‘Porgy and Bess’ Tour Cast Alicia Hall Moran, Nathaniel Stampley

Alicia Hall Moran and Nathaniel Stampley have been revealed as the stars of the upcoming national tour of “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.”

Both actors were involved in the Broadway revival of the show last season, with Moran as the understudy of Bess (she performed the role on Wednesday night shows). Stampley portrayed Robbins in the production, and also played the roles of Crown and Porgy.

An exact schedule for the tour has yet to be announced, though the trek will launch in late fall. Producers have announced select cities the tour will visit: Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, Charlotte, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Des Moines, Tampa, Las Vegas, Cleveland, West Palm Beach, Tempe and St. Paul. Other cities will be added to the schedule at a later date.

The Broadway revival is a streamlined version of the classic, and opened January 12, 2012. The show later earned the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and ran through September 23, 2012. When it closed, it had played 321 productions.

Diane Paulus, known for directing “Hair,” served as director of the new production, and she was commissioned by the Gershwin and Heyward estates to update the show for contemporary audiences. Brothers George and Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics and music to the musical, and DuBose Heyward wrote the book. It is based on “Porgy,” which was a novel written by Heyward that was later adapted into a play by his wife, Dorothy.

Here’s how the show is described on it’s official website:

The classic story by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward is set in Charleston’s fabled Catfish Row, where the beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the crippled but courageous Porgy. Threatened by her formidable former lover Crown, and the seductive enticements of the colorful troublemaker Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess’ relationship evolves into a deep romance that triumphs as one of theater’s most exhilarating love stories.