Jerry Springer - The Opera in Concert: Max von Essen, Emily Skinner and others join cast of Carnegie Hall concert

Further casting for the two night only concert version of the smash hit London musical Jerry Springer The Opera which will play Carnegie Hall for two nights only on 29 - 30 Jan 2008.

Joining the previously announced Harvey Keitel as 'Jerry Springer' are Max von Essen (Les Mis�rables) as "Tremont," a transsexual involved in a love quadrangle, and Tony Award Nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show - 1997) as "Andrea," whose diaper loving husband is having an affair with Baby Jane.

Also joining the cast are Linda Balgord (The Pirate Queen - 2007) as "Zandra, Irene & Mary," Lawrence Clayton (Bells are Ringing 2001) as "Montel & Jesus," Luke Grooms as "Dwight & God," Sean Jenness as "Chucky," Sam Kitchin (Frozen - 2004) as "Steve," Patricia Phillips (Phantom of the Opera) as "Peaches" and Laura Shoop (Fiddler on the Roof - 2004) as "Baby Jane." Full casting will be announced shortly.

The ensemble for Jerry Springer The Opera - in Concert will feature Katie Banks, Kristy Cates, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, Patty Goble, Chris Gunn, Celisse Henderson, Robert Hunt, John Eric Parker, Eddie Pendergraft, Richard Poole, Soara-Joye Ross, Tory Ross, Roland Rusinek, John Schiappa, Michael James Scott, Dennis Stowe, Edwin Vega, Sasha Weiss, Betsy Werbel, Jim Weitzer and Lauren Worsham.

Directed by Tony Award nominee Jason Moore and with musical direction by Stephen Oremus (Wicked), Jerry Springer - The Opera In Concert features music by Richard Thomas, with book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas.

Jerry Springer - The Opera In Concert is inspired by America's most lurid TV talk show host who brought worldwide television audiences episodes including "Pregnant by a Transsexual," "Here Come the Hookers" and "I Refuse to Wear Clothes." As author Richard Thomas said of the television show: "It's got tragedy. It's got violence. There are people screaming at each other and you can't understand what they're saying. It's perfect for opera!"

The show opened in London to unprecedented rave reviews: "A bruising, shocking, irresistibly funny masterpiece" (Sunday Times); "Nothing more entertaining to be seen anywhere" (The Mail on Sunday) and "Sets a new standard for musical theatre." (The Observer).

A review of the show by our sister site, Jerry Springer - The Opera In Concert, described the production in the following terms "The first half of the musical takes the usual format of a Jerry Springer Show with guests making their bizarre revelations whilst being verbally abused by the audience. The second half takes place in hell in which God, Jesus, Mary and other figures from Christianity are forced to make confessions of their own and are treated with the same distain as any other guest. The same �trailer park trash� that populates the average Jerry Springer Show apparently colonizes Heaven," and went on to praise the production as "An addictive shot of pure vulgar fun."

The play caused controversy in the UK, especially when it was broadcast on British television by the BBC, with some Christian groups calling it 'blasphemous" and organising demonstrations when it toured the UK.

Jerry Springer - The Opera In Concert will be produced in the U.S. by David J. Foster, Jared Geller and Avalon Promotions. If the concerts are a success, then the producers say that a Broadway production may well follow.