Additional Casting Announced for Broadway's The Visit, Starring Chita Rivera

More company members have been announced for The Visit, starring two-time Tony winner Chita Rivera. Directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele, the musical will begin previews on March 26 at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre. Opening night is set for April 23.

Jason Danieley (Next to Normal), Diana Dimarzio (Sweeney Todd), David Garrison (The Championship Season), Chris Newcomer (Chicago), Aaron Ramey (The Bridges of Madison County) and Timothy Shew (Evita) will join, as we exclusively previously reported, Rivera, Roger Rees, Rick Holmes, Matthew Deming, Tom Nelis and Michelle Veintimilla in the tuner.

John Kander and Fred Ebb’s The Visit is based on the classic Friedrich Dürrenmatt play (adapted by Maurice Valency) and features a book by Terrence McNally, with music by Kander and lyrics by Ebb. Claire Zachanassian is an often-widowed millionairess who pays a visit to her hardship-stricken birthplace. The locals hope she’ll bring them a new lease on life, but little do they know her offer to revitalize the town comes at a dreadful price.

The production played at the Williamstown Theatre Festival production in Massachusetts last summer. The musical premiered in 2001 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and later played The Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. Rivera also starred in both these productions as Claire, a role originally written for Angela Lansbury, who withdrew from the project in its early stages after her husband fell ill.