Baby It's You! Sets Opening Date; Full Casting Announced
Complete casting is set for the previously announced musical Baby It's You!, which will begin performances at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 26 ahead of an April 27 opening night. The production, starring Tony Award winner Beth Leavel as songwriter Florence Greenberg, spotlights music from hit '60s girl group the Shirelles, with a book by the Million Dollar Quartet team of Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott. Baby It's You! will be directed by Mutrux and Sheldon Epps.
Christina Sajous (American Idiot), Erica Ash (The Lion King), Kyra DaCosta (Sweet Charity) and Crystal Starr Knighton (TV's American Idol) will star as the Shirelles. The 19-member cast also includes llan Louis, Geno Henderson, Kelli Barrett, Barry Pearl, Brandon Uranowitz, Alison Cimmet, Erica Dorfler, Berlando Drake, Adam Heller, Jahi A. Kearse, Annette Moore, Zachary Prince, Ken Robinson and Chelsea Morgan Stock.
Featuring songs such as "He's So Fine," "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Twist and Shout," the musical follows the rise of New Jersey housewife Greenberg, who teams with African-American songwriter Luther Dixon to launch the popular girl group the Shirelles as well as an independent record company. Greenberg went on to work with musical sensations including the Isley Brothers, B.J. Thomas, the Kingsmen, Chuck Jackson, Burt Bacharach, Hal David and Dionne Warwick. The show features musical supervision and arrangements by Rahn Coleman, orchestrations by Don Sebesky and musical direction by Shelton Becton.
Baby It’s You! played a pre-Broadway engagement at Pasadena Playhouse (where Epps is artistic director) in the fall of 2009 and, prior to that, received two workshops at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2010 Florence Greenberg was honored posthumously with the Grammy Trustees Award for her outstanding contributions to the industry.
Baby It's You! will feature choreography by Birgitte Mutrux, scenic design by Anna Louizos, costume design by Lizz Wolf, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Carl Casella and projection design by Jason H. Thompson.
