Broadway vets Kerry O’Malley, Drew Gehling and Sarah Stiles will be part of the complete cast of the forthcoming “newly imagined” Broadway production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. The musical, to be headlined by previously announced stars Harry Connick Jr., David Turner and Jessie Mueller, will begin previews on November 12 and open on December 11 at the St. James Theatre, reconceived and directed by Michael Mayer.
O’Malley (cast as Sharone), Gehling (Warren) and Stiles (Muriel) will be joined by Paul O’Brien, Heather Ayers, Lori Wilner, Benjamin Eakeley, Alex Ellis, Tyler Maynard, Zachary Prince, Alysha Umphress, Kendal Hartse, Philip Hoffman, Sean Allan Krill, Patrick O'Neill, and Christianne Tisdale.
Love blooms in unexpected places in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Still in love with his deceased wife, Dr. Mark Bruckner (Connick), a dashing psychiatrist and professor, unknowingly takes on the case of his life with David Gamble (Turner), a quirky young florists’ assistant. While putting David under hypnosis to help him quit smoking so he can move in with his perfect boyfriend Warren (Gehling), Dr. Bruckner stumbles upon what he believes to be David’s former self, a dazzling and self-possessed 1940s jazz singer Melinda Wells (Mueller). Instantly intrigued by Melinda, Dr. Bruckner finds himself swept up in the pursuit of an impossible love affair with this woman from another time and place, who may or may not have ever existed.
The Broadway production of On a Clear Day will pair Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's score with a revised book by Peter Parnell. In the original musical, produced on Broadway in 1965, David was named Daisy Gamble and was played by Barbara Harris, who doubled as Melinda. Barbra Streisand played the roles in the 1970 film adaptation. The score includes hits such as “Come Back To Me,” “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have Now?,” “She Isn’t You,” and the title song. The new production will add songs from the film score such as “Love With All the Trimmings,” and “Go To Sleep,” as well as songs from the Lerner and Lane score for the film Royal Wedding, including “Ev’ry Night At Seven,” “You’re All the World To Me,” “Open Your Eyes” and “Too Late Now.”
O’Malley has appeared on Broadway in White Christmas, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun, Cyrano and Translations. Off-Broadway credits include Dublin Carol, How I Learned to Drive, Finian’s Rainbow, Flight and the Encores! production of Promises, Promises.
Gehling has played Bob Gaudio in the Broadway and national touring productions of Jersey Boys and appeared off-Broadway in A Minister’s Wife and Anne of Green Gables.
Stiles has appeared on Broadway in The 25thh Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Avenue Q. Her off-Broadway credits include Vanities and Captain Louie.
The creative team for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever includes Christine Jones (sets), Catherine Zuber (costumes), Kevin Adams (lighting), Peter Hylenski (sound), Tom Watson (hair), Lawrence Yurman (music director & arrangements) and Doug Besterman (orchestrations).
The show will be produced on Broadway by Broadway Across America, Liza Lerner, Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman.