Monday, May 11, 2015

Fringe Spotlight Part 1 - Check Out These Shows Coming in June

The 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival opens next month and tickets are available now for all productions. This year’s Fringe will run June 11 – 28, and feature over 1300 performances at more than 55 venues. From the opening night party at Fringe Central (Fringe Cabaret Stage) 6510 Santa Monica Blvd to the Fringe Award Ceremony and Closing Night Party on June 28, get ready for anything. Here’s a look at some of the musical productions on this year’s schedule. For information about all of the shows available, go to www.hollywoodfringe.org.

MARRY ME A LITTLE: Good People Theater Company makes its third appearance at the Hollywood Fringe Festival with Marry Me a Little, a two-hander music revue featuring Stephen Sondheim trunk songs from some of his greatest musicals including Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, Company, Forum and A Little Night Music. Craig Lucas and Norman Rene thread the Sondheim songs through a story about two singles (Jessie Withers and David Laffey) passing a Saturday night musing about love, never knowing they live just one floor apart. Producer/Director Janet Miller says the show is “about loving Stephen Sondheim.” She adds, “it is a true Fringe show due to a One Act structure (about 70 minutes), and for patrons who know their Sondheim it’s an ‘oh, I love that song. And that song. And that song’ kind of show. Plus, for Fringers who know Sondheim mainly from his mega hits - like Sweeney Todd - it’s a fantastic chance to hear his lesser known, but no less brilliant, rep.” Featuring musical direction by Corey Hirsch. (June 4 – 28, 2015) www.hff15.org/2234

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO: THE MUSICAL: Matt Dahan (music) and Kelly D’Angelo’s (book & lyrics) world premiere musical is based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas and is the story of Edmond Dantès and his dark transformation into the antihero known as the Count of Monte Cristo. A tale of love, loss, and extreme agony coupled by an undeniable thirst for retribution, this musical expands on the many motifs raised in the novel while offering a fresh perspective on the nearly thousand-paged piece of literature. The cast will star David Meinke as The Count of Monte Cristo, with Laurine Price (Mercedes), David Zach (Danglars), Anthony Gruppuso (Villefort), Parnell Marcano (Caderousse), Bryan Vickery (Albert), Mary Nepi (Valentine), Henry Kaiser (Abbe Faria), Teresa Tracy (Heloise), Anderson Piller (Edward), Stephen Novick (Andrea Cavalcanti/Young Dantes), Jillian Easton (Lucille Debray), Todd Andrew Ball (Noirtier/Morrel), TR Krupa (Franz D’Epinay), Richelle Meiss (Luiga/Young Mercedes), and Amanda Walter (The Dancer). (June 5 – 27, 2015) http://hff15.org/2075

STANDUPERA: This multi-media multi-genre, one woman show is written by, and stars, Erin Carere, directed by Nell Teare. The world premiere incorporates stand-up, story, cabaret, and opera, and is Rated R for Swearing, Sex, and Opera. Carere says, “I am a singer. And when people ask, ‘What kind of music do you sing?’ my answer causes a lot of confusion. This is because, in reality, I am a classical-pop-crossover-Broadway-jazz-singer-songwriter. Sometimes I try to explain it like, I’m like if Andrea Bocelli and Bette Midler had a baby who hung out with Leonard Cohen. That’s what I do. Sort of.” Standupera is the story of a woman who sings, who makes mistakes, and lets you laugh at them… er… with her…and, yes, it’s a comedy. (June 5 – 27, 2015) http://hff15.org/2212

MY SISTER: My Sister features identical twin sisters, Emily and Elizabeth Hinkler, in a play with music written for them by Janet Schlapkohl, who worked with the Hinklers while at the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Set in 1934 Berlin, it is the endearing story of identical twin sisters Magda, a cabaret performer, and Matilde, her writer, who lives with cerebral palsy. While Magda performs at the cabaret, Matilde is homebound, experiencing the thrilling cabaret only through her mind’s eye. The play speaks to contemporary issues of human rights, disability awareness, and freedom of expression, and incorporates music, song, dance, and cabaret. (June 4 – 27, 2015) http://hff15.org/2195

THE HALFWITS’ LAST HURRAH: Four Clowns returns to the Fringe with an original piece penned by company clowns Jamie Franta and Don Colliver. The play features a fame-hungry showman and his mischievous troupe of halfwits as they struggle to keep their variety show from derailing when they are faced with a vindictive ghost from the past. Part Vaudeville tribute, part show biz farce, the audience will enjoy an evening of comedy, music, and mayhem. The cast of twelve includes five new company members who will be enjoying their first adventure with the clowns and stars Tyler Bremer, Jennifer Carroll, Charlotte Chanler, Don Colliver, Julia Davis, Jamie Franta, Elizabeth Godley, Dave Honigman, Benji Kaufman, Jolene Kim, Jamarr Love, and Helene Udy. David Anis will direct and Jeremy Aluma will lead the company as executive producer. Aluma is excited to bring this new team together, saying, “For the past three seasons I have been pushing for a huge cast show, just like this one; The Halfwits’ Last Hurrah implements two of our company members’ greatest strengths, our ability to create fine-tuned self-contained bits, and our pursuit to have a theatrical play that is funny, stunning, and moving. Our company finally has the staff, membership and artistry to make this happen.” (June 4 – June 26, 2015) http://hff15.org/2166

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