An Officer and a Gentleman, the new musical based on the Oscar-winning film of the same name, premieres October 28 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. Watch highlights from the tour, which will subsequently travel to more than 50 cities in its first season on the road, above.
Written and directed by Tony nominee Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie), choreographed by Patricia Wilcox (Motown), and music supervised and arranged by Dan Lipton, the cast is headed by Wes Williams as Zack and Mary Nikols as Paula with Emily Louise Franklin as Lynette, Cameron Loyal as Sid, Amaya White as Casey Seeger, Roxy York as Esther, and David Wayne Britton as Marine Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley.
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The ensemble features Zare Anguay, William Warren Carver, J Travis Cooper, Amanda Rose Gabriel, Christopher Robert Hanford, Kyler Hershman, Joey Ledonio, Nathaniel D. Lee, Logan Marks, Nicole Morris, Blake Sauceda, Elise Shangold, KD Stevens, Shelly Verden, and Jillian Worthing. Miles Boone, Andryi Nahirniak, and Israel Orengo are the standbys.
The production, based on an original book by Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen, features a mix of '80s hits, including tunes by Rick Springfield, Styx, Debbie Gibson, Richard Marx, Wilson Phillips, Pat Benatar, and the Grammy-winning “Up Where We Belong.”
The traveling production also has orchestrations by Lipton and Nathan Dame, dance arrangements by Gary Adler, associate direction by Matt Kunkel, scenic design by Brett Banakis, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Jon Weston, wig and hair design by Kelley Jordan, video design by Austin Switser, and casting by Wojcik|Seay Casting.
The musical concerns Zack Mayo, who is in the U.S. Navy pilot boot camp, where a sergeant is determined to drill his arrogance out of him. Zack finds comfort in the arms of a local factory girl, but it isn’t until tragedy befalls a fellow candidate that Zack learns the importance of love and friendship and finds the courage to be his best self and win the heart of the woman he loves.
The tour is produced by Work Light Productions in association with Jamie Wilson.
The first musical of An Officer and a Gentleman, adapted by Oscar nominee Stewart, premiered in Sydney in 2012. Simon Phillips directed.
For the current itinerary, click here.
