MCC Theater is getting ready for its December 15 reunion concert of Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman's The Bridges of Madison County with the release of a video of the musical's original stars Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale swapping roles for the 2024 Miscast concert.
See O'Hara and Pasquale sing "Wondering" and "Always Better" in the video below.
The Carnegie Hall performance will feature an expanded, 20-piece orchestration by Brown, who will also conduct. Bartlett Sher will again direct.
On hand to recreate their 2014 performances will be O'Hara, Pasquale, Ephie Aardema, Jennifer Allen, Whitney Bashor, Charlie Franklin, Kevin Kern, Caitlin Kinnunen, Katie Klaus, Derek Klena, Luke Marinkovich, Michael X. Martin, Cass Morgan, Aaron Ramey, and Dan Sharkey, as previously announced, with Paul Alexander Nolan staring as Bud, filling in for original cast member Hunter Foster, who is unable to perform due to scheduling conflicts. The orchestra will also feature several members of the original ensemble, including Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, Kiku Enomoto, Justin Goldner, Benny Koonyevsky, Randy Landau, Katherine Livolsi-Landau, Andrew Resnick, Gary Sieger, and Paul Woodiel.
Based on Robert James Waller's novel of the same name, the work centers on a married woman who strikes up a four-day love affair with a visiting photographer while her husband and children are out of town at a county fair for a week. Following a try-out run at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the musical premiered on Broadway in 2014, running for 37 previews and 100 performances. The show earned four 2014 Tony nominations, with Brown winning both Best Original Score and Orchestrations. In the years since, the musical embarked on a U.S. national tour, and made its U.K. premiere at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, the latter in 2019. The work has also received a number of stagings at regional theatres worldwide.
Much of the musical's original creative team will be back for the concert as well, including music director Tom Murray, music coordinator Michael Aarons, sound designer Jon Weston, and stage managers Jenn Rae Moore and Lisa Chernoff. Kaitlin Marsh will also stage manage. Original casting was by Telsey and Abbie Brady-Dalton.
The performance will be followed by a gala cocktail celebration. Show-only tickets are being offered. The concert is being presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
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