Where's Charley?: Encores! announces cast

Sebastian Arcelus, Rebecca Luker, Rob McClure, Howard McGillin, Jill Paice and Lauren Worsham have been cast in Where's Charley?, the third, and final, Encores! production of the New York City Center season, running from 17 - 20 Mar 2011 at City Center.

Where's Charley?, based on Brandon Thomas' 'Charley's Aunt,' has a book by George Abbott and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. It will be directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Alex Sanchez, with music direction by Rob Berman.

Where's Charley? was Frank Loesser's first Broadway score, and includes the songs "Once in Love With Amy," "My Darling, My Darling" and "The New Ashmolean Marching Society." The musical opened at the St. James Theater on 11 Oct 1948, and played 792 performances. It was directed by George Abbott, choreographed by George Balanchine and starred Ray Bolger, who won a Tony Award for his performance.

The full cast of Where's Charley?, features: Rob McClure (Charley Wykeham), Lauren Worsham (Amy Spettigue), Sebastian Arcelus (Jack Chesney), Howard McGillin (Sir Francis Chesney), Rebecca Luker (Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez), Jeff Brooks (Brassett), Jill Paice (Kitty Verdun), Dakin Matthews (Spettigue), Dan Callaway, Meggie Cansler, Hannah Chin, Nick Cosgrove, Desiree Davar, Ashlee Dupre, Leah Edwards, Drew Frankin, Arlo Hill, Leah Horowitz, Jordan Hunt, Amy Justman, Max Kumangai, Analisa Leaming, Colby Lindeman, Angelina Mullins, Patricia Noonan, Weston Wells Olson, Lainie Sakakura, Tommy Scrivens, Kendall Sparks, Brendan Stimson and Amos Wolff.

Bios:

Sebastian Arcelus (Jack Chesney) has appeared on Broadway in 'Elf,' 'Wicked,' 'Jersey Boys,' 'Good Vibrations' and 'Rent,' and off-Broadway in 'Happiness.'

Jeff Brooks (Brassett) has appeared on Broadway in 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Guys and Dolls' (1992 revival), 'Nick & Nora,' 'Gypsy' (1989 revival), 'Lend Me a Tenor,' 'Loose Ends' and 'A History of the American Film.' His film credits include "Julie and Julia," "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "The Secret of My Success."

Dakin Matthews (Spettigue) is an actor, playwright, director and educator. He was a founding member of John Houseman's The Acting Company in New York and the Antaeus Company in Los Angeles, and he was Artistic Director of the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival and Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theater. His Broadway credits include 'A Man for All Seasons' (2008 revival) and 'Julius Caesar' (with Denzel Washington).

Rebecca Luker (Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez) received Tony nominations for her performances in 'Mary Poppins,' 'The Music Man' and 'Show Boat.' Her many Broadway credits include 'Nine,' 'The Sound of Music,' 'The Secret Garden' and 'The Phantom of the Opera.' She has also performed in 'X (The Life and Times of Malcolm X)' and 'Brigadoon' for New York City Opera. She appeared in the Encores! production of 'Boys from Syracuse.'

Rob McClure (Charley Wykeham) can currently be seen as 'Mozart' in the Walnut Street Theater's production of 'Amadeus' in Philadelphia. His Broadway credits include the role of 'Rod' in 'Avenue Q' and 'I'm Not Rappaport' with Judd Hirsch and Ben Vereen. He recently portrayed 'Charlie Chaplin' in the La Jolla Playhouse world premiere production of 'Limelight.'

Howard McGillin (Sir Francis Chesney) received Tony nominations for his performances in 'Anything Goes' and 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood.' He has appeared on and off-Broadway and in London's West End in 'The Secret Garden,' 'Mack and Mabel,' 'Kiss of the Spiderwoman,' 'She Loves Me' and 'Sunday in the Park with George.'

Jill Paice (Kitty Verdun) originated the roles of 'Laura' in the London and New York productions of 'The Woman in White' and of 'Scarlett O'Hara' in 'Gone With The Wind' at the New London Theatre under the direction of Trevor Nunn. She has been seen on Broadway in 'Curtains' and 'The 39 Steps' and off-Broadway in 'Weird Romance' and 'The Gig.'

Lauren Worsham (Amy Spettigue) has appeared as 'Cunegonde' in New York City Opera's 'Candide,' 'Lili' in Goodspeed Opera House's 'Carnival,' 'Cinderella' in Kansas City Rep's 'Into the Woods,' 'Clara' in Weston Playhouse's 'The Light in the Piazza' and 'Olive' in the first national tour of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.'

John Doyle (Director) most recently directed 'Wings' at Second Stage Theatre. His Broadway credits include 'Sweeney Todd' (Tony award, Best Director of a Musical), 'Company' (Tony Award, Best Revival), and 'A Catered Affair,' and his off-Broadway credits include 'Road Show' (The Public). In London, he has directed 'Gondoliers,' 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Mack and Mabel.' Doyle's opera credits include 'Peter Grimes,' (Metropolitan Opera), 'Lucia di Lammermoor' (Mariinsky Theatre/ Scottish Opera), 'The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny' (LA Opera) and 'Madama Butterfly' (Grange Park Opera).

Alex Sanchez (Choreographer) has choreographed musicals, jazz works and concert dance in theaters across the country and in New York.

Rob Berman (Music Director) is in his fourth season as music director of the Encores! series, where he has conducted 'Bells Are Ringing,' 'Anyone Can Whistle,' 'Fanny,' 'Finian's Rainbow,' 'Music in the Air,' 'Damn Yankees,' 'Applause' and 'Stairway to Paradise,' as well as last season's gala concert celebrating Stephen Sondheim. Broadway conducting credits include 'Finian's Rainbow,' Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas,' 'The Pajama Game,' 'The Apple Tree,'' Wonderful Town' and 'Promises, Promises,' among others. Berman is a two-time Emmy nominee for his work as music director of the Kennedy Center Honors and he won a Helen Hayes Award for Best Musical Direction for his work on the Kennedy Center's production of 'Sunday in the Park with George'. Recently, he was music director for 'A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House.'

New York City Center Encores! has, since 1994, celebrated the rarely heard works of America's most important composers and lyricists. Conceived as concert performances, Encores! gives these scores the chance to be heard as originally intended by their creators. Over the years, Encores! has presented the works of the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Bock and Harnick, Stephen Sondheim, Burt Bacharach, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, and many others. The program is the recipient of a special 2000 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award and Jujamcyn Theaters Award.