Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Megan Hilty to star

Megan Hilty has been cast as 'Lorelei Lee,' the diamond-loving blonde made famous by Carol Channing, in the Encores! production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, opening 9 May 2012 at New York City Center.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes will be directed by John Rando with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Randy Skinner and will play for seven performances, 9 - 13 May 2012, at New York City Center.

Hilty will star in the musical drama, "Smash," premiering on NBC on 6 Feb 2012. She made her Broadway debut as 'Glinda' in 'Wicked,' a role she repeated on the national tour and in Los Angeles. She played 'Doralee,' the Dolly Parton role, in the Broadway production of '9 to 5: The Musical,' and starred in 'Two by Two' opposite Jason Alexander and Faith Prince as part of the reprise series in Los Angeles. She is currently in production on the animated film 'Dorothy of Oz' with Kelsey Grammer, Hugh Dancy and Lea Michele.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin, book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields, A dapted from the novel by Anita Loos, follows the madcap adventures of the original 'dumb blonde,' 'Lorelei Lee,' as she sets sail for Europe with her best friend 'Dorothy Shaw.'

The Broadway premiere made a star of Carol Channing on Broadway and later cemented Marilyn Monroe's status as an American film icon and sex symbol in the 1953 screen version. The musical score includes "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" "Bye, Bye, Baby," "A Little Girl from Little Rock" and "I Love What I'm Doing (When I'm Doing it for Love)."

The original production, directed by John C. Wilson and choreographed by Agnes de Mille, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre (demolished 1966) on 8 Dec 1949, and played a total of 740 performances. The show was revived by Tony Randall's National Actors Theater in 1995 and ran for 24 performances.