It’s all happening — and potentially, tap-penning, depending on just how Broadway this musical adaptation gets — the musical adaptation of Almost Famous has a cast. Producers announced today that theater and TV vet Colin Donnell (Violet, Anything Goes, Arrow) will star in the musical as Russell Hammond, a.k.a. the Billy Crudup part in the movie, with Casey Likes as William Miller, a.k.a. the Patrick Fugit. The show will have its world-premiere run at the Old Globe in San Diego from September 13 to October 20 this fall. Cameron Crowe, who wrote and directed the original movie, is writing the book and lyrics for the adaptation, with music, lyrics, and orchestrations from the ever-busy Tom Kitt and choreography from Lorin Latarro.
The rest of the cast in this run includes Solea Pfeiffer as Penny Lane, Drew Gehling as Jeff Bebe, Anika Larsen as Elaine Miller, Robert Colletti as Lester Bangs, Matt Bittner as Larry Fellows, Chad Burris as Vic Nunez, Gerard Canonico as Dick Roswell, Julia Cassandra as Estrella, Brandon Contreras as Silent Ed Vallencourt, Sam Gravitte as Dennis Hope, Katie Ladner as Sapphire, Storm Lever as Polexia, Emily Schultheis as Anita Miller, Daniel Sovich as Darryl, Libby Winters as Leslie, Matthew C. Yee as Ben Fong-Torres, Van Hughes as David Felton, and Danny Lindgren and Alisa Melendez as swings. The rest of the creative team includes Derek McLane (scenic design), David Zinn (costume design), Natasha Katz (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Bryan Perri (music direction), AnnMarie Milazzo (vocal design), and Campbell Young Associates (wigs, hair, and makeup design). So much talent, it’s almost tempting to run away from your restrictive family and follow the show around the country on your way to becoming a music journalist.