ignacio as Nethanel, Marcus M. Martin as Raddai, Chase Tucker as Ozem, and Delaney Horton as The Traveler.
The ensemble, which represents 34 states, includes Ry Albinus, Callie Altepeter, Jorge Amador, Nathan Ancheta, Cameron Aragon, Jonah Barricklo, Aubri Bartholomew, Xander Benton, Daisy Bishop, Trejah Bostic, Anika Braganza, Brianna Bryan, Nayali Cabrera, Xhenet Capani, Hannah Carter, Shannon Cheong, Sy Chounchaisit, Hannah Clark, Carly Clo, Ariella Cohn, Holly Connor, Diego Cortez, Ross Coughlin, Olivia Grace Culp, Coleman Cummings, Shanelle Darlene, Joshua Davis, Valeria Di Babbo, Madison Eckerson, Megan Edelstein, Emily Escobar, Derek Etter, Zach Fluegel, Anthony Garcia, Javier Garcia, Allyson Gishi, Luis Gonzalez, Abby Gordon, Eli Gottsegen, Leland Hao, Riley Henderson, Treston Henderson, Isaac Holland, Tatum Hopkins, Anya Jiménez, Tiana Jung, Emma Kathryn, Jesamine Katzman, Mai Kawamura, Amy Keum, Jaedynn Latter, Kenny Lee, Timothy Lee, David Gabriel Lerner, Jacob Lesko, Mateo Lizcano, Andrea Mantilla, Katie Marcelino, Chad Marge, Kelsey Marshall, Maggie McAuliffe, John McGinty, Daniel Mejil, Charles Mayhew Miller, Caleb Mitchell, Gustavo Molina, Kyle Morales, Megan O’Donnell, Isa Peña, Ella Perez, David Benjamin Perry, Arthur Peterson, Cameron Plarske, Luana Psaros, Anthony Reed, Sara Romanello, Rosie Sanchez Rossi, Gilberto Saenz, Carter Skyers, Malynne Smith, Kira Stevens, Aaron Stone, Kaleb Stone, Alecsys Proctor Turner, Sophia Vanella, Aingea Venuto, Bella Villanueva, Kai Wang, Alex Werthauer, Aubrie Westmaas, and Kaila Wooten.
The international voices of the ensemble are represented by Martina Andrea (Chile), Sam Araneta (Philippines), Dani Atherton (Australia), Isadora Bonuma (Brazil), Georgia Chalfon (Australia), Arianna Cervo (Italy), Kate Cullen (Ireland), Laura Giménez (Spain), James Hunter (New Zealand), Jannik Horlitz (Germany), Janayah (New Zealand), Matthew Nolan (Ireland), and Annabelle Shania (Indonesia).
The finale includes special appearances by actors who have been involved in the growth of the show: Mitch Beard, Amelia Bryant, Brooke Bucher, Tyler Evick, Sierra Fermin, Alex Fetzko, Darian Goulding, Adelaide Grace, Bobby Guenther, Shannon Hegarty, Bobby Hogan, Allison Kalfas, Tori Kocher, Max Komisar, Anna Lasley, Ava Locknar, Alexa Neilen, Emma Oesch, Kylan Ritchie, Mason Risser, Christian Sandelin, Bennett Scott, and Darci Wantiez.
Sticks & Stones was written by Grammy- and Emmy-winning composer and conductor John McDaniel (Grease, Annie Get Your Gun) and lyricist/librettist Scott Logsdon (Les Misérables, Fabulously Fake: The Real Life of Kenneth J. Lane).
“Scott and I were overwhelmed by the volume and quality of the audition submissions,” McDaniel said in an earlier statement. “We are thrilled to have assembled a remarkably diverse and inclusive cast of exciting young talent from all over the world. We will all come together to tell a story of perseverance, optimism and hope in order to benefit two vital entities, one actively providing for folks affected by COVID-19 and other life crises, and another working to validate the emotions of young people and provide the resources they need to not only survive, but thrive.”
During the free stream, donations will be accepted for Broadway Cares and Born This Way Foundation, the latter founded by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta. Born This Way Foundation supports the mental and emotional wellness of young people and works with them to create a kinder, braver world. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS helps those across the country affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other critical illnesses receive healthy meals, lifesaving medication, emergency financial assistance, housing, counseling, and more.
