Allison McLemore to Lead THE PHILADELPHIA STORY for Pioneer Theatre Company

Pioneer Theatre Company presents the romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story January 11 through 26, 2013.

Tracy Lord is young, beautiful, sophisticated, fabulously wealthy, and about to marry what she thinks is the man of her dreams. But when her dashing ex-husband and the two reporters assigned to cover her wedding descend on her family's opulent country house outside Philadelphia the day before the ceremony, Tracy has a hard time keeping her nuptials-not to mention the dictates of her own heart-on track.

Allison Mclemore plays the role of Tracy Lord. McLemore's New York credits include The Madras House and Rutherford and Son at the Mint Theater, and Nora and The Dybbuk at Marvell Repertory Theatre. She was also seen in The Nibroc Trilogy and Turn of the Screw at Chester Theatre Company; Last Train to Nibroc at Peterborough Players; The Underpants at The Olney Theatre; Cyrano at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival; Three Sisters, Othello and Jane Eyre at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre; and Pygmalion, which received a Denver Post Ovation Award. She returns to Pioneer Theatre Company after appearing in Dracula.

The three men in Tracy's life, C.K. Dexter Haven, Macaulay "Mike" Connor and George Kittridge are played by Todd Gearhart, Todd Lawson and Jay Stratton, respectively.

Gearhart, playing Tracy's ex-husband C. K. Dexter Haven, appeared on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie. His other New York credits include Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, The Vineyard Theatre, The Beckett Theatre. He received an IRNE Award nomination for Best Actor in The Ogunquit Playhouse's regional premiere of Sunset Boulevard opposite Stefanie Powers. His TV credits include Gossip Girl, Lipstick Jungle, Law & Order, The Education of Max Bickford, All My Children, The Guiding Light and One life to Live. His film credits include Batman: The Dark Night Rises, Dogs Lie, Moving Mike and Peppermills. Todd plays counselor David Elias on Law & Order: SVU, has a BFA from CCM and studied in NY with Uta Hagen. He is also a member of New York's critically acclaimed TACT - The Actors Company Theatre. This is his PTC debut.

Lawson, who plays the journalist assigned to write about Tracy's wedding, appeared on Broadway in Summer and Smoke and off-Broadway in One Arm, Levittown, Only a Lad and Young Playwrights Festival. His other New York credits include Stones In His Pockets, Flight, Unnatural Acts, Alphabet City III & IV, The Grecian Formula and Barefoot in the Park. He appeared in the national tour of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The Philadelphia Story marks Lawson's PTC debut.

Stratton, playing George Kittredge, Tracy's fiance, appeared in New York in The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Peccadillo Theatre; The Dishwashers at 59E59; She Stoops to Conquer, Twelfth Night and The Oedipus Cycle at The Pearl Theatre; and Duchess of Malfi with Red Bull Theatre. He has appeared at regional theatres across the country and returns to PTC after appearing previously in A View From the Bridge and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

The photographer assigned to cover the Lord wedding is Liz Imbrie, played by Margaret Nichols. Nichols' New York credits include Children, Bedroom Farce and Long Island Sound off-Broadway; Seeing Stars for the New York Musical Festival; A Christmas Carol at the Lucille Lortel; and the world premiere of What You Will, an original musical based on Twelfth Night. She was in the national tour of LES MISERABLES, and is a company member of the off-Broadway The Actors' Company Theatre. This is her PTC debut.

Tracy's Uncle Willie is played by Bill Nabel. On stage, Nabel appeared in eight Broadway shows: the original A Chorus Line as Al, Disney's Beauty and the Beast as Lumiere, Sweeney Todd as Pirelli, 42nd Street as Bert Barry, Home Sweet Homer as Melios, Ain't Broadway Grand as Max, Evita and The Most Happy Fella; he has logged over 9,400 performances on Broadway. Also an author of some note, his new play Lying to Spielberg played at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last year. He returns to PTC after Sunset Boulevard and Man of La Mancha.

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