Milwaukee Rep Opens GUTENBERG! Tonight, 8/24

Milwaukee Repertory Theater previously announced casting for Gutenberg! The Musical, the first production in The Rep's 2012/13 season, and The Mountaintop, which opens this September.

Gutenberg! The Musical! will be directed by Rep veteran Laura Gordon who directed last season's delightful production of In the Next Room or the vibrator play and Speaking in Tongues the previous year. Gutenberg! The Musical! will feature comedic actor and Rep favorite Gerard Neugent, former Milwaukee Rep Acting Intern Eric Damon Smith and frequent Rep collaborator Musical Director/Pianist Paul Helm. Gutenberg! The Musical! runs in the Stackner Cabaret from tonight, August 24 – October 14.

"Anyone who likes the zany humor of Monty Python will love this show about two guys and a pianist pitching an incredibly ludicrous, over-the-top musical filled with 16 ridiculous songs," says Artistic Director Mark Clements. "It's been on my list of pieces to produce for awhile, and now is the right time. It's a two-hour festival of silliness, laughter and joy – come and enjoy!"

The cast for Guttenberg! The Musical!:

Gerard Neugent – Doug / Eric Damon Smith – Bud

Gerard Neugent (Doug) has been a member of The Rep's Resident Acting Company for five seasons and recently appeared in their Quadracci Powerhouse production of Othello as Iago; other recent productions include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) in the Stackner Cabaret and as Michael McCormick in Lombardi on the Quadracci Powerhouse stage. Other recent roles include Happy in Death of a Salesman, Clown 2 in The 39 Steps and Stan Laurel in Laurel and Hardy. Eric Damon Smith (Bud) is a former Milwaukee Rep acting intern from the 2002/03 Season. Recent credits include: Jaques in As You Like It (Muse of Fire); Mosca in Volpone (City Lit); Jamie in Long Day's Journey into Night (Polarity Ensemble) and his Jeff Award nominated turn as Flaminio Scala in the regional premiere of The Glorious Ones (Boho and Theatre on the Lake). Other credits include work with Northlight Theatre, Remy Bumppo and Riverside Theater.

Paul Helm – Charles

Paul Helm (Music Director/Pianist) (Charles) returns to The Rep after performing in Always . . . Patsy Cline last season.Other Rep credits include: Laurel and Hardy, Guys on Ice, Life Could Be a Dream, Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, The Polish Diva from Milwaukee and Blue Rose: The Rosemary Clooney Story. Paul has also performed, directed and music directed with Skylight Music Theatre, First Stage Children's Theater, Florentine Opera Company, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and American Folklore Theatre, among others. Recent credits include Packer Fans from Outer Space, Gershwin and Friends, The Music Man, Seussical, Grease, Ragtime, U: Bug: Me!, Beauty and the Beast, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Elmer Gantry (2012 Grammy award winner).

The Creative Team for Guttenberg! The Musical! includes: Laura Gordon (Director); Paul Helm (Music Designer); Stephen Carmody (Scenic Designer); Rachel Laritz (Costume Designer); Charles Cooper (Lighting Designer) and Sarah Hoffmann (Stage Manager).

The Mountaintop is the first productionin the Stiemke Studio for the 2012/13 Season and will be directed by May Adrales, who returns to The Rep after directing last season's critically-acclaimed Stiemke Studio production of Yellowman. The cast features Bill EuGene Jones and Nikiya Mathis, both making their Rep debuts. The Mountaintop runs in the Stiemke Studio from September 26 – November 4.

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