The musical, also titled Rain, will have its world premiere at Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA, with previews beginning March 24, and an opening night set for April 1.
The previously announced (, Brooklyn, Rent) will play the central role of Sadie Thompson. She will be joined by as Noi Noi (Princess in The Orphan of Zhao at American Conservatory Theater and , co-star on 鈥淕ossip Girl,鈥� 鈥淟aw & Order: Special Victims Unit鈥� and 鈥淐ashmere Mafia鈥�), as Anna Davidson (Tony Award nominee for Once, plus Allegro and Caucasian Chalk Circle at ), as Jo (In Your Arms at the Globe, Broadway鈥檚 , Annie and ), as Louisa MacPhail (LaChiusa鈥檚 First Daughter Suite as Tricia Nixon and Susan Ford, Broadway鈥檚 and ), as Kiwi (Globe鈥檚 The , 鈥� How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, original Globe cast and on Broadway), Mike Sears as Quartermaster and Hopper (When It Comes and Othello at the Globe, at La Jolla Playhouse), as Alec MacPhail (Broadway鈥檚 School of Rock, and , Globe鈥檚 Robin and the 7 Hoods) and as Alfred Davidson ( on Broadway, We Will Rock You and Wicked first national tours, co-star on 鈥淏lue Bloods鈥�).
LaChiusa's collaborator on the project is librettist , who partnered with him on the Off-Broadway musical Giant.
Old Globe artistic director will make his musical theatre debut with the production. The creative team also includes (movement), J. Oconer Navarro (music director), (orchestrations), (scenic design), Katherine Roth (costume design), Russell H. Champa (lighting design), Ken Travis (sound design), Telsey + Company/Andrew Femenella CSA and Patrick Goodwin CSA (casting), and James Latus (production stage manager).
The story has been adapted to stage and film several times, perhaps most famously in 1928 with as Sadie, a former prostitute who tries to start life anew on a South Pacific island, only to cross paths with two men, an army sergeant and a missionary, who roil her new life. The prolific LaChiusa has been nominated for Tony Awards five times. His musicals include , , Hello Again, , The Petrified Prince, See What I Wanna See, Little Fish, Bernarda Alba, Suite, Queen of the Mist and the recent First Daughter Suite.
Pearson's playwriting career includes the book to the 1983 musical .
Tickets are currently available only to Old Globe subscribers. They will go on sale to the general public Feb. 19 by phone at (619) 234-5623 or on the web, .
