NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT Tour Opens Tonight

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/2/14 at 9:49pm

http://playbill.com/news/article/national-tour-of-tony-winning-nice-work-if-you-can-get-it-launches-in-texas

National Tour of Tony-Winning Nice Work If You Can Get It Launches in Texas Tonight
By Andrew Gans
02 Sep 2014

The national tour of the Gershwin musical Nice Work If You Can Get It launches Sept. 2 at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas.

The non-Equity tour is scheduled to play 30 cities before concluding in March 2015 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA.

Alex Enterline and Mariah MacFarlane star as wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter and feisty bootlegger Billie Bendix, respectively, with Reed Campbell as Cookie McGee, Aaron Fried as Duke Mahoney, Stephanie Gandolfo as Jeannie Muldoon, Stephanie Harter Gilmore as Duchess Estonia Dulworth, Benjamin Perez as Senator Max Evergreen, Rachael Scarr as Eileen Evergreen, Thomas Schario as Chief Berry and Barbara Weetman as Millicent Winter.

Rounding out the company are Jessica Bare, Christian Bufford, Elyse Collier, Carl DeForrest Hendin, Nick Jones, Kristina King, Alison Morooney, Sarah Primmer, Kevin Michael Raponey, Chelsea Jane Ryan, Justin Schuman, Heather Stinson and Chris Woods.

The musical comedy features music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and a book by two-time Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro, inspired by material by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse. The production features direction and choreography by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall, recreated by David Eggers.

The creative team also includes Shoko Kambara (scenic design, based on the original Broadway scenic design by Derek McLane), Martin Pakledinaz (costume design), Amy Clark (costume coordinator), Paul Toben (lighting design, based on the original Broadway lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski), Keith Caggiano (sound design, based on the original Broadway sound design by Brian Ronan) and Paul Huntley (hair and wig design).
The musical staff includes David Chase (music arrangements), Shawn Gough (music supervisor), Charlie Reuter (music director) and Bill Elliott (orchestrator). Casting is by Wojcik/Seay Casting, and Stacy Myers serves as the company manager.

Nice Work, which played a total of 478 performances during its 2012-13 Broadway run, is filled with classic Gershwin songs, including “But Not For Me,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

The tour is produced by Work Light Productions.

For more information, including the tour route, visit NiceWorkOnTour.com.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/2/14 at 9:54pm

Very interested to hear how this goes over. I personally loved the show on broadway, and would love to see details of the tour version, ie. set.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/2/14 at 10:32pm

I've never seen a tour, no matter what level, take two months+ off during their run. They were still casting the show back in July.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/2/14 at 11:14pm

It's an odd structure and the Jekyll and Hyde tour is doing the same thing. It's especially odd for a first national tour. I guess it just wasn't a big hit in the markets? I would think it would sell fine.

Curious to see pictures and see how far it's been scaled back.

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 9/3/14 at 12:50am

Just to clarify: this is a non-Equity tour by Worklight -- not a "first national" in the traditional sense (literally, it's the first tour and it will be national, but it's not a "first national" as that term is commonly understood nor is it produced by the Broadway producers.) I believe they are using the Broadway physical production, however. And except for the units that came up from the floor at the Imperial, I can't imagine why that set -- which was lovely, but not all that complicated -- couldn't tour with relatively minor modifications.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/3/14 at 12:34pm

Because it's non-union and there they don't have the manpower/resources to use a full set. But you never know, maybe they sprang for some extra deck hands. The cast is getting paid a 1/4 of the Broadway actors.

And I'm pretty sure it's still a "first national tour" as it is the first tour and national. Regardless of union. Same for Ghost.

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 9/3/14 at 12:52pm

Maybe I'm just showing my age, but that's why I was careful to clarify by saying "traditional" and "commonly understood". Those terms mean something specific to people who have been in and around the Broadway/touring industry for a while and a non-union tour, regardless of whether it is the first tour and a national tour, does not fit the traditional classification of a "first national tour". Or at least what until recently was known as a "first national tour" (vs a bus & truck tour, vs a non-union tour).

With that said, the true, specific definitions of/differentiations between these terms come from AEA, so inherently, if the production is non-Equity, it may be the first national tour, but it isn't the First National Tour.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/3/14 at 4:33pm

Okay? Well, I'm sure everyone involved will be calling it a first national tour?

I realize it's just another way for the Union to take a dig at a non-union tour.

But alas, it's still THE FIRST NATIONAL TOUR.

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 9/3/14 at 5:44pm

OK. As long as you're sure.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/3/14 at 5:45pm

The definition of First Nation has changed over the last 15 years anyway. It doesn't mean what it used to for sure but this is old news.

[FloydJoe2]

Posted: 9/4/14 at 9:52am

A couple of clips in this interview.
http://www.wfaa.com/story/entertainment/2014/09/03/nice-work-if-you-can-get-it-broadway-dallas-musical/15023673/

[anmiller07]

Posted: 9/4/14 at 3:38pm

I've wondered this in the past but forgot about it until now...how do First National Tour's differ from bus-and-truck tours? Does the cast, crew, and set on a First National Tour travel by air to every city?

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 9/4/14 at 4:17pm

is the reason why there is a hiatus in the show's run because venue space is more expensive during the holiday weeks and the producers weren't sure if they could recoup? It would make sense that theatre space would be more expensive during the holidays and that theatres would prefer to bring in holiday-themed shows.