Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk Set for New York Premiere of GIANT at The Public Theater, October 26-December 2, 2012

Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk are set for the New York Premiere of GIANT, an epic love story with book by Sybille Pearson and music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, which is a co-production of The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) and the Dallas Theater Center.

Brian d’Arcy James (Photo by Lia Chang)

Directed by Michael Greif, GIANT begins previews on Friday, October 26 in The Public’s Newman Theater at its Astor Place home and will run through Sunday, December 2, with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 13. Single tickets, beginning at $75, are on sale now. Click here to purchase tickets.

Two-time Tony Award-nominee Brian d’Arcy James (Sweet Smell of Success, Shrek, “Smash”) stars as Texas cattleman Bick Benedict. Brian d’Arcy James has also appeared on Broadway in Next to Normal, Time Stands Still, The Apple Tree, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Titanic, Carousel, Blood Brothers and Les Miserables. His film and TV credits include Game Change, Friends with Kids, Ghost Town, G, Neurotica, Sax and Violins, Victoria Pool, The Exiles, Tina and Lance, Call of the Wylie, “The Big C,” “Person of Interest,” “Cashmere Mafia,” “Rscue Me,” and “The Education of Max Bickford.”

Kate Baldwin Photo by Peter Hurley

Kate Baldwin, a Tony Award nominee for Finian’s Rainbow, plays his socialite wife Leslie Benedict. Baldwin has appeared on Broadway in The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town, and has performed at theaters across the country.

P.J. Griffith

P.J. Griffith, who recently starred in the original Broadway production of American Idiot and is the lead vocalist for the band Blue Movie, portrays young oil tycoon Jett Rink.

New York stage veteran Raul Aranas, who has appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon, The King and I, Loose Ends and Flower Drum Song, plays Polo. Aranas is fresh from appearing as The Kralahome in The King and I at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta. During his stint as The Engineer in the 1st National Company of Miss Saigon, he received a Helen Hayes Award, the Carbonell Award and a Jefferson Award Nomination. His turn as The Reciter in the North Shore Theatre production of Pacific Overtures, garnered him an Irne Award. He has appeared in the films Burn After Reading, Buzzkill, JFK, Company Man, Afterwards, and on television on “Law And Order,” “Gideon Oliver,” “One Life To Live,” and “Bluebloods.”

Raul Aranas

The complete cast of GIANT features Enrique Acevedo (Ensemble); Raul Aranas (Polo); Mary Bacon (Adarene, Mrs. Lynnton); Kate Baldwin (Leslie); Miguel Cervantes (Angel); Natalie Cortez (Juana); Rocio Del MarValles (Analita); John Dossett (Bawley); Jon Fletcher (Bobby Jr., Bobby Sr.); P.J. Griffith (Jett); Michael Halling (Lord Karfrey, Lynnton); Brian d’Arcy James (Bick); Mackenzie Mauzy (Lil Luz); Doreen Montalvo (Lupe); Michele Pawk(Luz); Allison Rogers (Heidi, Lady Karfrey); Isabel Santiago (Ensemble); Martin Sola (DiModeo); Bobby Steggert (Jordy Jr.); Matthew Stocke (Mike);Katie Thompson (Vashti); and William Youmans (Pinkie).

Katie Thompson

Based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber, GIANT is a new American musical that spans generations in an epic chronicle of the state that’s like no place else on earth: Texas. Amid a turbulent culture of greed, bigotry and money, a powerful cattleman, his new East Coast bride, their family and friends – not to mention their enemies – embrace and confront the joys and sorrows that loom as large as the state they call home. With a book by Sybille Pearson (the Tony-nominated author of Baby), music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa (the five-time Tony-nominated composer of The Wild Party and Hello Again) and direction by Michael Greif (the three-time Tony-nominated director of Rent and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide…), GIANT will come to life in an appropriately huge production with a company of 22 actors and a 17-piece orchestra. GIANT is a co-production with Dallas Theater Center and continues The Public’s tradition of partnering with non-profit theaters around the country.

The Public Theater has a long history of producing new musicals, and is the only theater in New York City that presents Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, new works, and experimental theater in equal measure.

GIANT features scenic design by Allen Moyer; costume design by Jeff Mahshie; lighting design by Ken Posner; sound design by Brian Ronan; musical direction by Chris Fenwick; and choreography by Alex Sanchez.

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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

DTC’s Production Photos of Giant featuring Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin,P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Raul Aranas & Katie Thompson

Dallas Theater Center’s Giant, a co-production with The Public Theater, opens tonight at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and has performances through February 19, 2012. Tony Award-nominated Michael Greif directs this new musical by Sybille Pearson and Michael John LaChiusa, which began preview performances on January 18, 2012.

Dallas Theater Center's Giant - Cast Jump Photo by Karen Almond

“Edna Ferber’s niece came to me several years ago about writing the musical version of Giant,” says composer and lyricist Michael John LaChiusa. “It wasn’t until I was commissioned to write something for the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia that I moved forward with the project. Now we have this beautiful love story with a universality and a truth that I hope will capture the imaginations of audiences in Texas and all over the country.”

Dallas Theater Center's Giant stars Kate Baldwin as Leslie and Aaron Lazar and Bick. Photo by Karen Almond

Aaron Lazar, who has appeared in seven Broadway productions including A Tale of Two Cities, Impressionism, The Light in the Piazza, and the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, stars as Texas cattleman Bick Benedict. Lazar was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in the revival of Les Miserables and can now be seen in Clint Eastwood’s film J. Edgar. Kate Baldwin, a Tony Award nominee for Finian’s Rainbow, plays his socialite wife Leslie. Baldwin has appeared on Broadway in The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town, and has performed at theaters across the country.

P.J.Griffith as Jett Rink in Dallas Theater Center's Giant. Photo by Karen Almond

P.J. Griffith, who recently starred in the original Broadway production of American Idiot and is the lead vocalist for the band Blue Movie, portrays young oil tycoon Jett Rink. New York stage veteran Raul Aranas, who has appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon, The King and I, Loose Ends and Flower Drum Song, plays Polo. Aranas is fresh from starring as The Engineer in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Miss Saigon, and during his stint as The Engineer in the 1st National Company, he received a Helen Hayes Award, the Carbonell Award and a Jefferson Award Nomination. His turn as The Reciter in the North Shore Theatre production of Pacific Overtures, garnered him an Irne Award.He has appeared in the films Burn After Reading, Afterwards, Buzzkill, JFK, Company Man, and on television on “Law And Order,” “Gideon Oliver,” “One Life To Live,” and “Bluebloods.”

Dee Hoty, Katie Thompson, Kate Baldwin, Mary Bacon and Allison Rogers Photo by Karen Almond

“We have assembled an extraordinarily talented cast for this new production in Dallas,” says director Michael Greif. “And the excitement that we all feel for sharing this great Texas story with Texas audiences is palpable.”

Also featured in the cast of Giant are Mary Bacon as Adarene and Mrs. Lyntonn; Miguel Cervantes as Angel, Jr. and Angel, Sr.; Natalie Cortez as Juana; Rocio Del Mar Valles as Analita; John Dossett as Bawley; Matt Doyle as Jordy, Jr.; Andrea Green as Lil Luz; Jason Hite as Bobby, Jr.; Dee Hoty as Luz; Doreen Montalvo as Lupe; Martin Sola as Dimodeo; Matthew Stocke as Mike; Katie Thompson as Vashti and William Youmans as Pinkie. Ensemble members include: Enrique Acevado, Michael Halling, Allison Rogers and Isabel Santiago.

Aaron Lazar, Andrea Lynn Green, Matt Doyle, Kate Baldwin in Dallas Theater Center's Giant . (Photo by Karen Almond)

Giant is an epic love story set in the Lone Star State that spans generations. Bick Benedict is the heir apparent to the largest ranch in Texas, Reata. When he falls in love with a Virginia girl, Leslie, and brings her home, complications ensue as Leslie learns to cope with a new land and culture, and Bick tries to cope with a changing country and changing times. Jett Rink, represents a new age in Texas – oil. The struggles between the cattle ranger’s way of life and the drilling for oil, hostilities between whites and Mexicans, exploitation of the land and the desire to preserve it, the challenge of adapting to a changing world versus clinging to traditional values—Bick, Leslie, their children, and all those they know and encounter must face these challenges.

Three-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal) helms Giant, the sprawling, epic love story with larger-than-life characters and Texas-size musical numbers, written by Michael John LaChiusa (music and lyrics) and Sybille Pearson, and based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber.

The design team includes costume designer Jeff Mashie, who also worked with Greif on the Broadway and touring productions of Next to Normal, set designer Allen Moyer (Grey Gardens, Twelve Angry Men), lighting designer Ken Posner (Catch Me if You Can), sound designer Brian Ronan (The Book of Mormon, American Idiot) and choreographer Alex Sanchez.

Tickets for Giant start at $15 (maximum ticket prices vary by performance) and are available online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org or by phone at 214-880-0202.

All performances of Giant will be held at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center located at 2400 Flora St., where it runs Jan. 18 – Feb. 19. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and select Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

DTC thanks the production sponsors for their generous support of Giant. Title Sponsor is Pioneer Natural Resources. Commissioning Sponsors are Lyn and John Muse. Premiere Sponsor is JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Presenting Sponsors are Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty; Embrey Family Foundation; and VARI*LITE®. Executive Producing Partner is Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Assistant Producing Partners are Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; HYATT house; and PwC. Additional support provided by Kimberley and Scott Sheffield.

ABOUT DALLAS THEATER CENTER:
One of the leading regional theaters in the country, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audience of more than 90,000 North Texas residents annually. Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its Mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus and Rem Koolhaas. DTC also presents productions at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Managing Director Heather Kitchen, DTC produces a seven-play subscription series of classics, musicals and new plays and an annual production of A Christmas Carol; extensive education programs, including Project Discovery, Summer Stage and partnerships with Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; and community outreach efforts including leading the DFW Foote Festival and recent collaborations with the Dallas Public Library, Dallas Holocaust Museum, North Texas Food Bank, Dallas Opera, and Dallas Black Dance Theater. Throughout its history, DTC has produced many new works, including The Texas Trilogy by Preston Jones in 1978, Adrian Hall’s All the King’s Men in 1986, and recent premieres of The Trinity River Plays by Regina Taylor, the revised It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, Give it Up! (now titled Lysistrata Jones and recently on Broadway) by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn, Sarah Plain and Tall by Julia Jordan, Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.

Lia Chang: Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Aaron Lazar Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012

Aaron Lazar

Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Aaron Lazar and Katie Thompson are set for Giant, a co-production of the Dallas Theater Center and The Public Theater, which runs at the Wyly Theatre located in the AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2400 Flora Street in Dallas, from January 18 – February 19, 2012. Opening night is Friday, January 27 at 8:00 p.m.

Three-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal) helms Giant, the sprawling, epic love story with larger-than-life characters and Texas-size musical numbers, written by Michael John LaChiusa (music and lyrics) and Sybille Pearson, and based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber.

Kate Baldwin Photo by Peter Hurley

Aaron Lazar, who has appeared in seven Broadway productions including A Tale of Two Cities, Impressionism, The Light in the Piazza, and the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, stars as Texas cattleman Bick. Lazar was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in the revival of Les Miserables and can now be seen in Clint Eastwood’s film J. Edgar.

P.J. Griffith

Kate Baldwin, a Tony Award nominee for Finian’s Rainbow, plays his socialite wife Leslie. Baldwin has appeared on Broadway in The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town, and has performed at theaters across the country.

P.J. Griffith, who recently starred in the original Broadway production of American Idiot and is the lead vocalist for the band Blue Movie, portrays young oil tycoon Jett.

Raul Aranas

New York stage veteran Raul Aranas, who has appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon, The King and I, Loose Ends and Flower Drum Song, plays Polo. Aranas is fresh from starring as The Engineer in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Miss Saigon, and during his stint as The Engineer in the 1st National Company, he received a Helen Hayes Award, the Carbonell Award and a Jefferson Award Nomination. His turn as The Reciter in the North Shore Theatre production of Pacific Overtures, garnered him an Irne Award. He has appeared in the films Burn After Reading, Afterwards, Buzzkill, JFK, Company Man, and on television on “Law And Order,” “Gideon Oliver,” “One Life To Live,” and “Bluebloods.”

Dee Hoty

Also featured in the cast of Giant are Mary Bacon as Adarene and Mrs. Lyntonn; Miguel Cervantes as Angel, Jr. and Angel, Sr.; Natalie Cortez as Juana; Rocio Del Mar Valles as Analita; John Dossett as Bawley; Matt Doyle as Jordy, Jr.; Andrea Green as Lil Luz; Jason Hite as Bobby, Jr.; Dee Hoty as Luz; Doreen Montalvo as Lupe; Martin Sola as Dimodeo; Matthew Stocke as Mike; Katie Thompson as Vashti and William Youmans as Pinkie. Ensemble members include: Enrique Acevado, Michael Halling, Allison Rogers and Isabel Santiago.

Katie Thompson

The design team includes costume designer Jeff Mashie, who also worked with Greif on the Broadway and touring productions of Next to Normal, set designer Allen Moyer (Grey Gardens, Twelve Angry Men), lighting designer Ken Posner (Catch Me if You Can), sound designer Brian Ronan (The Book of Mormon, American Idiot) and choreographer Alex Sanchez.

All performances of Giant are at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center located at 2400 Flora St. in Dallas. Previews are January 18 – January 26, with an opening night set for Friday, January 27 at 8:00 p.m.

Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and select Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 – $85 and are available online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org or by phone at 214-880-0202. The Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) performance of Giant will be Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. PWYC tickets will be available online the week of the performance at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org and at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre Box Office beginning Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can allows patrons to purchase ANY seat in the house for ANY amount they choose. For as little as a penny, theatergoers can see world-class live theater created by Dallas Theater Center for North Texas residents.

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Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Lia Chang: BD Wong in All-Star Lineup at Symphony Space for Wall to Wall Broadway

BD Wong at AALDEF's 35th Anniversary Celebration at PIER SIXTY, Chelsea Piers, in New York City on Thursday, March 26, 2009. Photo by Lia Chang

BD Wong and Wayne Barker will be performing a selection from Noel Coward’s The Coconut Girl, in Symphony Space’s Wall-to-Wall Broadway, a twelve hour marathon of performances celebrating  a century of musicals, on Saturday, May 16 at 9pm. From 8pm-11pm, Tony and Emmy Award winner Paul Gemignani will conduct a full orchestra playing Broadway musical classics featuring performances by Michael Cerveris, Alexander Gemignani, George S. Irving, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Raúl Esparza, Martha Plimpton, Loni Ackerman, Terrence Mann, Randy Graff, Kate Baldwin, Leenya Rideout, Gregg Edelman, Julie Wilson, Debbie Gravitte, Ivy Austin, Isaiah Sheffer, Melissa Errico, James Naughton, Lisa Flanagan, Kathryn Markey, Amy Vice, Jonathan Hadary, Jeffrey Schecter, Liz Callaway, D’Ambrose Boyd, Chip Zien, and Donna Murphy.

The marathon of performances begins at 11am. Admission is free and seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway @ 95th St in New York.

Performance Schedule:

11 am Performances by the casts of The Lion King, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, and Shrek

11:45 am Excerpts from Adelphi University’s production of Rent

12 pm Great songs that never made it to the Broadway stage, featuring performances by Kevin Burdette, Loni Ackerman, Leenya Rideout, Amy Vice, Marion Cowings, and more

2 pm Robert MacNeil and Frank Rich discuss the musicals that changed their lives, with performances by Jonathan Hadary, Kevin Burdette, Loni Ackerman, and Lisa Flanagan

2:30 pm Composers Jeanine Tesori, Jo DiPietro, and William Finn pay tribute to works that inspired them, accompanied by Theodore Chapin

3 pm Successful songs from shows that flopped, featuring performances by Mary Cleere Haran, Martin Vidnovic, D’Ambrose Boyd, Loni Ackerman, and Lisa Flanagan

3:50 pm Harold Prince in a one-on-one discussion with Rob Marx about the making of musicals

5 pm A pre-centennial salute to Frank Loesser, with performances by Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Debbie Gravitte, and Gregg Edelman

5:30 pm Songs from new musicals in the works: Ever After and Dear Edwina by composer Zina Goldrich and lyricist Marcy Heisler; and The Kid by composer Andy Monroe and lyricist Jack Lethner

6pm Performances from the current and recent shows South Pacific, Girl Crazy, The Who’s Tommy, In the Heights, Avenue Q, and Next to Normal performed by Andrew Samonsky, Rebecca Luker, Michael Cerveris, Carrie Anderson, and others

6:25 pm A sampling of side-splitting songs from Broadway reviews, featuring performances by Loni Ackerman, Kevin Burdette, Mary Brienza, Kathryn Markey, D’Ambrose Boyd, Leenya Rideout, Ivy Austin, Sidney J. Burgoyne, and more

7pm Lyricist Sheldon Harnick in discussion with composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda

8pm See first paragraph for lineup

Directions: Take the subway #1, 2,3,9 to the 96th St Station and walk one block south on Broadway

www.symphonyspace.org

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