A Night With Janis Joplin: complete cast

The complete cast has been announced for the musical A Night with Janis Joplin, written and directed by Randy Johnson, opening at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre on 10 Oct 2013, following previews from 20 Sep 2013.

Joining previously announced Mary Bridget Davies, who will be reprising her performance as 'Janis Joplin,' are Taprena Michelle Augustine ('The Book of Mormon'), Tony Award nominee De'Adre Aziza ('Passing Strange'), Nikki Kimbrough ('Dreamgirls') and NaTasha Yvette Williams ('The Color Purple') who will be playing Joplin's backup singers, "The Joplinaires," and featured as some of the iconic female singers who influenced Joplin's music.

They will be joined by Kacee Clanton (A Night with Janis Joplin regionally) as 'Janis Joplin alternate,' Allison Blackwell ('The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess') as Joplinaire swing and Alison Cusano (A Night with Janis Joplin regionally) as Joplinaire swing and 'Janis Joplin' understudy.

Producers of the show said,

When the two companies of A Night with Janis Joplin were touring the country, we quickly discovered that the extraordinary vocal requirements of the role of Janis required another actress to perform a few performances each week. We're thrilled to have Mary Bridget Davies leading this fine company of actors on Broadway and Kacee Clanton, who led our recent Austin production to critical acclaim and is currently playing the role of Janis in San Jose, will be joining the company at the Lyceum."

Press notes for the musical describe the show as, "Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 for three incredible years, reigning as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll. The unmistakable voice filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock. A Night with Janis Joplin is a musical journey celebrating the inspirations of one of Rock 'n' Roll's greatest legends."

Davies received the 2013 Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Musical and was nominated for a 2013 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Musical.

The Washington Post described Davies performance as "Producing a version of the Joplin screech that starts somewhere around the singer's ankles, wends its way up into the back of her throat and shoots off into the farthest reaches of the theater."

The creative team for the show's Broadway premiere features choreography by Patricia Wilcox (Motown), set and lighting design by Justin Townsend, costume design by Amy Clark, sound design by Carl Casella, projection design by Darrel Maloney, music direction by Ross Seligman, and original music direction and arrangements by Len Rhodes.

A Night with Janis Joplin is produced by Todd Gershwin and Daniel Chilewich, in association with The Estate of Janis Joplin and Jeffrey Jampol for JAM, Inc.