Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle’s innovative staging blends today’s hottest Broadway hoofers with original footage from films like Top Hat and Swing Time to breathe fresh life into the pair’s famous routines. Featuring tunes from the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals – such as “Cheek to Cheek,” “The Way You Look Tonight” and “I Won’t Dance” – and accompanied by a swinging house band, Carefree confirms that the magic of Fred and Ginger lives on!
Meet the amazing creative team behind the scenes of Carefree: Dancin’ with Fred & Ginger.
Written by PETER DUCHAN Directed & Choreographed by WARREN CARLYLE
Produced by THE NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER John Schreiber, President & CEO David Rodriguez, Executive Producer Julia Kraus, Producer RKO STAGE Ted Hartley, CEO and Lead Creative Producer Mary Beth O’Connor, Producer Robert Lima, Associate Producer Eva Price, Executive Producer David & Jennifer Stone and StoneBoies Entertainment, Co-Producers
General Management MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS
Jared Grimes performed under Warren Carlyle’s direction in Cotton Club Parade at City Center Encores! and won the 2014 Fred & Adele Astaire Award for best male dancer in Broadway’s After Midnight. His other theater credits include Twist, directed by Debbie Allen, and Babes in Arms at the Goodspeed Opera. As a dancer, he has toured with the likes of Mariah Carey, Common, Salt-n-Pepa, En Vogue, Busta Rhymes and the Roots. As a choreographer, Grimes created dances for Cirque du Soleil, assisted with the Tupac Shakur Broadway musical, Hollar If Ya Hear Me, and, most recently, choreographed the musical Jelly’s Last Jam at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. Film and TV credits: the feature film Breaking Brooklyn with director Paul Becker, Fringe (FOX) and Boardwalk Empire (HBO).
Broadway/National Tours: Wicked (Glinda), Something Rotten, Chaplin, Anything Goes, Pal Joey, Sunday In The Park…, Hairspray, The Sound of Music and the upcoming revival of Hello, Dolly starring Bette Midler. Off-Broadway: Freckleface Strawberry (Orig. Strawberry). TV/FILM: “Louie” (FX), Hairspray (Tammy), Hail, Caesar!. All the thanks and love to Warren for creating this timeless piece, my dance teachers for teaching me how to dance, and my parents for driving me to everywhere to live my dream. www.hayleypodschun.com @haypod22
Broadway: Curtains (Bobby Pepper), 42nd Street (Billy Lawlor, Outer Critics and Astaire Noms.), Kiss Me, Kate (Bill Calhoun/Lucentio), Titanic (Frederick Fleet), Once Upon A Mattress, Damn Yankees starring Jerry Lewis, Beauty and the Beast and Guys and Dolls. Film/TV: Across the Universe, Cradle Will Rock and Jeffrey. Thank you Warren.
Donna McKechnie received the Tony Award for her performance in the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line. Her other Broadway shows include The Visit, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, Sondheim: A Musical Tribute, On the Town, Promises, Promises, Company and State Fair, for which she received the Astaire Award. Ms. McKechnie also played the lead in Bob Fosse’s last production of Sweet Charity, and has starred in numerous productions in London’s West End as well as Paris and Tokyo. Her memoir, Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life was published by Simon & Schuster.
Drew King is a Fordham University graduate and Massachusetts native. He is thrilled to be performing with Carefree! Broadway: On the Twentieth Century (Porter, Astaire Award Winner). Encores!: On Your Toes. Regional: Goodspeed, Paper Mill, Kennedy Center, Ogunquit, Gateway. Many thanks to Warren, John, Bloc, family, friends and my five extraordinary castmates.
So proud of this show! Broadway: Dames At Sea (Ruby u/s, Joan u/s), Cinderella (Ella u/s), Annie (Star-to-be). TV/Studio vocals: The King of Queens, The Santa Clause 3 and the Disney Princess CD Series. Thanks to this joy of a creative team and cast. Love to Sasha and my fam!
