FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: November 14, 2005
Contact: Christa Skiles
Public Relations Director
513-345-2242, ext. 232

CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK’S COMPANY HAS ITS BOBBY IN BROADWAY STAR RAÚL ESPARZA

John Doyle will direct the production on the heels of his triumphant Broadway debut of
Sweeney Todd

(CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has confirmed its first cast member for the theatre’s upcoming production of Company by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth. Raúl Esparza — currently portraying the lead role of Caractacus Potts in the Broadway production of Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang — will be featured in the central role of Bobby when the show premieres March 14 and continues through April 14 in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre.

The announcement comes fresh on the heels of a triumphant opening for the Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, which marked the Broadway debut of Company director John Doyle. Mr. Doyle’s production of Company will feature the same concept he used in Sweeney: a reinvention of the show in which the actors also serve as its orchestra of musicians. The result for Sweeney was described by The New York Times as “one helluva show” and by The Wall Street Journal as “a staging of the utmost force and originality, an event theatergoers will be talking about for years to come.” According to Variety, Sweeney is “the freshest, most beguiling act to hit Broadway in quite some time,” adding that “much of what makes this Sweeney so singular is the production’s fusion of narrative, music and performance into a formula that foregrounds each aspect while organically uniting them.”

Raúl Esparza has been described as “one of our finest and most versatile actors” by New York Magazine and as “an electric Broadway star” by Time Magazine. In addition to Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang, Mr. Esparza’s other Broadway credits include roles as Philip Sallon in Taboo, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for best featured actor in a musical and a Drama Desk Award for outstanding featured actor in a musical; Riff Raff in the recent revival of The Rocky Horror Show, for which he received a Theatre World Award; and the Emcee in Cabaret. Off-Broadway, he originated the role of Jonathan in Tick, Tick Boom, for which he received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination; portrayed Ned Weeks in the Public Theater production of The Normal Heart; and appeared as Gethin Price in Comedians. Other credits include George in Sunday in the Park with George and Charley in Merrily We Roll Along at the Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration; Che in the national tour of Evita; Paul Lazzaro in Slaughterhouse-5 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; and Arthur Jarvis in Cry, The Beloved Country and Fitzwater in Richard II at the Goodman Theatre.

Company is a revolutionary, unconventional look at love and commitment in a complex modern world. The show is a remarkably honest, clever and sophisticated portrayal of five married couples as seen through the eyes of their mutual friend Bobby, a bachelor weighing the pros and cons of wedded life. The original Broadway production, which opened at New York’s Alvin Theatre in 1970, was honored with the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best musical as well as six Tony Awards, including those for music and lyrics (Stephen Sondheim’s first), book, scenic design, director and best musical. The remainder of the casting for Company is expected to be completed next month. The show is sponsored by United Medical Resources, Inc. and Performance Lexus/Lexus RiverCenter.

Tickets for Company are on sale now. Regular prices range from $39.50 to $52.50 depending on day and seat location. Tickets are $36.50 for the preview performances on Tuesday, March 14 and Wednesday, March 15. The official opening night is Thursday, March 16.

For tickets or more information, call the Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 or toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800/582-3208. Call 513/345-2248 for TDD accessibility. For single tickets purchased by telephone through the Playhouse box office there is a $3 convenience fee per call. Tickets also can be purchased on the Playhouse web site at www.cincyplay.com.

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is in its 46th season as one of the nation’s leading professional regional theatres. Last year, the Playhouse was honored with the 2004 Regional Theatre Tony Award ®. One of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry, it honors a nonprofit professional regional theatre company that has displayed a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theatre nationally.

Artists fly to and from Cincinnati on Delta Connection Comair, the Playhouse’s official airline.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to the Fine Arts Fund.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

###