Theatre World Award-winner Mary Birdsong ("Reno 911!"), "American Idol" and Broadway star Diana DeGarmo, West End musical actor and "American idol" contestant Tom Lowe, and musical and film actress Tressa Thomas have been cast in "Back to Bacharach and David," the Off-Broadway hit having a 23-performance limited engagement, April 15 to May 17 (press opening April 19) at The Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood.
"We searched for four ultra-superstars for this show," said director Kathy Najimy, "funny, fantastic, with fabulous voices-- and we found them! It is the perfect 'Back to Bacharach and David' cast -- the show they were each meant to star in."
o Mary Birdsong is a 2007 Theatre World Award-winner for her Broadway debut in "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me!" and was seen Off-Broadway in Elaine May's "Adult Entertainment," directed by Stanley Donen. She recently co-starred in "Suburban Shootout" for HBO, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and is best known as Deputy Cherisha Kimball on Comedy Central's "Reno 911!"
o Diana DeGarmo shot to fame as a runner-up on "American Idol," and her debut single "Dreams" went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Singles Chart. She played Penny Pingleton in "Hairspray" on Broadway and the title role in the national tour of "Brooklyn: The Musical."
o On London's West End, Tom Lowe starred as Marius in "Les Misérables" and in over 1,000 performances of "Cats." Last August, he was Enjorlas in "Les Misérables" at the Hollywood Bowl and was the first non-American contestant of "American Idol" in its sixth season.
o Tressa Thomas appeared in Robert Townsend's film "The Five Heartbeats" and later played Ruth Brown in the NBC film "The Little Richard Story."
"Back to Bacharach and David" is a night of amazing voices, comedy, and a tribute to the brilliant songs that Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote from 1960 to 1970. Bacharach and David had more than thirty Top 40 US singles including "Don't Make Me Over," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk On By," "Message to Michael," "Trains and Boats and Planes," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Alfie," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "What's New Pussycat," "Wives and Lovers," "Always Something There to Remind Me," "Promises, Promises," and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - all of which are heard in "Back to Bacharach and David."
The show was originally created for a New York run in 1993. This production marks its Los Angeles debut. The three original creators of "Back to Bacharach and David" - co-conceiver-arranger Steve Gunderson, co-conceiver-director Kathy Najimy, and choreographer Javier Velasco - are reuniting to give the production a fresh vision for 2009. For this new version, Najimy, Gunderson and Velasco give a new dose of comedy and a new life to their work.
Ben Toth is announced as musical director and conductor of "Back to Bacharach and David." Toth has worked with Mandy Patinkin, Lea Salonga, Tommy Tune, Lea Michele, Eden Espinosa, Jane Monheit, Liz Calloway, Darius de Haas, Andrea McArdle, Melora Hardin and Billy Porter. He was associate conductor for the 2008 Hollywood Bowl production of "Les Misérables" and was music director for "The House of Blue Leaves" at the Mark Taper Forum.
