Michael

Wilson Cruz first won the hearts of audiences on “My So-Called Life.”  Soon thereafter, Cruz landed a role on “Party of Five” and has since made appearances on “ER,” “The West Wing,” “Related,” “Ally McBeal,” “The Closer,” “NCIS,” “Monk” and a highly acclaimed recurring role last season on TNT’s “Raising the Bar.” Cruz’s film credits include Supernova, Nixon, Joyride, Party Monster and this year's blockbuster hit, He’s Just Not That into You opposite Drew Barrymore. Onstage, Cruz saw critical acclaim for his portrayal of ‘Angel’ in Rent. Cruz has won both a Young Artist Award and ALMA for his acting pursuits, and in 2008, received the prestigious Visibilidad Award from GLAAD.

Jon

Colin is so excited to be working with everyone involved and to finally be at Westport! Broadway/Off-Broadway credits include Rent (every white guy in the show), Pirates of Penzance (Frederic) and I Love You Because (Austin; CD on PS Classics). Regionally, Colin spent three seasons at George Street Playhouse doing tick...tick..BOOM!, The Last Five Years, and Falsettos. He's also worked at Adirondack Theatre Festival, Cape Cod Theatre Festival and two seasons at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He was in the first professional production of Edges by Pasek & Paul. Over Christmas Colin was in Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas at Goodspeed Opera House. He just returned from doing the world premiere of Sarah, Plain and Tall at Dallas Theater Center. Upcoming projects are Writing Arthur and Next Thing You Know.

Susan

Pearl recently completed her run in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Happiness directed by Susan Stroman and written by John Weidman, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. Broadway: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  Off-Broadway: Walmartopia (Minetta Lane Theatre),  The Seven (New York Theatre Workshop), Yellow Wood (York Theatre), An Oak Tree (Perry Street Theatre). Regional: world premiere of Milburn and Vigoda's Long Story Short (City Theatre Pittsburgh and TheatreWorks Palo Alto) where she garnered a Bay Area Critics Theatre Circle Award nomination; The Seven (La Jolla Playhouse); Hello, Dolly! (Hangar Theatre); Hair (European tours). Pre- Broadway workshops/readings of Legally Blonde The Musical and The Nightingale.

Director

Scott directed the original off-Broadway production of tick, tick... Boom! as well as the national tour, London and Los Angeles productions.  Broadway: Golda’s Balcony and Jane Eyre (co-directed with John Caird).  Off-Broadway: Bat Boy: The Musical, Rooms a rock romance, The Foreigner starring Matthew Broderick for Roundabout Theatre, Kafka’s The Castle and No Way to Treat a Lady. Recent credits include: Othello and Much Ado About Nothing at the Alley Theatre and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Paper Mill Playhouse and North Shore Music Theatre. Regional theaters include: American Conservatory Theater, Alliance Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Geva, Goodspeed, La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Signature Theatre, Studio Arena, Theatre Works. For radio, he directed the Grammy-nominated recording of The Prisoner of Second Avenue, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason.  Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Associate Artist at the Alley Theatre and a graduate of Harvard University.

Choreographer

Happy to be back in Connecticut after directing the World Premiere of Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas at Goodspeed Opera House. Broadway: South Pacific (Tony, Outer Critics Circle award nominations), Sunday in the Park with George, The Ritz, 13, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, High Fidelity.  West End: Sunday in the Park with George. Off-Broadway: Altar Boyz (Lortel Award, Callaway Awards, Drama Desk Award nomination), Bat Boy: The Musical! (Lortel Award), tick,tick... BOOM!, 10 Million Miles, Adrift in Macao. Favorites: Silence! The Musical (Best Musical - Fringe ‘05), Hair with Jennifer Hudson, Chess with Josh Groban. TV: "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Tony Awards 2000."

Musical Director

Charles Czarnecki is so proud of his cast and team and is delighted to be music directing his first production at Westport Country Playhouse. Czarnecki is a music director, music producer, orchestrator and creative consultant in New York. He's presently musical supervisor for several developing shows including Hilltop House (David Christian Azarow and Bud Widney), Tempest (Neiden and Shakespeare), and centers his career in musical theatre around his collaborative relationships with these and other emerging new writers of the theatre including Neil Berg, Cinco Paul, Earl Wilson, Jr., Doug Katsaros and many others. As a music producer, Czarnecki is constantly developing new talent and original projects ranging from pop to world music. He has also scored and musically supervised two films this year, one of which made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. He is presently a conductor at Jersey Boys on Broadway and has worked as personal music director and arranger for all four original leads: John Lloyd Young, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer. The maestro made his Carnegie Hall debut last year guest conducting the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Czarnecki is a proud graduate of the Amherst School of Music, the Purchase Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. He'd like to warmly thank Stephen for the introduction that sparked the fresh, collaborative partnership now shown in this wonderful production of tick, tick . . . BOOM!