Starring Gregory Hines, Judith Jamison, J. Benjamin, Phyllis Hyman, Claudia Asbury (Sophisticated Lady), Adrian Bailey (Sophisticated Gentleman), Priscilla Baskerville, Hinton Battle, Gregg Burge, Mercedes Ellington (Sophisticated Lady), Michael Scott Gregory (Sophisticated Gentleman), Terri Klausner, Michael Lichtefeld (Sophisticated Gentleman), Paula Lynn (Sophisticated Lady), Wynonna Smith (Sophisticated Lady) and A. Stephens (Sophisticated Gentleman)

Standby: Naomi Moody (Performer) and Anita Moore (Performer)

Understudies: Hinton Battle, Gregg Burge, Michael Scott Gregory, Michael Lichtefeld, Paula Lynn, Valarie Pettiford (Sophisticated Lady), Wynonna Smith, T. A. Stephens and Faruma S. Williams (Sophisticated Gentleman)

Replacement Cast: Maurice Hines (Replaced Gregory Hines), Gary Chapman (Replaced Hinton Battle;), Don Correia(Replaced PJ Benjamin), Leslie Dockery (Sophisticated Lady), Donna Drake (Replaced Terri Klausner), Michael Scott Gregory (Replaced Gregg Burge), Maurice Hines (Replaced Gregory Hines), Phyllis Hyman, Calvin McRae(Sophisticated Gentleman), Jackie Patterson, Richard Pessagno (Sophisticated Gentleman), D’arcy Phifer(Sophisticated Lady), Christina Saffran (Sophisticated Lady), A. Stephens (Replaced Gary Chapman)

Replacement Understudies: Adrian Bailey, Lloyd Culbreath (Sophisticated Gentleman), Denise DiRenzo (Sophisticated Lady), Mercedes Ellington (, Calvin McRae, Richard Pessagno, Christina Saffran and Jeff Veazey (Sophisticated Gentleman)

Associate Choreographer: Bruce Heath; Assistant Choreographer: Mercedes Ellington; Assistant to Mr. Walton: Vaughan Edwards and Peter Gould; Assistant to Ms. Kim: Bud Santora and Paula Iasella; Assistant to Ms. Tipton: Allen Lee Hughes

General Manager: Joseph P. Harris and Ira Bernstein; Associate General Manager: Steven E. Goldstein, Replacement Associate Manager: Bruce Klinger; Associate to Joseph Harris: Nancy Simmons

Production Stage Manager: Martin Gold; Stage Manager: Carlos Gorbea; Assistant Stage Manager: Kenneth Hanson

General Press Representative: Fred Nathan; Press Representative: Eileen McMahon; Casting: T.N.I. Casting, Julie Hughes and Barry Moss; Dance Captain: Claudia Asbury; Replacement Dance Captain: Valarie Pettiford; Advertising: Ash / LeDonne, Fred Golden and Jon Wilner; Photographer: Martha Swope (and), Kenn Duncan; Furs by The Christie Brothers; Vocal Coach: Roy Glover

Music Consultant: Paul Chihara; Piano: Lloyd Mayers; Drums: Richard Pratt; Trumpet: Barry Lee Hall and Jon Longo; Musical Coordinator: Lloyd Mayers; Music Contractor: Rudy Stevenson; Assistant Conductor: Lloyd Mayers; Music Preparation: Mathilde Pincus and Al Miller. Replacement Assistant Conductor: Frank Owens.

As Executive Vice President (and shareholder) of short-lived Broadway Television Network, established in 2000 as a Pay-Per-View network dedicated to presenting shows presented under the banner, “Live from Broadway, One Night Only“.  Clash of vision (and personality): the board wanted PPV special events, I wanted to stream through membership and sell downloads ongoing.  I lost the battle, and left a few months later.  History proved me right.

Executive Management included Kay Kopolvitz (Chairman of the Board); Bruce Brandwen (CEO); Don Roy King (TV Creative Director); Jerry Zaks (Stage Creative Director); Toby Simkin (Executive Vice President New Media); Nick van Hoogstraten (Vice President Production) & Susan Lee (Director of Marketing).

Sophisticated Ladies

SONGS

Featuring songs by Irving Mills (“The Mooche”, “Old Man Blues”, “Rockin’ In’ Rhythm”, “Mood Indigo”), Juan Tizol (“Perdido”, “Caravan”), Ervin M. Drake (“Perdido”), Hans Lengsfelder (“Perdido”), Al Hibbler (“Fat and Forty”), Billy Strayhorn (“Take the ‘A’ Train”, “Something To Live For”, “Imagine My Frustration”, “I’m Checking Out Goombye”), Harry Carney (“Rockin’ In’ Rhythm”), Don George (“I’m Beginning To See the Light”), Johnny Hodges(“I’m Beginning To See the Light”), Harry James (“I’m Beginning To See the Light”), Gerald Wilson (“Imagine My Frustration”) and Albany “Barney” Bigard (“Mood Indigo”); Featuring songs with lyrics by Duke Ellington, John Guare (“Music Is a Woman”), Don George (“Hit Me With a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce”, “I’m Beginning To See the Light”), Juan Tizol (“Perdido”), Ervin M. Drake (“Perdido”), Hans Lengsfelder (“Perdido”), Al Hibbler (“Fat and Forty”), Irving Mills (“It Don’t Mean a Thing”, “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart”, “Caravan”, “Old Man Blues”, “In a Sentimental Mood”, “Sophisticated Lady”), Sid Kuller (“Bli-Blip”), Bob Russell (“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, “Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me”), John Redmond (“I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart”), Billy Strayhorn(“Something To Live For”, “Satin Doll”, “Imagine My Frustration”, “I’m Checking Out Goombye”), Nick Kenny (“Drop Me Off in Harlem”), Bill Katz (“Duke’s Place”), R. Thiele (“Duke’s Place”), Manny Kurtz (“In a Sentimental Mood”), Johnny Hodges (“I’m Beginning To See the Light”), Harry James (“I’m Beginning To See the Light”), Johnny Mercer(“Satin Doll”), Lee Gaines (“Just Squeeze Me”), Mack David (“I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So”), Gerald Wilson(“Imagine My Frustration”), Paul Francis Webster (“I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”) and Mitchell Parish(“Sophisticated Lady”); Musical Director: Mercer Ellington; Music orchestrated by Al Cohn; Music arranged by Lloyd Mayers; Dance arrangements by Lloyd Mayers; Vocal arrangements by Lloyd Mayers and Malcolm Dodds; Additional arrangements by Paul Chihara.