John Tartaglia, Bruce Vilanch and More Set for HOTEL ARTHRITIS Film

Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia will star in his first feature film, the upcoming comedy/horror movie Hotel Arthritis, directed by Jason Lockhart.

The film, from Producer Michael J. Roth (Hellbent, Circuit) with script written by Jacqui Holland and Lockhart, is set entirely in a retirement community, where a group of residents live in fear of a masked killer. Tartaglia will play "Dale," a quirky, offbeat manager of a retirement home. Dawn Wells, Lee Meriwether and David Proval also star.

The cast also includes Broadway's Bruce Vilanch and Camille Saviola, as well as Martin Kove, Kiersten Warren, Jacqui Holland, Shawn Harrison, Jerry Douglas and Rip Taylor.

Tartaglia is best known for his Tony Award nominated role in the Broadway show Avenue Q; his acclaimed 12 years as the youngest puppeteer ever to work on Sesame Street; and for creating, producing and starring in Disney Channel's series Johnny and the Sprites, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. He also starred recently on Broadway in Shrek The Musical and in Beauty and The Beast. He has also been featured in Off-Broadway's Newsical 2006: The Next Edition, Children of Eden, Carnival! and more.

His latest success is the innovative glow-in-the-dark musical John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean, the Off-Broadway that played New World Stages and in production at sea on several Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.