The line-up was assembled from acting pools in New York, Chicago and England. The British performers include Samantha Spiro as Charlotte, Paul Keating as Henrik and Helen Ryan as Madame Armfeldt. Spiro was a 2001 Olivier Award winner for her performances in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. Keating also had experience in American musicals, starring in the London version of The Full Monty. From New York comes Michael Cerveris, who starred in The Who's Tommy and Titanic and recently appeared in Passion at the Ravinia Festival. He will play Count Carl-Mangus. Griffin's fellow Chicagoans will include Barbara Robertson as Desiree Armfeldt and Kevin Gudahl as her ex-lover Frederik. Also in the cast is Jenny Powers as the maid Petra. Powers is currently in the company of Sondheim's latest, Bounce, at the Kennedy Center.

Cerveris will leave the show on Jan. 18, in order to begin rehearsals of Wintertime Off-Broadway.

Griffin has had great success with his Chicago stagings of Sunday in the Park with George and Pacific Overtures. The latter subsequently traveled to London's Donmar Warehouse. Hugh Wheeler penned the book of Night Music.

For more information about the theatre, call (312) 595-5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com.