Monday, January 26, 2015
MUSICAL NEWS for Monday January 26, 2015
MUSICAL NEWS: Here’s what’s happening around town!
The Pantages Theatre has announced that its 2015-2016 Season will include the Los Angles premieres of four direct from Broadway hits. They are: If/Then, an original musical written by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators of Next to Normal; Bullets Over Broadway, featuring a book by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath based on the 1994 film of the same name. The Illusionists - Witness the Impossible™, the world’s best-selling touring magic show; and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical. The season will also include returning favorites Annie, Dirty Dancing, the classic dance-heavy musical with lots of heart, 42nd Street, and Cabaret. Season Tickets go on sale to the general public on Feb. 23 at 10:00 am at www.HollywoodPantages.com or by phone at 866-755-BWAY (2929).
Producer Jason Goldberg has announced the world premiere of new musical Karma, The Awakening will play the El Portal Theatre Feb. 5 – March 1. Book and lyrics are by Billie E. Hazelbaker, Bryan N. Barnes, and Jeffrey Rollins, and music is by Ronn Price, Dan Green, and Barnes. A generation ago the ‘Dawning of the Age of Aquarius’ proclaimed a season of “harmony and understanding, sympathy, and trust abounding.” We are now living in that age and Karma, The Awakening revives the dormant energy of that season. The cast includes Roslyn Cohn, Adam Fox, Katelyn Gault, Alena Henke, Aidan Johnson, Stephen Juhl, Jackson Kendall, Peter McGlynn, Braddon Mendelson, Bob Moran, Madison Smith, Beth Ann Sweezer, and Jenny Torgerson directed by Jason Goldberg, with musical direction by Jerry Danielsen and choreography by Lennon Hobson. The historic El Portal Theatre is located at 5269, Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, 91601.Tickets: $30 general admission, $25 ticket for students with valid ID. (818) 508-4200 or web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/941084.
The critically acclaimed Off-Broadway musical Inside Out will celebrate its 20-year anniversary at the Grove Theatre Center in Burbank, Feb. 12 – March 22 (opening night Feb. 14). Bruce Kimmel will direct the musical written by Doug Haverty (book & lyrics) and Adryan Russ (lyrics & music). A women’s therapy group, headed by group leader, Grace (Cynthia Ferrer), is transformed forever when former singing star Dena (Leslie Stevens) joins the group and winds up being a catalyst for change in the lives of Sage (Adrienne Visnic), a flower child; Liz (Sandy Bainum), a powerful businesswoman who has problems balancing work and home; Chlo (Stephanie Fredricks), a gay bank employee and single mom; and Molly (Dana Mellor), a mother of two young children who is dealing with weight and work issues. A portion of proceeds from the production will go to the 1983-founded Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation; an “army of women” dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer and how to stop it before it starts. www.dslrf.org. Tickets: (323) 960-1055 or www.plays411.com/insideout.
Storybook Theatre presents Cinderella, a version of the classic tale specifically created to appeal to young children and the whole family. Complete with a loopy Fairy Godmother and puppets as the stepsisters, kids get the chance to dance with the Prince, try on the glass slipper, and join in the fun. Book &lyrics are by Lloyd J. Schwartz and music is by Michael Paul. The show runs Saturdays at 1:00 pm from March 28 – July 11 at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles, CA 90068. There is free parking across the street. Tickets: $12 for adults $12, $10 for children. (818) 761-2203 or www.theatrewest.org.
Montreal’s renowned circus troupe Circus Les 7 Doigts de la Main springs into action on Feb. 19 at 7:30 pm at Valley Performing Arts Center with Séquence 8, an explosive acrobatic dance and theater piece with high-volume electro music that contemplates the role of the “other” and how we define ourselves through and against it. Les 7 doigts de la main translates literally as “the 7 fingers of the hand”. It is a twist on a French idiom (“the five fingers of the hand”) used to describe distinct parts united tightly, moving in coordination towards one common goal. Founded in Montreal in 2002, by seven veterans of Cirque de Soleil, the 7 Fingers initial goal was to bring circus to a human scale. They began as artists on stage, creating collectively, and soon branched out, expanding their creative talents as directors, choreographers, writers and coaches, passing on their collaborative and unique 7 Fingers process to a new generation of circus artists. Set not in a specific time or place but rather on a vertical canvas of sorts, in this acrobatic dance and theatre piece we find emotions so heightened they spring into action, and relationships that transform and evolve until they create actual velocity. Click Here for tickets, which range from $35 - $65.
Award-winning puppet theatre company Marionetas de la Esquina brings their unique and modern adaptation Sleeping Beauty Dreams to Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University on Saturday, March 7 at 11:00 am. There will be a free, open to the public Family Art Day from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm before and after the performance featuring hands-on art projects and Weisman Museum tours. In this contemporary take on the classic fairytale, the princess is depicted as an overprotected daughter looking for a way to break free of her castle walls in order to search for true love -- and her true self. Written by award-winning playwright Amaranta Leyva, this co-commission of the Kennedy Center uses Marionetas de la Esquina’s humorous storytelling and whimsical puppetry to awaken this sleeping princess as never before, in a modern interpretation for today’s young audiences. The performance will take place in the Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Tickets: (310) 506-4522 or http://arts.pepperdine.edu/. $10 for youth 17 and under; $12-$15 for adults; $10 for Pepperdine students. For more information about the troupe visit http://marionetas.com.mx/.
And for a bit of fun on a Monday, here’s SLICE the Musical, a sweet 4-minute movie musical about a girl who falls helplessly in love with her pizza delivery guy. Enjoy!
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