Buy Tickets!!
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is based on the classic Mark Twain novel "Tom Sawyer," about life among the high-spirited young people of a Mississippi town in the early 19th century.
Tickets are now on sale via Ticketmaster by calling (212) 307-4100 in the New York area; (800) 755-4000 beyond. The top regular ticket price will be $86, but the production is offering discounts of up to $35 for performances between April 3 and May 13 (excluding opening night) for ticket buyers who order before Dec. 31.
Joshua Park and Kristen Bell, who sang the roles of Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher in an Oct. 28 recording of a CD sampler of the score, have now been confirmed to play those roles on Broadway.
The Minskoff is currently booked by Saturday Night Fever, which closes Dec. 30.
Also featured in the Broadway cast will be: Linda Purl (Aunt Polly), John Christopher Jones (Dobbins), Tommy Hollis (Sprague), Marshall Pailet (Sid Sawyer), Jim Poulos (Huckleberry Finn), John Dossett and Stephen Lee Anderson.
In the ensemble: Sally Wilfert, Ann Brown, Elan, Michael McCormick, Ann Brown, Nikki James, Kate Reinders, Mekenzie Rosen-Stone, Michael Burton, Alex Boyd, Pierce Cravens, Joe Gallagher, Blake Hackler, Stacia Fernandez, Nikki James, Tommy Hollis, Donna Lee Marshall, Erik J. McCormack, Amy Jo Phillips, Kate Reinders, Elise Santora and Tommar Wilson.
Produced by The Nederlander Organization and Watt/Dobie Productions, the musical will try out at the Shubert Performing Arts Center in New Haven, with previews beginning Feb. 27, 2001, an official opening March 4 and a run through March 17.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?: Tom and Becky may soon be harmonizing in a major new musical.
Librettist Ludwig wrote the book to the Tony-winning Crazy for You along with stage comedies Lend Me a Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo.
Composer-lyricist Schlitz is a top country music composer whose hits include "The Gambler," "The Battle Hymn of Love," "Forty Hour Week (For a Livin')," "Pretty Words," "Guardian Angels," "Country Christmas" and "Home" for the likes of Kenny Rogers, The Judds, Randy Travis, Pam Tillis, John Hall and Ricky Van Shelton. Schlitz won the Nashville Songwriters Association International "Song of the Year" Award two years in a row, for "On the Other Hand" (1985) and "Forever and Ever Amen" (1986), both with Paul Overstreet.
Schlitz' agent, Charles Flood, said this is his client's first musical. Schlitz was introduced to theatre through his wife, actress Polly Schlitz, and met Ludwig through the late director Mike Ockrent.
Scott Ellis is back on board as director. The creative team consists of David Marques (Choreographer), Heidi Ettinger (Set Designer), Kenneth Posner (Lighting Designer), Anthony Powell (Costume Designer), Michael Starobin (Orchestrations) and Paul Gemignani (Musical Director). The musical is produced by Nederlander Producing Company of America, Inc. and Watt/Dobie Productions, LLC.
The musical has been in development more than four years, but moved into production after a successful April 1999 workshop, which was staged by David Gilmore, and featured a powerhouse cast, including Dee Hoty, Ron Holgate, Ken Jennings, John Jellison, Michael X. Martin and Kevin Gray.
Mark Twain's work has provided source material for at least three successful musicals, Rodgers & Hart's 1927 A Connecticut Yankee (based on "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs's Court"); Bock & Harnick's 1966 The Apple Tree (whose first section was based on "The Diary of Adam and Eve") and 1985's Big River (based on "Huckleberry Finn"), which won the Tony Award as Best Musical.
The character of Tom Sawyer appeared as a subsidiary role in the latter musical, by Schlitz's colleague, country music composer Roger Miller.
The Shubert Theatre in New Haven is a legendary tryout house. Most of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals debuted there, and their Me and Juliet is set there. After a refurbishment in the 1980s, the Shubert changed its policy and began playing host to shows on post-Broadway tours. The debut of Tom Sawyer there renews a tradition going back to the 1910s.
see also: (ARI ROCKS!)
Broadway.com confirms some casting decisions
Playbill.com confirms New Haven opening
It's official - Tom Saywer to OPEN at the MINSKOFF THEATRE April 26, 2001!! (Thanks to Playbill.com)
ShowTix.Inc
On-Broadway.com
Nederlander.org
Botz.com
TheatreMania.com
Playbill.com
Theatre.com
Broadway.com
more Broadway.com
from playbill.com - a CD sampler recording in the works!!
from Theatre.com - plans for a Broadway theatre
for all those confused about the errors (which have now been corrected, more or less) in this article and this one (an update of the 2000-2001 season on Broadway) on theatre.com -- Jim will not be playing Tom, he is in negotiations for the role of Huck at the moment. Oh yea, and Ari and I have some common interests but are NOT the same person. Just thought i'd clear that up! :P
Playbill.com and Theatre.com for the latest in open-call casting!!
Theatre.com again
BackstageCasting.com
BackstageCasting.com again
from Broadway.com:
click (1) or (2) or (3)
an OLD mention of Tom Sawyer development, thanks to Ari
