RUBEN STUDDARD - Ruben Studdard released his first album with the hit song "Flying Without Wings." In December 2003, advance orders for his album Soulful topped the $1 million mark before it was released into stores. Soulful debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart that month, selling over 400,000 copies in its first week and attaining the highest first-week sales of any American Idol winner. The single "Sorry 2004" from this album reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Studdard received a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for best R&B male vocal performance for his song "Superstar." In March 2004, Ruben won the NAACP Best New Artist award. Studdard then released the gospel album "I Need An Angel" on November 23, 2004. The album sold over 96,000 copies in its first week, and entered the Gospel charts at #1, and the Billboard 200 chart at #20. "I Need An Angel" has since sold over 500,000 copies, and was also #1 on the 2005 Billboard Year-End Gospel Albums Chart. His newest album (yet to be titled) will be released in August 2008.

FRENCHIE DAVIS - Born in Los Angeles, CA, Frenchie Davis began her career as a theatre student at Washington DC's Howard University. While studying there, Ms. Davis landed her first professional acting job as one of the street urchins in the German production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Upon her return to the states, Frenchie was chosen as a finalist on "AMERICAN IDOL," where she quickly became an audience favorite. She worked in 2003 as a Grammy correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and performed the song "And I Am Telling You" on the ET telecast, as well. Soon after, she was cast in the Tony Award-winning Broadway show RENT as the "Seasons of Love" soloist. Ms. Davis then took a leave of absence from the show to play the role of "Effie White" in the West Coast tour of the musical DREAMGIRLS. After DREAMGIRLS, she immediately returned to RENT where she performed in the show for a total of nearly four years. In August 2007, Frenchie starred as legendary Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the Hartford Stage production of the one-woman play SING, MAHALIA, SING. www.FrenchieDavis.org




RICHARD MALTBY, JR. (Director) BROADWAY: Conceived and directed two Tony Award winning musicals: AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' (1978: Tony, N.Y. Drama Critics, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Awards -- also Tony Award for Best Director.) FOSSE (1999: Tony, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Awards); and RING OF FIRE, The Johnny Cash Musical Show, (2006); With composer David Shire, director/lyricist: BABY, (1983, book by Sybille Pearson; seven Tony Award nominations); lyricist: BIG, (1996, book by John Weidman; Tony nomination: Best Score); lyricist/conceiver, TAKE FLIGHT (book by John Weidman), world premiere 2007 at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, also produced in Japan 2007, directed by Amon Miyamoto. With Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, co-lyricist: MISS SAIGON (Evening Standard Award 1990; Tony nomination: Best Score, 1991); co-bookwriter/lyricist: THE PIRATE QUEEN (2007). Director/co-lyricist: American version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's SONG & DANCE, (1986 Tony Award for star, Bernadette Peters.) OFF-BROADWAY: director/lyricist STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW, (1977, Grammy nomination); CLOSER THAN EVER, (1989, two Outer Critics Circle Awards: Best Musical, Best Score), both written with composer David Shire. REGIONAL: director, THE STORY OF MY LIFE (2008, Goodspeed Opera House); director, MASK (2008, Pasadena Playhouse); director, THE 60'S PROJECT (2006, Goodspeed). FILM: Screenplay, MISS POTTER, (2007) about Beatrix Potter, starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor (Christopher Award, best screenplay.). Thirty year association with The Manhattan Theatre Club. Contributes devilish crossword puzzles to Harpers Magazine. Son of well-known orchestra leader; Five children: Nicholas, David, Jordan, Emily and Charlotte.

ARTHUR FARIA (Original Musical Staging and Choreography) Arthur Faria created the original musical staging and choreography for the 1978 Tony Award-winning musical Ain't Misbehavin'. For this he earned nominations for both the Tony and Drama Desk awards, and shared the Obie for the original production at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Arthur recreated his work for the tenth anniversary Broadway revival starring the original cast. He has since gone on to direct and choreograph major productions of “Ain't” starring the Pointer Sisters, Della Reese, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Lena Horne personally selected Mr. Faria to create and direct her triumphant return to Broadway in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. This landmark production garnered a second Drama Desk nomination for Mr. Faria. Critics praised his work in Storyville and The All-night Strut, which broke all records at the historic Ford's Theatre. Off-Broadway audiences have enjoyed his award-winning work in Trixie True, Teen Detective, A Bundle of Nerves, and the roller skating musical, The Derby. Among Mr. Faria's T.V. credits are NBC's celebrated presentation of “Ain't Misbehavin' ”, and PBS's “Great Performances” production of “Duke Ellington: The Music Lives On”, which earned him two Emmy Award nominations. Stars that have called upon Arthur's talents include; Bette Midler, Bobby Short, Valentina and Leonid Koslov of the Bolshoi Ballet, Bette Davis, Richard Gere, Liv Ulman, Alice Faye and John Payne, The Fifth Dimension, and The Village People. There are others. In his spare time, Mr. Faria earned a Doctorate Degree in Fine and Performing Arts from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

BIG LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS, INC. / DANIEL SHER (Executive Producer) is celebrating its 19th season of producing, general managing, and booking Broadway musicals and special attractions for touring throughout North America and the world. In addition to the 30th Anniversary Tour of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', the national tour of AIDA, and the stage spectacular BLAST (www.BlasttheShow.com), Big League developed a new dynamic production of the stage adaptation of the renowned children's film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (www.chittyontour.com) and is preparing for an international production of AIDA, which will tour China. Other recent highlights include a production Miss Saigon developed in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh, the Japanese and North American touring productions of 42nd Street as well as a three-year tour of Meredith Wilson's The Music Man as conceived by Susan Stroman. Other past successes include Footloose, Titanic, 1776, Peter Pan, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Rip Taylor, and The Who's Tommy. John Starr helms the booking department at Big League. Visit www.bigleague.org

LUTHER HENDERSON (Musical Adapter / Additional Music Composer / Musical Supervisor / Orchestrator) composed, arranged, orchestrated or performed the musical direction for more than 50 Broadway shows, including the Ain't Misbehavin', Lena horne: the Lady and Her Music; Black and Blue; Hallelujah Baby!; Flower Drum Song; Funny Girl; Purlie Victorious, No, No, Nanette and Jelly's Last Jam, written and directed by George C. Wolfe, with new lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, starring Gregory Hines, for which he received a Tony Nomination. His numerous television credits include serving as musical director, orchestrator, arranger and pianist for the special "Ain't Misbehavin'" for which he received an Emmy nomination; the PBS special "The V.D. Blues"; the Emmy Award-winning "Helen Morgan Story" starring Polly Bergen and several Victor Borge specials. In film, Mr. Henderson was the composer and orchestrator for Recess and The Slams. He released more than a dozen albums including Turned on Broadway (volumes I and II) for RCA and is featured on the original cast album of Ain't Misehavin'. He was also the arranger/orchestrator for the Canadian Brass Quintet album Mostly Fats and his Luther Henderson Orchestra recorded six albums for Columbia Records. He also recorded several albums of Broadway music with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and orchestrated EMI's Classis Ellington CD, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Luther Henderson was a 1942 graduate of the Julliard School. His wife Billie Allen Henderson has established The Luther Henderson Scholarship Fund at the Julliard School. For more information on the Fund, or to make contributions visit:
www.thelutherhendersonscholarshipfund.com.

MURRAY HORWITZ (Co-author, lyricist) began his career as a clown in the Ringling Bros. Circus, where he performed for three years. He still tours in the one-man show, An Evening of Sholom Aleichem - his first collaboration with Richard Maltby, Jr. His Broadway credits include Ain't Misbehavin' and Haarlem Nocturne, and he wrote the song lyrics for John Harbison's The Great Gatsby at the Metropolitan Opera. Currently the director of the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre, Mr. Horwitz has also worked extensively in broadcasting. He won three Peabody Awards for programs he produced at National Public Radio, where he originated the hit comedy news quiz, "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me." He still appears as a commentator on various NPR programs, and as co-host with Susan Stamberg of the annual NPR special, "Hanukkah Lights." Creative Consultant to the annual Mark Twain Prize (honoring such greats as Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, and, in 2008, George Carlin), Mr. Horwitz is a member of the Dramatists Guild, a graduate of Ohio's Kenyon College, and a Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters of the Government of France.

JOHN LEE BEATTY (Scenic Designer). BROADWAY: Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas; The Odd Couple; Rabbit Hole; The Color Purple; Doubt; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Wonderful Town; Frankie and Johnny...; Proof; Chicago; Major Barbara; The Last Night of Ballyhoo; Anna Christie; Penn & Teller; Burn This; Ain't Misbehavin'; Talley's Folly; Fifth of July; Crimes of the Heart; Whoopee; Faith Healer; Loot; Alice in Wonderland; and many others. LINCOLN CENTER THEATER The House in Town; The Rivals; Big Bill; Dinner at Eight; Morning's at Seven; Spinning Into Butter; Ivanov; The Little Foxes; A Delicate Balance; The Heiress; Abe Lincoln in Illinois; The Sisters Rosensweig; The Most Happy Fella; The Substance of Fire. OFF-BROADWAY: New Jerusalem; The Merchant of Venice; Defiance; The Paris Letter; House and Garden; Sylvia; Mystery of Irma Vep; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; The Road to Mecca; Song of Singapore; Ashes; A Life in the Theater; The Miss Firecracker Contest; multiple seasons with MTC, Circle Rep., City Center Encores! AWARDS: Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Theatre Hall of Fame.


FULL CAST & CREATIVES COMING SOON!