DALLAS, March 11, 2014 – Uptown Players continues its 2014 season with the return of an audience favorite, the farcical Off‐Broadway hit, Pageant. With book and lyrics by Bill Russell and Frank Kelly and music by Albert Evans, what makes Pageant the musical so different from other beauty contests? Our girls have it all, plus a little “something extra!” The production runs March 28 through April 13, 2014, at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Pageant is a pageant, but what’s glitz, glamour, poise and talent, without a five o’clock shadow? Judges selected from the audience actually vote and determine who the winner is, therefore, may be different at each performance. The show takes its shots not by mocking the pageant from the outside, but by being one. The six contestants, Miss Deep South, Miss West Coast, Miss Great Plains, Miss Bible Belt, Miss Industrial Northeast and Miss Texas (all played by men) compete in evening gown, talent, swim-wear, and spokes model, plus the finalists answer calls from the Beauty Crisis Hotline. You won’t want to miss the hilarity as a new Miss Glamouresse 2014 is selected at each performance.

The cast includes Walter Lee as Miss Texas, Ashton Shawver as Miss Bible Belt, Peter DiCesare as Miss Deep South, Drew Kelly as Miss West Coast, Micah Greene as Miss Great Plains, and Sergio Antonio Garcia as Miss Industrial Northeast.  Hosting the pageant is B.J. Cleveland as Frankie Cavalier. The production is under the direction of Chris Robinson, with Music Direction by Kevin Gunter.

Called “screamingly funny!” by The New York Times, Pageant is a beauty contest unlike any other. So, practice your winner’s wave and come see if a baton‐twirling “lady” can really “cure” world peace!

The production runs March 28 through April 13, 2014, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays (no performance March 30). Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (at Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219. Tickets are $25-$40 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at (214) 219-2718.

About Uptown Players:

Now in its thirteenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including more than 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, hundreds of “The Column” Awards and 20 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first 12 seasons.

In recent years, its productions of Next To Normal and The Producers have made top 10 lists in The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Voice, TheaterJones, and The Column online. Uptown Players has also been named the Best Theatre Company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players has been featured on Good Morning Texas and with Ron Corning on Daybreak on WFAA. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

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Media Contacts: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191