Meredith Willson’s The Music Man—In Concert

Kevin Boseman can currently be seen writing thesis papers at SUNY Empire State College. A former soloist with the world renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kevin’s favorite theatre credits include Broadway National Tours of The Lion King, The Color Purple, and Shrek: The Musical. He was the standby for the sexy Horses in the Broadway revival of Equus and has been seen regionally in the Kennedy Center’s all-new mounting of Ragtime and Paper Mill Playhouse’s revival of A Chorus Line.

Lawrence Clayton Broadway appearances include Bells Are Ringing, It Ain’t Nothin but the Blues, The Civil War, Once upon a Mattress, and Dreamgirls. Off Broadway includes Crowns at Second Stage, Saturn Returns and Romance in Hard Times at The Public Theater, and as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden. He also starred as Jean Valjean in the 25^th anniversary production of Les Misérables. New York audiences may have seen him as the diaper-wearing Montel/Jesus in Jerry Springer the Opera at Carnegie Hall. On the small screen Lawrence has appeared in episodes of Homeland, The Good Wife, The Big C, All My Children, Another World, As the World Turns, One Life to Live, Deadline, Law & Order: CI, and the made-for-TV movie Mary and Rhoda. He lent his voice to the Rankin-Bass animated Christmas special Santa Baby starring Vanessa Williams, Gregory Hines and Eartha Kitt. Recordings include Broadway cast albums of Bells Are Ringing and Once upon a Mattress, and Adam Guettel’s Myths and Hymns.

Bernard Dotson is pleased to make his debut at Two River Theater and NJPAC in this groundbreaking production. Bernard began his career in entertainment traveling nationally and internationally singing the Walt Disney Songbook. Working for the Disney Company, he has been featured on TV shows singing in English, French, German, and Japanese. New York Concerts include She Loves Me, the 2012 hit Encores production of Merrily We Roll Along directed by James Lapine, with musical supervision by Stephen Sondheim, Finian’s Rainbow, Encores Broadway Bash, The Broadway Gospel Choir, and Dreamgirls to benefit the Actors Fund. Bernard has been seen on Broadway in Finian’s Rainbow (First Gospeleer, Original Revival Cast), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Imaginary Friends (Leo, Original Cast), starring Swoosie Kurtz, Cherry Jones, and Harry Groener, Sweet Smell of Success (Club Zanzibar Singer, Original Cast) starring John Lithgow and Brian d’Arcy James, Jesus Christ Superstar (Original Revival Cast), and the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime (Original Cast). With a host of Regional, National, and International Tours, Bernard has been seen in such shows as Xanadu (Danny McGuire/Zeus), Pippin (Leading Player), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Ken), Five Guys Named Moe (No Moe), Kiss Me, Kate (Paul), and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (The Baker), just to name a few. He can be heard on six cast recordings and has been seen on General Hospital (Dr. Woodruff) and the hit TV series Smash. He recently made his debut with the New York Philharmonic, and is currently performing his show Bernard Dotson Live at the Metropolitan Room to rave reviews. Two is best!! www.bernarddotson.com

Kevin R. Free is a writer/performer whose work has been showcased on the Moth Radio Hour, The Fire This Time Festival, and The New Black Fest. Favorite roles include Albert/Kevin in  Clybourne Park (Portland Center Stage); Tonton Julian in Once On This Island (Paper Mill Playhouse); Dromio of Ephesus in The Boys from Syracuse (CENTERSTAGE); Nemur in Chasing Nicolette (Prince Music Theater); Flick in Violet (Arden Theatre, Barrymore Award Nominee – Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), and Belize in Angels in America (Charlotte Repertory). Once a regular contributor the NPR show “News & Notes,: Mr. Free’s voice can now be heard on the popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale as Kevin, the voice of Desert Bluffs. He is also the narrator of over 100 audio books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Known World (AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award, 2004) Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles (Audie Award Finalist, Audiobook of the Year 2011), and Langdon Cook’s The Mushroom Hunters (Best Voices of 2013, AudioFile Magazine).  His full-length play A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People was a Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference Semi-Finalist in 2013. He is an alumnus of the New York Neo-Futurists, with whom he wrote and performed regularly in Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes) between 2007 and 2011. In 2010, He was named one of NYTheatre.com’s 15 people of the year, because of his “outstanding, noteworthy contributions to the New York theatre scene.” www.kevinrfree.com

Isaiah Johnson has appeared on Broadway in Peter and the Starcatcher and The Merchant of Venice. His Off-Broadway/other NY credits include: Far from Heaven, Richard III, and Othello. TV credits include: Person of Interest (CBS), The Knick (Cinemax). After joining Actors’ Equity Association as a performer in the D.C. Metro area, he went on to earn a BFA from Howard University and an MFA from New York University/Tisch in Acting.

Trent Armand Kendall Los Angeles: The Scottsboro Boys (Mr. Bones), The Color Purple (Preacher), The Wizard of Oz (Lion). Broadway and Off-Broadway: Into the Woods revival (Steward, Baker u/s), Bat Boy, Nunsense A-Men!, God’s Trombones. National Tours: The Color Purple, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. London: Five Guys Named Moe, Hey, Mr. Producer!. Regional: It’s a Wonderful Life (Harbor Lights Theater Co.), Thunder Knocking on the Door (Cincinnati Playhouse), My One and Only, Lil’ Abner (Goodspeed), Children of Eden (Paper Mill Playhouse). Other New York: Purlie! (Encores), Winner Take All (Fringe), writer & star/producer of Picture Incomplete (NYMF, Fringe, United Solo Festival NY – Best Musical, Tampa Bay PAC, Dallas Convention Center, UMC), Louis & Ella!, producer of Mr. Irresistible (Off-Broadway). Film: Five Guys Named Moe, Hey, Mr. Producer!, The Pink Panther. TV: Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, Strangers with Candy, numerous commercials. Recordings: Introducing Trent Kendall and Picture Incomplete. www.TrentKendall.com

Destinee Rea is overjoyed to be a part of The Music Man! A recent grad of Sam Houston State University, her favorite credits include: Pedro Pan (Wendy), Hairspray (Lorraine), Songs for a New World (Woman 1), and The Colored Museum (Normal). Thanks to my family & friends, Transform, TGS, The Mine, and Tolan Casting. Without you I wouldn’t be here… Eph. 2:10.

Myra Lucretia Taylor made her Two River debut in As You Like It. Broadway: Nine (Tony Award Best Revival 2003), Macbeth, Electra, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Mule Bone, and A Streetcar Named Desire. Off Broadway: Bethany (world premiere w/America Ferrera); Love, Loss, and What I Wore (Westside Theatre); A Cool Dip in a Barren Saharan Crick, Crazy Mary, Fabulation (world premieres at Playwrights Horizons). National Tours: Wicked (Madame Morrible); Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Regional: Romeo and Juliet (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Mary (world premiere at Goodman Theatre), Going to St. Ives (Barrington Stage), The Old Settler (world premiere at McCarter/Long Wharf), The Colored Museum (world premiere at Crossroads), The American Clock, The Crucible, Vieux Carré, others (Williamstown). International: The Winter’s Tale, Pericles (member of the Royal Shakespeare Company), The Colored Museum (West End). Film: She’s Lost Control (upcoming), Mega Tsunami (BBC), Silver Tongues, The Lives of Pippa Lee, and Changing Lanes. TV: The Big C, all three of the Law & Order series. Myra is a Fox Fellow.

Stephanie Umoh Broadway: Revival of Ragtime (Sarah). Off Broadway: Falling for Eve (Eve) at The York. NYC: Tin Pan Alley Rag workshop (Freddie/Treemonisha) via Roundabout Theatre; Bare (Kyra) reading w/ director Stafford Arima; Bonnie and Clyde (Mona) staged reading at the Westside Theatre and NYMF. Regional: Johnny Baseball (Daisy) at A.R.T., Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary) at PCLO, Pal Joey  (Linda) at Arkansas Repertory Theater, Caroline, or Change (Emmie) at Syracuse Stage, A Christmas Carol (Lily/Belle) at McCarter, Aida (Aida) at Drury Lane, and more. Film/TV: The NY 22, Big Words (www.bigwordsthemovie.com). She has also appeared as a Featured Soloist with The Boston Pops Orchestra and The Syracuse Symphony. Stephanie was awarded the 2009-2010 Theater World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut. She received her BFA in Musical Theater at The Boston Conservatory.

Aurelia Williams is so pleased to be a part of this fabulous grouping of talent in her home state of NJ! Currently, she is in the off-B’way hit: Sistas: The Musical. Some favorite past productions include: Once on This Island as Asaka (Paper Mill Playhouse), Madagascar Live as Gloria (DreamWorks), Dreamgirls as Effie (TUTS) Caroline, or Change as The Radio (The Guthrie), the first national tour of All Shook Up and Ain’t Misbehavin’ as Armelia (Pittsburgh Public Theater). She would like to thank her family, husband and son for their everlasting love and unbelievable support!

Natasha Yvette Williams made her Broadway debut as Sofia in The Color Purple. She also originated the role of Mammy in the West End production of Gone with the Wind. Other Broadway credits include A Night with Janis Joplin (Aretha Franklin) and The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Mariah). NaTasha is a talented gospel artist who has been featured on TBN Praise The Lord, The Wendy Williams Show, Live Sessions at Studio 54, and One Life to Live. Her New York/Concert credits include Ragtime (Sarah’s Friend) at Avery Fisher Hall, Dessa Rose at Lincoln Center, Irving Berlin Rags to Riches at Carnegie Hall, Storyville (Mama Magique). NaTasha has been a featured vocalist with Naples Philharmonic, and the Indiana, Baltimore, Omaha, Ft Worth, Edmonton and Ottawa Symphony Orchestras. Her National Tours include Xanadu (Melpomene), All Shook Up (Sylvia), Cinderella (Grace), Seussical: The Musical (Sour Kangaroo), Drowsy Chaperone (Trix), The Goodbye Girl (Mrs. Crosby), and Parade. Natashayvettewilliams.com