Complete Casting Announced for THE UNTITLED AUTHORIZED HUNTER S. THOMPSON MUSICAL
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La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast and creative team for its world-premiere production of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, book by Joe Iconis and Gregory S. Moss, choreographed by Jon Rua and directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, running August 29 – October 1 in the Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre.
The cast features George Abud as Nixon, Jeannette Bayardelle as Jann, Giovanny Diaz de Leon as The Kid, Gabriel Ebert as Hunter, Marcy Harriell as Sandy, Lorinda Lisitza as Virginia, Lauren Marcus as Flower Child, George Salazar as Oscar, Ryan Vona as Juan, Jason SweetTooth Williams as Ralph, along with understudies Summer Broyhill, Josiah Cajudo and Kürt Norby.
The creative team includes: Rick Edinger, Music Supervisor and Arrangements; Wilson Chin, Scenic Designer; Toni-Leslie James, Costume Designer; Amanda Zieve, Lighting Designer; Justin Stasiw, Sound Designer; Animal Cracker Conspiracy, Puppet Designer; Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, Wig & Hair Designer; Shirley Fishman, Dramaturg; Ann James, Sensitivity Specialist; Charlie Rosen, Orchestrator; The Telsey Office, Rachel Hoffman, CSA and Jacole Kitchen, Casting; Jess Slocum, Stage Manager; and Topaz Cooks and Nicholas Lambros Smith, Assistant Stage Managers.
“After several years in development at the Playhouse, I’m ecstatic to unleash the world premiere of this iconoclastic musical as part of our subscription season,” said Ashley. “Led by a stellar cast and creative team, Hunter provocatively portrays the extraordinary life of a counterculture legend who changed the face of journalism, all while championing the voices of the outraged, the outlaws and the outsiders.”
Who was Hunter S. Thompson? He changed journalism. He defined counterculture. Equal parts philosopher, clown and genius, he was armed and dangerous with a typewriter as his preferred weapon. Careening from the 1940s to his death in 2005, this gonzo musical blasts into the life of one of America’s most influential and destructive icons. In relentless pursuit of the meaning of the American Dream during an era of political and social upheaval, Hunter S. Thompson cultivated a new form of journalism that – for better or worse – injected his subjective view into the heart of the story. Now, in another, even more severe moment of fake news, propaganda and polarization, Hunter’s story helps explore how we got here, and how to keep fighting. Set to Joe Iconis’ anarchic and tuneful score, this musical is a rock ‘n’ roll portrait of an artist seeking greatness and coming to terms with his own legacy.
For more information, visit LaJollaPlayhouse.org.
