Anneliese van der Pol to play Lucille Ball in ‘The Cuban and the Redhead’
Anneliese van der Pol (That’s So Raven, Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast) will star as Lucille Ball in The Cuban and the Redhead. This new musical that will open at the Pegasus Theatre in Richardson, Texas.
Storm Lineberger (the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera) will play van der Pol’s husband and co-star, Desi Arnaz.
The story is about a young Cuban boy who sets sail on a turbulent journey that leads him to Hollywood and into the arms of a fiery, redheaded movie star, Lucille Ball. Desi and Lucy put their money, trust, and dreams on the line to save their marriage. They risk it all on an untested medium called television. Can these two lovers blaze a path that defies Hollywood and history to be together?
The musical was co-written by Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman. Bartley also directed and co-choreographed the production. The musical will feature an original score that utilizes the classic Latin and America styles of the 1940s.
The rest of the ensemble includes Stephan Bates, Sarah Comley Caldwell, Robin Clayton, Mattie Lillian Davis, Myiesha J. Duff, Jonathan Garcia, Clint Gilbert, Mary Jerome, Logan Lane, Beth Lipton, Janelle Lutz, Quinn Moran, Rodney Morris, Jonah Munroe, Kelley Norman, Kimberly Pine, Elizabeth Piper, Matt Ransdell Jr., Sheila D. Rose, Dan Servetnick, Joshua Sherman, Carlos Strudwick, and Keith J. Warren.
Performances for The Cuban and the Redhead will run September 13–30.
sources: playbill.com, namt.org
When Beth “grows up” she wants to see her creations appear on the screen and stage. In her free time, Beth blogs about her love of craft beer and writes screenplays. She received her bachelors in journalism from Youngstown State and received her masters in communication from The University of Akron. She is honored to be a part of the FanFest family.
