Walmartopia announces full cast

The irreverent political satirical musical Walmartopia, book by Catherine Capellaro, with music and lyrics by Andrew Rohn, has announced its full cast. The musical opens at the Minetta Lane Theatre on 3 Sep 2007, following previews from 21 Aug, and is currently booking through to 30 Dec 2007.

Walmartopia tells the tale of Vicki Latrell, a single mom and Wal-Mart employee who speaks out against her company's working conditions and finds herself and her young daughter jettisoned to 2036, into a future where Wal-Mart dominates the entire world.

With direction by Daniel Goldstein and choreography by Wendy Seyb, the cast features Cheryl Freeman and Nikki M. James as mother and daughter (and Wal-Mart employees) at the center of this lampoon of the corporate giant.

Cheryl Freeman's Broadway credits: The Civil War (1999), Play On! (1997), The Who's Tommy (1993), Amen Corner (1983) and Show Boat (1983 revival). She was last seen Off-Broadway in Miracle Brothers (Vineyard Theatre 2005).

Nikki M. James' Broadway credits: All Shook Up (2005) and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2001). She was last seen Off-Broadway as Adela in the Lincoln Center Theater's production of Bernarda Alba (2006).

The cast also features Sarah Bolt, Bradley Dean, Stephen DeRosa, John Jellison, Brennen Leath, Andrew Polk, Pearl Sun, Scotty Watson and Helene Yorke.

A previous version of the musical was presented at last summer's New York International Fringe Festival. In its earlier life, Walmartopia has become something of a lightning rod for its prescient message (Wal-Mart has faced increasing scrutiny in the past years for its stingy health insurance plan and treatment of its workers and producers abroad. The company also faces the largest sex-discrimination suit in history - 1.6 million current and former female employees).

Wal-Mart, of course, is not only the largest company in the world, it is the largest company in the history of the world. Every week more than 100 million Americans shop at Wal-Mart. Each year 93 percent of American households shop at least once at Wal-Mart. And Wal-Mart is the nation's, and the world's, largest employer with 1.6 million "associates" (as the company refers to its employees).

The Walmartopia creative team includes David Korins (Sets), Miranda Hoffman (Costumes), Ben Stanton (Lights), Tony Smolenski & Walter Trarbach (Sound), and is produced by Leading Light, LLC and Outside the Big Box Productions, LLC.