FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Images: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST
AND PNC BROADWAY IN PITTSBURGH ANNOUNCE
STEP INSIDE A WORLD OF PURE IMAGINATION
Roald Dahl’s
Charlie and the Chocolate factory
IS COMING TO PITTSBURGH!
benedum center | January 29 - February 3, 2019
TICKETS ARE ON SALE now!
PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is thrilled to announce that Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY will play the Benedum Center, 237 7th Street, from Tuesday, January 29 through Sunday, February 3, 2019. Tickets are on sale now. This event is part of the 2018-2019 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and Broadway Across America.
Tickets (currently starting at $45) are on sale now and available at the following official Pittsburgh Cultural Trust ticket sources: online at TrustArts.org, by calling Guest Services at 412-456-4800, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue. For groups of 10+ call 412-471-6930, online at TrustArts.org/GroupSales or in person at Theater Square Box Office.
Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY tells the story of Willy Wonka, world famous inventor of the Everlasting Gobstopper, who has just made an astonishing announcement. His marvelous—and mysterious—factory is opening its gates…to a lucky few. That includes young Charlie Bucket, whose life definitely needs sweetening. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing, life-changing journey through Wonka’s world of pure imagination. Get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!
Complete casting, as previously announced, for the national tour of Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY that launched in September 2018, includes Broadway veteran Noah Weisberg (South Pacific, Enron, Elf, Legally Blonde) starring as the extraordinary chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, with Henry Boshart (age 10), Collin Jeffery (age 11) and Rueby Wood (age 11), alternating in the title role of Charlie Bucket.
They will be joined by James Young as Grandpa Joe, Amanda Rose as Mrs. Bucket, Jessica Cohen as Veruca Salt, Madeleine Doherty as Mrs. Teavee, Kathy Fitzgerald as Mrs. Gloop, Nathaniel Hackmann as Mr. Salt, Daniel Quadrino as Mike Teavee, David Samuel as Mr. Beauregarde, Brynn Williams as Violet Beauregarde, Matt Wood as Augustus Gloop.
The 36-member company also includes Sarah Bowden, Elijah Dillehay, Alex Dreschke, Jess Fry, David R. Gordon, Chavon Hampton, Sabrina Harper, Benjamin Howes, Karen Hyland, Lily Kaufmann, David Paul Kidder, Jennifer Jill Malenke, Joe Moeller, Tanisha Moore, Claire Neumann, Caylie Rose Newcom, Joel Newsome, Kevin Nietzel, Kristin Piro, Clyde Voce, Armando Yearwood Jr., and Borris Anthony York.
With direction by three-time Tony Award® winner Jack O’Brien, Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY features music by Grammy®, Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Grammy® and Tony Award® winners Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, a book by Artistic Director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum theatre David Greig, choreography by Tony Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Joshua Bergasse and includes additional songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley from the 1971 Warner Bros. motion picture.
Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY features scenic and costume design by five-time Tony Award® nominee Mark Thompson, lighting design by four-time Tony Award® nominee Japhy Weideman, sound design by Andrew Keister, projection design by Jeff Sugg, puppet and illusion design by Obie and Drama Desk Award winner Basil Twist, orchestrations by three-time Tony Award® winner Doug Besterman and music supervision by Nicholas Skilbeck.
The hit Broadway musical features songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man,” and “I've Got a Golden Ticket,” alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters from Hairspray.
Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures (Mark Kaufman), Langley Park Productions (Kevin McCormick) and Neal Street Productions (Sam Mendes, Caro Newling). For more information, visit www.CharlieonBroadway.com.
About Roald Dahl and His Legacy
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a spy, ace fighter-pilot, chocolate historian and medical inventor. He was also the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and many more brilliant stories. He remains the World’s No.1 storyteller.
Sitting in a hut at the bottom of his garden, surrounded by odd bits and pieces such as a suitcase (used as a footrest), his own hipbone (which he’d had replaced) and a heavy ball of metal foil (made from years’ worth of chocolate wrappers), he went on to write some of the world’s best-loved children’s stories. His first children’s story, James and the Giant Peach, was published in 1961, was a hit and every subsequent book became a best-seller.
Today, his stories are available in 58 languages and, by a conservative estimate, he has sold more than 250 million books. Many of these stories have also been adapted for stage and screen, including the 1971 film classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Wes Anderson’s acclaimed Fantastic Mr. Fox, the multi-award winning Matilda The Musical from the RSC with music by Tim Minchin, and Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster The BFG. The latest adaptation is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The New Musical which opened on Broadway in April 2017 following three Golden years on London’s West End.
Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com and Group Sales Box Office. Led by 13-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 44 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton. Current and past productions include The Band’s Visit, Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Hairspray, Mean Girls, The Producers and Waitress.
Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.
The PNC Foundation joins the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in bringing the best of Broadway to entertain, enlighten, and complement the rich experiences that add to the region’s exceptional quality of life. The seven season presentations and four specials in the 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series contribute to the city’s reputation as a major destination for the arts, culture, and world-class entertainment. To learn more about the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series, visit TrustArts.org.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. TrustArts.org
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