Robert Cuccioli, Gay Marshall,  Natascia Diaz and Rodney Hicks to Star in Jacques Brel Revival

By Andrew Gans
January 11, 2006

Casting has been announced for the upcoming revival of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, which will begin performances at the Zipper Theatre March 5.Robert Cuccioli, Gay Marshall, Natascia Diaz and a fourth cast member to be announced shortly will head the cast of the production, which will officially open March 27. Gordon Greenberg directs.

Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well & Living in Paris features music and lyrics by the late Jacques Brel; conception, English lyrics and additional material by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman. The original staging of the revue opened in 1968 at The Village Gate in New York City and ran for 1,847 performances. Song titles include "Old Folks," "Carousel" and "If We Only Have Love."

Robert Cuccioli earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in Jekyll & Hyde. He won the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle awards for that performance as well. Cuccioli also appeared in the Broadway production of Les Misérables and has been seen on screen in "Sliders," "Baywatch," "Celebrity," "The Stranger" and "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target." His recent theatrical credits include Guys and Dolls, Temporary Help, Lorenzaccio, The Sound of Music and the Actors' Fund benefit concert of On the Twentieth Century.

Natascia Diaz has appeared on Broadway in Man of La Mancha, Seussical, The Capeman and Carousel. She was seen Off-Broadway in Bright Lights, Big City; tick, tick . . . BOOM!; and Saturday Night, and she received acclaim for her work in the Kennedy Center production of A Little Night Music.

Gay Marshall played Denise in the Paper Mill Playhouse and Goodspeed Opera House mountings of The Baker's Wife. She appeared on Broadway in A Chorus Line, in the original Paris production of Cats and in the Capital Rep production of Jacques Brel. Her solo shows are titled Piaf: La Vie l'Amour and If I Were Me.

Jacques Brel will play Mondays at 8 PM, Tuesdays at 7 PM, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 7 PM with matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets, priced $65, are available by calling (212) 239-6200. The Zipper Theater is located in Manhattan at 336 West 37th Street.

For more information visit www.jacquesbrelreturns.com