Skylar Astin, Betsy Wolfe & Michael Urie to Lead How to Succeed... at the Kennedy Center

Skylar Astin will rise to the top of the business ladder this spring. The stage-and-screen star has been announced to take on the central role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the Kennedy Center's upcoming production of the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Astin will be joined by recent Waitress star Betsy Wolfe as Rosemary and upcoming Torch Song headliner Michael Urie reprising his Broadway-debut turn as Bud Frump. D.C. stage veteran Nova Payton will take on role of Miss Jones. Directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Tony nominee Denis Jones, How to Succeed will play the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater from June 6-10.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be joining The Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage production of How to Succeed in its inaugural year," said Astin in an exclusive statement. "I have always been fond of this show, and am excited to bring a fresh energy to it. Aside from being ambitious, charming and triumphant, J. Pierrepont Finch is a true creative, and that is what I will enjoy most when exploring and bringing our version of this rip-roaring musical to life!"

Astin's stage credits include Spring Awakening, What We're Up Against and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. He has been seen on-screen in Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, Graves, Speech & Debate, Ground Floor and Glee.

Wolfe recently concluded an acclaimed run as Jenna in the Broadway musical Waitress. Her other stage credits include 110 in the Shade, Everyday Rapture, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bullets Over Broadway, Falsettos and The Last Five Years.

Urie made his first Broadway appearance as Frump in the most recent How to Succeed revival. His other stage credits include The Government Inspector, Buyer & Cellar and Angels in America. He will return to Broadway this fall in a transfer of Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song.

Payton has been seen on the D.C. stage in Ragtime at Ford's Theater and Caroline, or Change at Round House Theatre.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch (Astin), who uses a little handbook called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive. The musical features a book by Abe Burrows, Willie Gilbert and Jack Weinstock and a score by Frank Loesser.

The design team will include Scott Pask (scenic design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), Amy Clark (costume design) and Brian Ronan (sound design). Additional casting will be announced at a later date.