A Tale of Two Cities is a musical with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello based on the 1859 novel of the same name by Charles Dickens. After tryouts at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, in October and November 2007, the show opened on Broadway on September 18, 2008, following previews from August 19 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. The musical closed on November 9, 2008, after a run of 60 performances and 33 previews. The show received the 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding New Musical for its Broadway run. James Barbour received a 2009 Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance as Sydney Carton. Production history Tale creator Santoriello worked on the music beginning in the late 1980s. In 1994, her brother, actor Alex Santoriello, produced and starred in an invitation-only concert styling of many of the songs at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis. The concert starred Richard Kiley as the narrator. Some of the numbers showcased in this styling were eventually cut from the show. In 1999 producers Barbara Russell and Ron Sharpe optioned the show with plans to bring it to Broadway. Together with Santoriello, they began developing the script through readings and producing a concept album of the show. That recording, completed in 2002, featured Alex Santoriello as Dr. Manette / Sydney Carton, Christiane Noll as Lucie Manette, Nick Wyman as John Barsad, Craig Bennett as Jerry Cruncher and Natalie Toro as Madame Defarge. On August 19 and 20, 2004, for two performances, Tale was again presented for an invitation-only workshop reading in hopes of finding more backers. The production ran at the Little Shubert Theatre in New York City. 100 fans were invited to each performance of the first New York City public presentation. It starred James Barbour as Sydney Carton, Jenny Powers as Lucie Manette, Gary Morris as Alexandre Manette, Gavin Creel as Darnay, Alex Santoriello as Ernest Defarge, Michelle Dawson as Mme. DeFarge and Billy Gilman as Defarge's young brother. In late 2005, Santoriello and producers announced that the show planned an early winter try-out in Chicago, with Broadway plans for spring 2006. However, directing changes and insufficient funds, with one producer leaving, postponed the production. The following year the show opened at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, for pre-Broadway tryouts in October and November 2007. The show sold out its entire run and