CRT Kicks Off 42nd Season with Agatha Christie’s “The Unexpected Guest”

Cortland Repertory Theatre kicks off their 42^nd season at the Little York Pavilion in Preble with the theatre’s premiere production of Agatha Christie’s mystery, The Unexpected Guest. Performances will run from June 5^th – 15^th with evening performances at 7:30 PM.  Matinees are available on June 7^th, 9^th and 12^th at 2:00 PM.  Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or at the CRT Box Office’s new location at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org.

Agatha Christie has proven to be CRT audience’s favorite playwright, and the “Queen of Mystery” is at it again with this intriguing “whodunit.” On a foggy night in Wales, Michael Starkwedder runs his car off the road and walks to a nearby house seeking help.  Instead, he finds Richard Warwick murdered and his beautiful wife Laura standing over him with a gun. The dazed woman confesses, but the enraptured Starkwedder believes otherwise and decides to help her by pinning the murder on an intruder. But who really did it? The other family members all have their motives, and the police open a Pandora’s Box of loves, hates, suspicions and intrigues. Whodunit? And who might “get it” next? It’s another great puzzler from Dame Agatha!

The Unexpected Guest is directed by Sam Scalamoni, who returns to CRT after last directing the musical I Do! I Do! in 2005.  Scalamoni was the Associate Director for Elton John’s Broadway musical Lestat, andDisney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, also supervising the US national tour, the UK international tour and companies in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Seoul, Korea. Most recently, Mr. Scalamoni directed the national tours of Elf the Musical, Nickelodeon’s Storytime Live! for Broadway Across America and The Gazillion Bubble Show. He is the Director and Co-Book writer of the new musical Summer Stock, a developing stage adaptation of the MGM Judy Garland/Gene Kelly film.  He is a founding member and Artistic Director of Skyline Theatre Company in New Jersey, where he has directed for 11 seasons. InNew York, Mr. Scalamoni has directed two incarnations of the new Broadway musical Leap of Faith, the debut workshop of Mulan Jr. for Disney Theatrical Productions, and Sense and Sensibility at Playwrights Horizons and Shakespeare & Company.  Joining Mr. Scalamoni on this production is frequent CRT actor Dustin Charles, who serves as Assistant Director and Dialect Coach. Mr. Charles also was dialect coach for CRT’s productions of The Hollow, A Murder is Announced, and Brigadoon.

The entire cast is making their CRT debuts with this production.  Laura Warwick will be played by Leah Gabriel, an Australian actress currently living in New York City.  Michael Starkwedder, the unexpected guest himself, is played by Trent Fucci.  Mrs. Warwick is played by Binghamton actress Judy McMahon, and Jan Warwick is portrayed by Syracuse University graduate Daniel Burns.  Long time assistant to the Warwicks, Miss Bennett, is played by Eileen Glenn, with the family valet Henry Angell played by British actor Benjamin Lovell.  The stiff and soldierly Major Julian Farrar is played by Daniel Fenaughty. Some famous artists provide the 13 Tips for Nailing your Audition. The policemen on the case will be portrayed by Joel Stigliano as Inspector Thomas and CRT Performing Intern Daniel Burgos as Sergeant Cadwallader.   

Stage Manager Jahana Azodi, new to CRT this year, leads a talented production team. Making their CRT debuts are Cully Long as Scenic Designer, Lisa Guild as Props Designer, and Annmarie Dugan as Lighting Designer.  Returning again this year are Costume Designer Wendi Zea, who worked last year on “The Ladies Man” and “The Hollow” as well as many other shows over 8 years at CRT, and Seth Asa Sengel as the Season Sound Designer.  Technical Director Nicholas Ryan makes his CRT debut as does Assistant Stage Management Intern Kait Samuels.

CRT will continue the tradition of “Friday Night Talk Backs” at which a Q & A session with the actors, designers and crew takes place after every Friday evening performance. Tickets are also on sale for all of CRT’s summer season, which includes Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, The Full Monty, The 1940’s Radio Hour, Shipwrecked: An Entertainment, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight and the children’s show The Heroic Adventures of Puss N Boots.  Visit www.cortlandrep.org for more information about any of the upcoming shows.