Cast
JACKEY GOOD (Eileen) is thrilled to be making her national tour debut! She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from NYU Steinhardt. Favorite roles include Val in A Chorus Line, Lou Ann in Hairspray, Will Rogers’ Follies (Mac-Haydn Theatre), Clo-clo in The Merry Widow (NYU), and Sally Brown in You’re… Charlie Brown. She was most recently featured at the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in their Christmas musical revue. Love to my incredible family, my dearest friends, the fabulous Christine Reimer, and the stellar folks at YTTP!.
CRYSTAL KELLOGG (Ginger) is thrilled to be a part of this great show and tour! Irving Berlin's music is among her favorites and to be able to sing it is a dream come true... A native Iowan (mid-town USA!), Crystal moved to New York to pursue musical theatre and she is pleased to say "I'm doing it, Mom!" As a matter of fact, she just got done performing Off-Broadway in Girl's Night "the Smash Hit" Musical after completing the National Tour of the show. Other credits Crystal would consider "top-picks": National Tour of The Pajama Game (Babe Williams), West Side Story (Maria), Cinderella (Cinderella), The Jitter Critters Live (co-creator, Lucky the Dog), Lead Female Singer (Princess Cruiselines). Thanks so much to everyone and anyone who has encouraged, supported, and pushed me (sometimes I need it) to reach for the stars. Mwah!
RYAN LAMMER (Jim) is excited to be back on the road with I Love A Piano ('08-'09) after a successful run at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. He was most recently seen in the ensemble of The Producers in Cohoes, New York. He is a performer and Team Member for R-Family Vacations (as seen on the HBO documentary) for the past 4 cruises including this past summer in Alaska. Favorite performances include 2 years at Hershey Park and Dylan in Raised in Captivity. In 2007 he received a BA from Wagner College. This performance is dedicated to his loving Mom and Dad and all his family and friends who have been supportive through it all! ILYPM. www.ryanlammer.com
GEORGE PAPAS (Male Swing) Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. George is proud to be making his National touring debut with ILAP. Recent credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie, White Christmas and a principal singer with Neil Goldberg's Cirque Dreams Holidaze. George can also be seen on BRAVO as a back up singer for Sir Elton John. "This one's for you Pops!".
HALEY SWINDAL (Sadie) is thrilled to be joining I Love A Piano. Haley was last seen touring the country with Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley (Maid by the Fire, Mary u/s). Other recent credits: Carnegie Hall soloist with NY Pops, Cabaret (Sally Bowles), and Guys and Dolls (Adelaide). Morehead Scholar, UNC-Chapel Hill. Love and gratitude to family, friends, Penny, Ray, and CLOC! “Together, wherever we go!!!”
ASHLEY WALLACE (Female Swing) is honored to be a part of the I Love A Piano team! Most recent credits include Oliver National Tour (dance captain), A Long Day's Journey Into Night (Cathleen) 78th Street Theatre Lab and A Kids Life (Zoe) The York Theatre. Ashley attended Muhlenberg College where she played Carol Cutrere in Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending and studied at the University of London where she played Lucy in The Thing About Men. Surflight Productions include Beauty and the Beast, Music Man, The Who's TOMMY, Me and my Girl and Shenandoah. Ashley thanks her beautiful friends and family for their constant love and energy!
JASON WEITKAMP (Alex/Asst.Director/Company Manager) is delighted to be on the road again with I Love A Piano. Most recently he performed in Delaware in the premiere regional production of Flyer as Byron Hale. He graduated from Millikin University and has performed at STAGES, the Fireside, and Wagon Wheel, to name a few. He thanks the Lord, family, friends and Ray for their constant support!
JOSHUA WOODIE (George) holds two degrees from Eastern Kentucky University: a B.F.A. in Performing Arts and a B.A. in Chemistry. Now living in New York City, he has performed professionally for six years, and he has been a diligent student of vocal pedagogy for nine years, even making a splash at the 2006 American Traditions Vocal Competition as the youngest quarter finalist accepted. National tour credits: Altar Boyz (Matthew). NYC credits: Cleopatra-A Life Unparalleled (Julius Caesar *Outstanding Lead Actor Nomination), The Day the Music Died (Don McLean), Brunch - The Musical (Lead U.S./Ensemble). Regional credits: The Fantasticks (Matt), Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere), Gypsy (L.A.), and Texas Legacies (Lead Performer). He is an experienced cabaret performer, having performed as a guest entertainer aboard the Azamara Quest, a luxury cruise ship owned by Celebrity Cruise Lines. He also has extensive theme park experience, having originated two roles for Matt Davenport Productions at Hersheypark. He’d like to thank his family and closest friends for their support.
topCreative Team
JUSTIN FISCHER (Pianist/Asst Music Director) recently completed a run as Associate Music Director for Trip of Love, a new dance musical, which had its international premiere in Osaka, Japan in April 2008, with plans for a New York transfer in 2010. He has served as resident music director for the Random Farms Kids Theater (Elmsford, NY), Columbia Gorge School of Theatre (White Salmon, WA), the Naples Dinner Theatre (Naples, FL), the Winter Park Playhouse (Winter Park, FL) and Seaside Music Theater (Daytona Beach, FL). Regionally, Justin has music-directed and arranged, orchestrated and composed for the Winter Park Playhouse, Paper Moon Theatre Company, the Orlando Repertory Theatre and the University of Central Florida. Justin has received musical theatre commissions from the Erie Playhouse (Erie, PA), and the Seagle Music Colony (Schroon Lake, NY), and choral commissions from organizations across the country.
RAY RODERICK (Director/Choreographer/Co-Writer) is proud to bring I Love A Piano and the brilliant music and lyrics of Irving Berlin to audiences around the country. Ray recently directed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and adapted the script for tours in the US and UK. He was associate director for A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden and Susan’s Stroman’s Broadway revival of The Music Man for which he subsequently directed the successful 3 year North American Tour. Off-Broadway: director/co-writer The Prince and the Pauper; The Ark, Lamour the Merrier and The Story Goes On. Regional (including): director Singin’ in the Rain, 42nd Street at Goodpseed, co-writer/director/choreographer Heaven Help Us!, A Christmas Survival Guide, I Love New York, The Last 5 years, The Taffetas and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! (Denver’s longest running show); founding artistic director Tri-Arts; co-owner Miracle or 2 Productions (Miracleor2.com) creating Are We There Yet?, Coming to America and soon to come The Bikinis! Ray is Creative Director for Tennis’ US Open and director of Arthur Ashe Kids Day for CBS. He created the English adaptation and directed Chun Yi, The Legend of Kung Fu nowin its 5th year in Beijing and playing in the west end at London Coliseum; along with productions in Russia, Japan and international touring. He directed Believe, the award winning SHAMU show for SeaWorld in San Diego. Ray resides in New York, is married to Broadway actress Karyn Quackenbush and is the proud father of SUNY Purchase student and lighting designer Jamie Roderick.
MICHAEL BERKELEY (Co-Conceiver/Musical Arranger) is the composer/lyricist/librettist of Imagine That! and Off The Wall (licensed through Miracle Or 2 Productions, Inc.) and Dirty Doing In Deadwood; and the co-writer (with Ray Roderick) and composer/lyricist of Rip Van Winkle: A Musical Legend. He has served as the Artistic Director of TriArts Sharon Playhouse (Sharon, CT) since 1999. His musical directing has taken him across the country and around the world, including Associate Conductor on the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Donny Osmond and the Asian tour of South Pacific. Michael has also created concerts for Potential Unlimited, an arts organization dedicated to the celebration of the talents of performers with developmental disabilities. He has been a member of New York's BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and the ASCAP Composers Workshop.
STEPHEN PURDY (Musical Supervisor) Broadway and National Tours: Tarzan, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Glory Days, Peter Pan (Cathy Rigby) and The Full Monty. Off Broadway: The Fantasticks (Original at Sullivan Street), Frankenstein (Hunter Foster) and cast album, York Theatre, Playwrights Horizons. International: Grease (Paris) A Chorus Line (European tour) Grease (European Tour), 42nd Street (European Tour) My Fair Lady (Hong Kong). Regional: North Shore, Helen Hayes, Kansas City Starlight, Burt Reynolds. Education: The University of Mississippi and The Juilliard School. A former Wall Street stockbroker, Stephen now spends as much time as possible not worrying about other people’s money.
SAM FLEMING (Costume Design) Her designs have been seen at theatres across the country including the Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera (world premiere of Dead Man Walking), Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Arizona Theatre Co, Playmaker's Repertory, Hartford Stage, Denver Center, Buffalo Studio Arena, Center Stage, StageWest, Houston Opera Studio, Skylight Opera, ACT Seattle, Georgia Shakespeare Festival and Berkeley Rep. She designed over 50 productions for Milwaukee Repertory Theater during her 14 years with the company. In New York, she has worked with the Pearl Theatre, Manhattan Class Company and The Womens' Project. She is the associate costume designer for The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
STACEY BOGGS (Lighting Designer) recently joins the production team of I Love a Piano from Ailey II, the second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she has designed several of the company’s new works. She has also worked at Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Michigan Opera Theater. She has designed Macros Millions and The/King/Operetta and #9 for Waterwell, a New York based theater group. She has also designed for The Production Company (Goats, Australia Project I and II). Other credits include Urinetown at St. John’s University and The Book of the Dun Cow at West End Theater. This fall she will be working with The Chris Wheeldon Company/Morphoses. She has assisted Beverly Emmons, Guy Simard, Ted Mather and Kendall Smith. She graduated from NYU’s Graduate Design program in 2005. She currently resides in Brooklyn.
J BRANSON (Scenic Designer) For over eighteen years, J Branson has been a Chicago-based designer working regionally in the US. National-tour credits include The Music Man, Beauty and the Beast and Brigadoon. Past regional work includes Hairspray, High School Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Smokey Joe’s Café, Jekyll and Hyde, Chess, The Wizard of Oz (for which he received Chicago’s After Dark award), Children of Eden, Rags, Assassins, Guys and Dolls and The Pajama Game. Original productions include Etc. and Barak to Obama (Second City Chicago), Shockwave (Disneyworld), Jungle Man, Stardust, A Room With a View, The Conversation and A Tale of Two Cities. J has an array of industrial design credits and has been honored with one After Dark Award and three National Addy Awards.
DEMETRIUS T GRANDEL (Sound Design) is happy to be on board with the creative team of I Love a Piano. Graduated in 1998 from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth with a BA in electronic music composition and English drama. Demetrius went on to be a touring Broadway sound engineer for such shows as, The Music Man, Miss Saigon, Greater Tuna, BLAST 2 Shockwave, Edwards Scissorhands, and countless others. He is the founder and owner of Dark Roast Audio, located in Southern Massachusetts/ Rhode Island.
ELLIE MOONEY (Associate to the Director) is thrilled to work with the amazing Ray Roderick once again. Her work as a director, choreographer and a performer has been seen all over the country. Highlights include Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano (First National Tour, The Denver Center and Musical Theatre West), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (First National Tour), A Kid’s Life! (Off-Broadway and National Tour), The Taffetas (Boothbay Harbor Opera House), Barnum (Westchester Broadway Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (Walnut Street Theatre), West Side Story and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Maine State Music Theatre), My Fair Lady and Peter Pan (Trinity Repertory Theatre) Next up: Once Upon a Mattress (Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts)
EVA PRICE/ MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS
(Producer/General Manager) Maximum Entertainment is a producing, developing, and general management company in NYC founded by Avram Freedberg, MaryBeth Dale, and Eva Price. Credits include, Broadway: Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Addams Family (Spring '10), Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking (Fall ’09). Off Broadway and National Tour: The Great American Trailer Park Musical , The J.A.P. Show: Jewish American Princesses of Comedy, Los Big Names (Drama Desk Nomination), Private Jokes Public Places, Joy, Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona The Musical.
LAWRENCE S. TOPPALL (Producer) owns MAZEL MUSICALS, INC., the New York and Florida Production Company specializing in touring, producing and presenting Jewish themed theatrical and concert presentations. The company has produced, co-produced or presented On Second Avenue, The Golden Land, Yiddle With a Fiddle, Those Were The Days, The Sheik of Avenue B, Catskills on Broadway, Tovah Feldshuh in Tovah! Cross Over, Bubbe Meises, The Rothschilds, Bagels & Yox with Joel Grey, Shlemel The First, That’s Life,Entirely Sophie, the Sophie Tucker musical and Buttons in Boca starring Red Buttons, The Israel Pops Orchestra with Theodore Bikel and Mamaloshen with Mandy Patinkin. Mr. Toppall co-produced The Sunshine Boys with Frank Gorshin, Freddie Roman’s highly successful Mishegass 1 and Mishegass 2, The Florida Follies , the Sammy Cahn musical, Words and Music, starring Bruce Adler, Hot, Hip and Heimish, Bingo - the Musical, I May Be Black ... "but god knows I'm Jewish" and Dudu Fisher in Jerusalem of Gold. The company also co-produced the long running So. Florida hit, Menopause The Musical. Constantly on the lookout for investment opportunities, Mazel Musicals has raised funds for the New York productions of Urinetown, The Producers, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Man of La Mancha, Stomp, Modern Orthodox, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Jewtopia and the Tony award winning Broadway hit, Jersey Boys. Broadway producing credits include The Gathering, starring Hal Linden and the Tony nominated Say Goodnight, Gracie, starring Frank Gorshin and the sensational dance musical, Burn The Floor. Mr. Toppall is a Tony Award voter and member of The Broadway League.
OFF BROADWAY BOOKING (Producer/Booking Agent) The Off Broadway theatre scene has revamped its image over the past several years from inexpensive and experimental theatre to a vibrant and exciting form of commercial entertainment that has attracted Broadway producers and notable celebrities. Off Broadway Booking is dedicated to the promotion and awareness of Off Broadway as a brand of excellence in theater to audiences outside of New York City. Off Broadway Booking creates an economically viable model of success for each touring production and successfully fills the void of quality commercial theater that can tour at an affordable rate. By doing this, Off Broadway Booking opens up the touring markets to small and mid-size theaters that otherwise cannot afford commercial productions, while still providing quality Broadway level programming to the larger markets across the country. Whether you are looking for a single night engagement or a headliner for your series, Off Broadway Booking is ready to meet all your creative and financial needs by bringing you the very best in theatrical entertainment.