Barbour, Lazar, Burkhardt & Edelman Among Complete Cast of A Tale of Two Cities

James Barbour, who created the role of Sydney Carton in the pre-Broadway run of A Tale of Two Cities, has been tapped to star in in the Broadway production alongside Aaron Lazar, Brandi Burkhardt and Gregg Edelman. The musical will begin previews on August 19 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and is set to open on September 18, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.

The complete cast of the musical retelling of Charles Dickens' epic novel, written and composed by Jill Santoriello, includes Barbour, Lazar Charles Darnay, Burkhardt Lucie Manette, Edelman Dr. Alexandre Manette, Craig Bennett Jerry Cruncher, Kevin Earley Ernest Defarge, Michael Hayward-Jones Jarvis Lorry, Mackenzie Mauzy the Seamstress, Katherine McGrath Miss Pross, Les Minski Marquis St. Evremonde, Natalie Toro Madame Therese Defarge and Nick Wyman John Barsad.

The emsemble will include Drew Aber, Catherine Brunell, Alison Cimmet, Jennifer Evans, William Thomas Evans, Randy Glass, Kevin Greene, Michael Halling, Tim Hartman, Fred Inkley, Georgi James, Miles Kath, Jay Lusteck, Ray McLeod, Catherine Missal, James Moye, Walter O'Neil, Dan Petrotta, Devin Richards, Rob Richardson, Rebecca Robbins, Jennifer Smith, Anne Tolpegin, Eric Van Vielen, Mollie Vogt-Welch and Alison Walla.

Set against the epic backdrop of the French Revolution and based on the classic Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Citiesis a musical about injustice, vengeance and the redemptive power of love. When Dr. Manette is released from the French Bastille after 17 years, he must be resurrected from the brink of madness by his daughter, Lucie. In England they meet two very different men: the exiled French aristocrat, Charles Darnay, whom Lucie marries, and the drunken cynic, Sydney Carton. Soon family secrets and political intrigue combine to draw Lucie and her family back to Paris. At the height of the Reign of Terror, the musical finds an unlikely hero in Carton.

Last seen on Broadway in 2004's Assassins, Barbour is best known for his acclaimed portrayal of Edward Fairfax Rochester in 2000's Jane Eyre. Additional Broadway credits include Urinetown, Beauty and the Beast, Carousel and Cyrano: The Musical. Barbour also starred in the American Jewish Theatre's 1994 production of Milk and Honey. TV credits include Beauty and the Beast: A Concert on Ice, Just Shoot Me!, Cyrano the Musical, Sex and the City and Ed.

Lazar played Enjolras in the Broadway revival of Les Miserables and appeared on Broadway in A Light in the Piazza, Oklahoma! and The Phantom of the Opera. TV and film credits count The Notorious Bettie Page, Live from Lincoln Center, The Shallow End of the Ocean and New Amsterdam.

Burkhardt's theater credits include Lil' Abner, Jekyll & Hyde, Wonderland, Oklahoma! and Oleanna. A former Miss New York in the Miss America Pageant, Burkhardt has appeared on TV in Passions, Boston Legal and Law & Order: SVU.

Edelman's Broadway credits include City of Angels, Into the Woods, 1776, Cabaret, She Loves Me, Wonderful Town and Falsettos.

A Tale of Two Cities enjoyed a successful run at the Asolo Repertory Theatre with a cast that included Barbour, Bennett, McGrath, Toro and Hayward-Jones. The show is being executive produced on Broadway by Barbra Russell and Ron Sharpe.