OPAS is proud that the Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical, Bandstand, will kick-off its first U.S. tour in Rudder Auditorium on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 29 and 30 (7:30pm). Originally directed and choreographed by three-time Tony winner and Hamilton choreographer, Andy Blankenbuehler, featuring music by Richard Oberacker with book and lyrics by Robert Taylorand Richard Oberacker, this poignant and inspiring new American musical explodes with infectious music and high-octane, heart-stopping dancing. Tickets range from $30 to $90 are on sale now at MSC Box Office at (979) 845-1234 and online at www.MSCOPAS.org. Special ticket prices are available for students. Bandstand is presented by OPAS and sponsored by Brookshire Brothers Charitable Foundation. The show contains strong language, parental discretion is advised.
It’s 1945. As America’s soldiers come home to ticker-tape parades and overjoyed families, Private First Class Donny Novitski, singer and songwriter, struggles to rebuild the life he left behind. When NBC announces a national competition to find the nation’s next great musical superstars, Donny sees a lifeline for himself and some fellow veterans that gives them the purpose they so desperately need. Together, they form a band unlike any the nation has ever seen. Along the way, they discover the power of music to face the impossible, find their voice, and finally feel like they have a place to call home.
Bandstand is “both a peppy celebration of can-do spirit and a more somber exploration of what American servicemen experienced when they marched home from World War II. It’s a great argument for why theater can sometimes tell a story more boldly and more viscerally” (The New York Times). “The show defies you not to be moved” (Time Out New York).
The national tour cast will star Zack Zaromatidis as Donny Novitski and Jennifer Elizabeth Smith as Julia Trojan. They will be joined by Roxy York (Mrs. June Adams), Rob Clove (Jimmy Campbell), Benjamin Powell (Davy Zlatic), Scott Bell (Nick Radel), Louis Jannuzzi III (Wayne Wright), and Jonmichael Tarleton (Johnny Simpson). The cast also includes Shaunice Alexander, Beth Anderson, Michael Bingham, Milena J. Comeau, Ryan P. Cyr, Sarah Dearstyne, Michael Hardenberg, Andre Malcolm, Kaitlyn Mayse, Matthew Mucha, Mallory Nolting, Taylor Okey, Katie Pohlman, Oz Shoshan, and Cameron Turner.
The award-winning Bandstand design team includes Tony Award nominee David Korins and associate Justin West (Scenic Design), Tony Award winner Paloma Young (Costume Design), Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Nevin Steinberg (Original Broadway Sound Design), David Thomas (Tour Sound Design), J. Jared Janas and Dave Bova (Makeup, Hair and Wig Design), Tony Award nominee Greg Anthony Rassen (Co-Orchestrator and Music Arranger), Tony Award winner and 2017 Tony Award nominee Bill Elliott (Co-Orchestrator), Fred Lassen (Music Supervisor), Gina Rattan (Tour Director), with choreography restaged and additional choreography by Marc Heitzman. Tour Casting by Kate Lumpkin, CSA.
Bandstand is produced by Work Light Productions and was originally produced on Broadway by Tom Smedes, Gabrielle Palitz, Terry Schnuck, Roger Horchow, Peter Stern, Michael Palitz, Jane Dubin, Tom Kirdahy, David Lyons, Sarah Perot, James L. Nederlander, James & Catherine Berges, Darren DeVerna & Jere Harris, Jeff & Ellen Adler, Nancy & Randy Best, Deep End Productions, Patty Baker, Terry D. Loftis/Scott D. Huffman, Independent Presenters Network/Charles & Lisa Siegel, Rosie Gunther McCooe/J. Scott & Sylvia G. Bechtel, Roy Putrino/Heather Shields, Diane & John Kalishman/Alison & John Ferring and The Shubert Organization in association with Paper Mill Playhouse.
