NANCY HARROW (Music, Lyrics, Co-Book Writer)

Even before Nancy Harrow recorded her first album, Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues, she had been sitting in at jazz clubs in New York City – Minton’s and the Five Spot, where she sang with Kenny Burrell’s group; and at the Half Note, where she sang with Bob Brookmeyer & Clark Terry’s small group.  The first album, masterminded by Nat Hentoff, put her in with three Count Basie veterans, headed by Buck Clayton, and was released on the Candid label.  (This same album, 40 years later, was selected by the British Jazz Awards as one of the best reissues of the year.)  Nancy went on to perform in New York clubs and throughout Europe and most recently in Japan, and to record eight more jazz albums with many stellar jazz musicians – John Lewis, Roland Hanna, Phil Woods, Jim Hall, Bob Brookmeyer, Dick Katz, Clark Terry, Grady Tate, Ray Drummond, Kenny Barron, to mention a few – before she turned to writing the songs on her own.

Recent CDs Nancy has recorded were all her own inventions based on literary subjects, including a Willa Cather novel (Lost Lady), a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Marble Faun), and a CD about F. Scott Fitzgerald (Winter Dreams), which forms the nucleus of the new musical about Zelda and Scott.  Lost Lady was the subject of an All Things Considered NPR piece and was chosen as best jazz vocal album by the Village Voice and the Boston Globe. The Marble Faun was performed in a Concert Workshop at the Culture Project in 1999, with a 6-piece band led by Roland Hanna, a string quartet, 4 singers and 4 actors.

One of Nancy’s jazz song cycles, The Cat Who Went To Heaven, is scheduled to be performed at the Kennedy Center early next year.

See www.NancyHarrow.com

WILL POMERANTZ (Director/Choreographer, Co-Book Writer)

Will Pomerantz has directed and developed new plays and musicals with such theatres as Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, Hartford Stage, New York Theater Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theater, Soho Rep, Culture Project, The Signature Theatre, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Studio Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum and The Guthrie.  He has directed world premieres by such playwrights as John Guare, David Auburn, Neil LaBute, Craig Lucas, Kia Corthron, David Lindsay-Abaire, Stephen Belber, Noah Haidle, Linda Cho, Kira Obolensky, Russel Davis, and Carey Perloff. 

Will Pomerantz is Associate Director for Artistic Development for Epic Theatre Ensemble.  In addition, Will has been the Boris Sagal Fellow in Directing for Williamstown Theatre Festival, Staff Repertory Director for The Acting Company, and Director-In-Residence for Culture Project.

MANDY BRUNO (Scottie)

 Received an Emmy nomination for her role of Marina Cooper in the CBS Soap Opera Guiding Light, a place she called home for the last five and a half years.  Broadway credits include Eponine in the revival of Les Miserables and Renee/Louise in Patti LuPone’s Gypsy.  Off Broadway she was see as Justine in Frankenstein.  Favorite regional credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera), Faith in Kindertransport (CATCO) and Nurse One/Mrs. Walker in Tommy (Portland Rep.).  Mandy has a BFA in musical theatre from Otterbein College.  Thanks to her family, her fiancé Rob, and Zeb and Zoe for their love and support throughout the years.

CLARK CARMICHAEL (Hemingway)

Most recently played Roderigo in The Red Bull’s production of The Duchess of Malfi and Stan Smick in Sweet Lorraine, a feature film starring Tatum O’Neal.  Clark was a Jumper on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s Jumpers directed by David Leveaux. Regional Theatre: The Shakespeare Theatre (DC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Missouri Rep, Two River Theater Company, Williamstown, Connecticut Rep, Dorset Theatre Festival, The Acting Company, Pennsylvania Center Stage, and the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ.  TV/FILM: As the World Turns, Law & Order, Kidnapped and Campbell Scott’s Hamlet.  Clark holds a B.S. from Northwestern and an M.F.A from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

JAMIE LaVERDIERE (Callaghan)

Broadway: The Producers (US Matthew Broderick), Pirate Queen. Off Bway: I Love You, You're Perfect..., Cam Jansen, Gold Rush. Regional: 1776, Baker's Wife (Papermill), Hair, Secret Garden (5th Ave), Hamlet, Candide, Midsummer, Our Country's Good (White River). Recent: Enigma Variations (Garage), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Cape Playhouse). TV/Film: The Producers, Hell Is Other People, TV Funhouse, Three Blind Dates. Proud member of AEA since 1993.

MICHAEL SHAWN LEWIS  (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Broadway/Off-Broadway: Phantom of the Opera (Raoul), The Woman in White, The A Train Musicals.  International: Les Misérables (Marius & Enjolras), Phantom, Elisabeth (Franz Joseph).  Regional:  Les Misérable (Valjean), Nine (Guido), Beauty and the Beast (Beast), Little Women (Prof. Bhaer) and Oklahoma! (Curly).   Recordings: Elisabeth (German Cast & Tenth Anniversary Concert); Leonard Bernstein's Peter Pan.  Soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra in their FL International Series tribute concert, Bernstein on Broadway.  Michael is currently producing the off-broadway production of John Tartaglia's IMAGINOCEAN! at New World Stages. 

RACHEL MOULTON (Young Zelda)

Is ecstatic to be making her New York theatre debut in Paradise! Regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), Tartuffe (Two River Theatre Company), The Member of the Wedding (The RedHouse). Rachel also had the delightful privilege to swim in the Big Blue World for a year playing Dory in Finding Nemo: The Musical (Walt Disney World). Endless thanks and love to Rodney S. Hudson, Liz Caplan, my boys at The Mine, Will, Nancy, Jerry Beaver, and especially my unbelievable, spectacular family and friends!!! Training: Shakespeare & Company, Interlochen Arts Academy, Syracuse University (B.F.A.). Proud Member of A.E.A. www.rachelmoulton.com

MAUREEN MUELLER (Zelda)

A singer and actor, Maureen Mueller’s performing career began in Chicago, where she appeared in work by numerous theatre companies, including Steppenwolf, Body Politic and Victory Gardens.  She was also one of the founding members of the Famous Door, a beloved Chicago theatre company whose productions have been nominated for fifteen Joseph Jefferson Awards, winning six.   After Chicago, Maureen spent time in Paris, continuing to hone her performance skills in bars and nightclubs.  Ms. Mueller has also resided in Los Angeles, where she found work in television and film.  Maureen has toured as a singer, playing clubs throughout the United States.   She ultimately came to New York to begin establishing herself as a singer/actor in live theatre and cabaret.  In New York, she has worked on the development of new plays and musicals has also performed in regional theaters, including The Actors Theatre of Louisville (The Humana Festival of New Plays), as well as at The Harold Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia, where she received the Barrymore Award for her performance in Kurt Weill’s The Lady in The Dark.  The production was the first major revival of the musical since 1941 and was directed by the acclaimed Ted Sperling.

MICHAEL SHARON (The Doctor)

Most recently played Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (Virginia Stage), and El Gallo in The Fantasticks (Long Wharf). His Shakespeare credits include title roles in MacBeth (Los Angeles Theatre Center) and Pericles (Connecticut Rep), Leontes in The Winter's Tale (GBShaw Theatre, London), and multiple seasons at the Utah, Alabama and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals and the Shakespeare Theatre of DC (Helen Hayes nom, Twelfth Night). Contemporary and musical theatre credits include NYCity Opera, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse, and Goodspeed Opera House. Michael is a graduate of USC, and received classical training at RADA, London.

SAMONE B. WEISSMAN (Production Stage Manager)

Off-Broadway credits include: So Help Me God!, Is Life Worth Living?, The Lonely Way, Mr. Pim Passes By, The Truth About Blayds and The Daughter-In-Law (Mint Theatre), The Temperamentals (ManUnderground/The Barrow Group), Indiscretions (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble), Something You Did, Exits & Entrances (Primary Stages & Edinburgh Fringe Fest ‘07), In The Continuum (Primary Stages/Perry Street Theatre, Domestic & African tours), Widows (Reverie Productions/59E59), Crime & Punishment (Writers Theatre/59E59), Captain Louie (York Theatre), Self Torture & Strenuous Exercise, The Dadshuttle and Not Enough Oxygen (Drama League DirectorFests 02-04), The Shoebox of Ebbets Field and Out of Sterno (Cherry Lane Alt.), Bold Girls (WET), Hamlet (American Globe Theatre). Regionally, Samone has worked at the Chester Theatre Company, Curious Theatre, Emelin Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, CTG/Kirk Douglas, The Guthrie, and the Goodman Theatre.  She has been a proud member of AEA since 2001.

TROY HOURIE (Set Design)

This is Troy’s fourteenth collaboration with Will Pomerantz. Troy has designed over 300 productions for various off-Broadway, regional and opera companies across the USA; including The New Victory, New York Theatre Workshop, Cherry Lane Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Classical Theatre of Harlem (resident designer for 22 productions), Epic Theatre Ensemble, Juilliard, The Guthrie, Bay Street Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Williamstown, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Studio Arena Theatre, Geva, Alabama Shakespeare, Pioneer Theatre and Sarasota Opera. Awards include: 2003 Drama Desk Nomination, 2007 Henry Hewes Nomination, 2005 Audelco Award and six nominations and 2005 Ford Foundation Artist Grant. He is currently faculty at Niagara University.

DEVON PAINTER  (Costume Design)

Regional Theatre credits feature designs for the Guthrie Theater (Shadowlands, Private Lives, Death of A Salesman), Geva Theatre Center, the Denver Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Trinity Repertory Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, the Folger Theatre, the Studio Theatre in Washington DC, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Great Lakes Theater Festival, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Contemporary American Theater Festival, the Two River Theatre Company, and American Players Theatre.  New York designs include shows at Juilliard, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Culture Project, and many productions for the Pearl Theater Company.  Her costume designs were included in a recent exhibit celebrating noteworthy women designers, Curtain Call; Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance.

CORY PATTAK (Lighting Design)

Broadway: Associate LD for The Story of My Life, Irena’s Vow, NYC: The Maiden’s Prayer (InProximity Theatre) Dreyfus in Rehearsal (Beckett Theatre), The Blue Flower (Prospect Theatre), Mercy Thieves, Ride (Outhouse Theatre), Do Not Disturb (59E59), Macb**h (CSC), Castronauts, The Bubble, (NYMF) Regional: Rent (Engeman Theatre) Woodloch Pines Resort, Les Miserables, ..Spelling Bee (Northern Stage) Footloose, Cats, Annie, Fiddler on the Roof (Pittsburgh Musical Theatre), Fully Committed (Syracuse Stage), Rounding Third, Our Lady of 121st Street (The Redhouse) ALD: Chicago (US Tour), 42nd Street (TOTS Tour), Wizard of Oz (US Tour) Shamu’s Xmas Miracle (Seaworld), Gem of the Ocean, I Am My Own Wife (Pittsburgh Public), Essential Self-Defense (Playwrights Horizons), The Internationalist (Vineyard), Altar Boyz, (Adirondack Theatre Fest) BC/EFA Easter Bonnet, Bway Backwards. Cory can think of no beauty better to light than Rachel, his own belle of the ball. BFA: Syracuse University. www.corypattak.com

STEVE FONTAINE (Sound Design)

Steve Fontaine has been a music and audio professional for over 25 years and has been resident designer and music producer at AXIS Theater Company NYC for over 15 years. Other theatrical productions include Maverick (Sound Design) Performed at The Culture project NYC, produced by Cliplight Theater and Love Child (Music Production) performed at New World Stages NYC staring Daniel Jenkins and Robert Stanton. Steve has produced Sound Design & Music for many major Corporate Events, (Toyota, Jaguar, Rite Aid and Six Flags Great Adventure) and has worked as music editor and score coordinator for several Major Motion Picture Releases including Astronaut Farmer starring Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis. His compositions have appeared on the Racheal Ray Daytime Show (Dancing with the Stars), PBS (Quest for the Giant Squid) and has produced song Remixes for Capitol Records (Aerosmith "Pink" ) Atlantic records, (The turkish star Tarkan) and Tommy Hillfiger Fashion Events.

Press Relations

Blake Zidell and Associates

A  New York-based public relations firm that represents artists, non-profit arts organizations and writers spanning a variety of disciplines, from music and the performing arts to the visual arts and film. Current and recent clients include St. Ann's Warehouse, The Kitchen, The Wooster Group, Robert Wilson/The Watermill Center, Celebrate Brooklyn!, The Foundry Theatre, Joe's Pub in the Park, Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, NYU's Jack. H Skirball Center for the Performing Arts,  Angelique Kidjo, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mass MoCA, Bill Medley, Harry Shearer and The 52nd Street Project, among many others.

Company Photographer

Lee Wexler

Lee Wexler has been photographing for over twenty five years.  He has had solo photographic exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Paris, France.  His work is in the permanent collections of The Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, The French Museum of Photography, and The Centre National de la Photographie in Paris.  Lee’s photographs have also appeared in The New York Times, Newsday, The Village Voice, American Photographer and Art in America.