Friday, October 11, 2019
Photo Flash: LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL at International City Theatre
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| Karole Foreman. All photos by Pat Loeb. |
Join International City Theatre for an intimate evening with legendary jazz songstress Billie Holiday in Lanie Robertson’s glorious musical portrait of one of the greatest jazz and blues vocalists of all time. Starring Karole Foreman in the title role, and with music direction by Stephan Terry and Ebony Rep founding artistic director Wren T. Brown directing, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill takes the audience through what will be Holiday’s last performance in a seedy Philadelphia bar in 1959. Foreman performs more than a dozen of her best loved songs including “God Bless the Child,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” and “Strange Fruit.” Oct. 18 – Nov. 3. Get your tickets now at ICTlongbeach.org.
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| Stephan Terry and Karole Foreman |
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| Karole Foreman |
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| Karole Foreman and Stephan Terry |
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Labels: international city theatre
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Musical News Coming Your Way
Check out what's happening in Southern California and go see a show!
I DIG ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC
Tonight, Rubicon Theatre Company opens its updated encore run of I Dig Rock and Roll Musical, last year’s world premiere sequel to Lonesome Traveler. Directed by James O’Neil, it features an all-new cast starring Yvette Cason, Harley Jay, Beau Moore, Charlotte Morris, and Scott Anthony. The celebration of folk-rock then and now is a theatrical concert highlighting songs from 1965 through the 1970s made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary; The Mamas and the Papas; Joni Mitchell; The Association; Otis Redding; Cat Stevens; The Youngbloods; The Beatles; and many others, along with original songs of passion and protest inspired by the era written by Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul and Mary), and other members of the group. Conceived by Ovation winner and Rubicon co-founder James O’Neil, Lifetime Grammy Award-winner George Grove, and LADCC-winner/Tony nominee Dan Wheetman with musical direction by Scott Anthony, and arrangements by George Grove and the performers. You can rock out now through Sept 29th. www.rubicontheatre.org
South Coast Repertory’s 56th season opens with American Mariachi by José Cruz González. The comedy with live music follows Lucha, whose loving gesture for her dying mother becomes much more as a group of young women learns to dream big and embrace the transcendent power of music. Lucha’s ailing mother no longer responds to much—except for a mysterious old record of mariachi music that Lucha finds in the house. Yearning for a purpose and determined to give her mother something to care about, Lucha and her cousin, Boli, decide to assemble an all-female mariachi troupe. But it’s the 1970s and women can’t be mariachis...or can they? Be sure to check the website for a list of pre-show performances and post-show talkbacks. www.scr.org/AmericanMariachi
Musical Theatre Guild opens its 24th season with Cy Coleman’s Barnum on Sept. 22nd at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Kirby Ward stars as P.T. Barnum with Tracy Lore as Charity Barnum and features MTG company members Matt Braver, Mathew Patrick Davis, Kelley Dorney, Jeffrey Scott Parsons and Glenn Shiroma and guest artists Jasime Ejan and Regina LaVert. Alan Bailey directs, musical direction is by Jan Roper, and choreography is by Cheryl Baxter. Tickets are available at www.alextheatre.org or by calling 818-243-ALEX.
Second City Hollywood is currently running a new 45-minute improvised musical production inspired by the suggestion of a historical figure. Think Drunk History meets Hamilton and you’ll get the idea. Improvisors Annie Bond, Andrew Young, Andy Apuy, Eric Pastore, Cherelle Patrice, Tess Gattuso, Mary Lou Kolbenschlag, Sara Caplan, Angela Giarratana and Scott Thiede fuse the art of long-form improv comedy with musical theater while paying homage to bio-musicals like Evita and Hamilton. Musical direction is by Tony Gonzalez. The next show is 9/18. May contain mature themes and strong language. Hey, it’s improv after all. Secondcity.com/NightBiopera
Also opening at Second City on Sept. 20th is this summer’s Fringe hit Supportive White Parents, by Joy Regullano (book & lyrics) and Sam & Tony Show (music). When an Asian girl tells her parents that she doesn’t want to be a doctor anymore, she wishes on a shooting star for supportive white parents. The cast includes Earl Baylon, Gina D’Acciaro, Kaitlyn Fae, Spencer Frankeberger, Jaq Galliano, Mary Grant, Aryiel Hartman, Marcel Licera, Mary Lou, Scott Palmason, Joy Regullano, Jim Shipley, Greg Smith, Giselle “G” Töngi, Reuben Uy, and Rob Warner, directed by Frank Caeti and featuring choreography by Ally Vega. More at www.secondcity.com/shows/hollywood
On October 19th, the Colony Theatre in Burbank will present an evening of Broadway stars singing The Music of Brian Gallagher. Scheduled to appear are Megan Hilty, Carly Hughes, Matt Cusson, and Carrie Manolakos, with more artists to be announced. The evening will feature music from Gallagher’s concept album Brownstone for the first time on the west coast. Admission is $45 with $60 VIP tickets available (includes a post-show meet and greet with the artists). Tickets are available at www.colonytheatre.org or by calling 866-811-4111.
Join International City Theatre for an intimate evening with legendary jazz songstress Billie Holiday when they present Lanie Robertson’s glorious musical portrait of one of the greatest jazz and blues vocalists of all time. Starring Karole Foreman in the title role, and with music direction by Stephan Terry and Ebony Rep founding artistic director Wren T. Brown directing, Lady Day takes the audience through what will be Holiday’s last performance in a seedy Philadelphia bar in 1959. Foreman performs more than a dozen of her best loved songs including “God Bless the Child,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” and “Strange Fruit.” Oct. 18 – Nov. 3. Tickets: ICTlongbeach.org.
Adapted from Gertrude Stein’s A Circular Play, this unique musical journey is part of Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s 50th Anniversary “Circa ’69 Season” and is directed by David Schweizer, with musical direction by Kenneth J. Grimes and choreography by Kate Coleman. In Circles takes Stein’s nonlinear prose, based solely on her pleasure at the way certain words sounded together, and sets them to a splendid musical score featuring ragtime, tango, waltz, opera, barbershop quartet, jazz and other musical styles. Odyssey’s ensemble will feature original 1968 off-Broadway cast member Jacque Lynn Colton, along with Henry Arber, Shelby Corley, Ashlee Dutson, Kyle Fuller, Chloe Haven, Aaron Jung and P.T. Mahoney. For tickets and more information go to www.odysseytheatre.com.
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Labels: colony theatre, international city theatre, musical theatre guild, odyssey theatre, rubicon theatre, second city hollywood, south coast repertory
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Review: Love Comes as a Surprise in DADDY LONG LEGS
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| Ashley Ruth Jones and Dino Nicandros. Photos by Tracey Roman |
It can be a wonderful adventure to watch two people falling in love, particularly when they themselves don’t realize it’s happening. When the adventure takes place on stage – as in John Caird and Paul Gordon’s musical two-hander Daddy Long Legs – the audience has an advantage because they get to see the relationship develop from both points of view. The misunderstandings are more poignant, the coincidences even more delightful. By the time it becomes apparent to the couple in question, we’ve already fallen in love with them and are cheering them on to their eventual conclusion. Add music and the whole emotional journey becomes a romantic dream come true no fairy tale could tell better.
That’s the story of Jerusha Abbott and Jervis Pendleton, the two charming characters in Daddy Long Legs, who easily succeed in working their way into our hearts by the time they arrive at their happy ending. It’s a return to Southern California for the musical, which debuted at the Rubicon Theatre in 2009 as part of its rolling premiere. It then played venues like La Mirada Theatre, The Broad Stage, and Laguna Playhouse (I saw them all) before taking flight to London, New York, and beyond.
It’s worked perfectly well for the boys he has previously helped to educate but he finds that Jerusha has a curious effect on him. As she begins to discover a whole world she never imagined, her thoughtful, inquisitive, and often humorous observations break through his self-imposed isolation and reconnect him with the world.
What so impressed me about the musical in the past is how effortlessly it communicated the joy and pain of life by setting up two completely isolated realities - his and hers - and eventually merging the two into one. Their letters are the threads that tie them together with a singular intimacy that is only available because they move in parallel, not intersecting, worlds (until specific plot points deem it necessary).
International City Theatre’s production, directed by Mary Jo DuPrey, takes a different approach. DuPrey sets up the two worlds and then breaches their integrity by having the characters walk into each other’s space. Jervis (Dino Nicandros) watches Jerusha (Ashley Ruth Jones) for long sections of the musical, at times only inches away from her while she’s singing. She dances around him and wanders into his library at will. In one of the most invasive and puzzling moments, she drops a book on his desk for no apparent reason while he is sitting there.
The director’s desire to make the staging theatrically interesting has instead given us actors who are performing for the audience rather than speaking to each other, or to themselves, in the stream of consciousness narrative style Caird has written. It imposes an artificial quality on the piece, particularly since the characters are also not reading or writing letters at all. That in itself is confusing because it is difficult, especially in the beginning, to know whether they are speaking their own thoughts or reading the other person’s.
Nicandros is charming and has a lovely voice but encounters some difficulty with his high notes. Jones gives Jerusha an awkwardness that is endearing in its own sweet way yet it still feels like she is performing rather than carrying on a private conversation. Her most effective moments come when she keeps it simple. Gordon’s articulate and expressive score is full of soaring melodies and graceful lyrics that do much of the actors’ work for them, if they will trust what is written. Musical director Bill Wolfe’s onstage chamber trio (consisting of piano, guitar and cello) creates an elegant ambiance.
Despite its heavy-handed direction, there is much to love in this appealing romance of minds and hearts. If you are coming to the musical for the first time, doubtless you will be swept away as I was originally by its inherent charm.
DADDY LONG LEGS
Feb 21 - March 11, 2018
International City Theatre
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
330 East Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
Tickets: 562-436-4610 or www.InternationalCityTheatre.org
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Labels: international city theatre
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
MUSICAL NEWS: Get Your Year Started Right with these Marvelous Musicals!
2018 is going to be a great year for musicals in Southern California so mark your calendars now and I’ll see you at the theater!
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| Isabelle McCalla and Adam Jacobs in Aladdin. Photo by Deen van Meer |
Aladdin – Hollywood Pantages
Jan 10 – March 31, 2018
The Hollywood Pantages Theatre begins 2018 with Disney’s Aladdin, a big, bright musical for the whole family starring original Broadway cast members Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Michael James Scott as the Genie. Get ready to take a magical carpet ride into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance in this new production featuring a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more, written especially for the stage. Hollywoodpantages.com/aladdin
Cabaret – La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Jan 19 – Feb 11, 2018
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts opens its 40th anniversary season with Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, directed by Larry Carpenter. Starring Jeff Skowron as The Emcee, Zarah Mahler as Sally Bowles, and Christian Pedersen as Clifford Bradshaw, and featuring musical direction by David O and choreography by Dana Solimando, its story is more relevant today than ever before. The seedy glamour of the Kit Kat Club with its bawdy Emcee provide an unsettling but fitting backdrop to the tale of the hard-living entertainer Sally Bowles in the decadent nightlife of Germany in the early thirties. LaMiradaTheatre.com/cabaret
Candide – LA Opera
Jan 27 – Feb 18, 2018
Kelsey Grammer and Christine Ebersole star in Leonard Bernstein’s funny, satirical whirlwind tour of human folly and foolishness. Brimming with youthful innocence, Candide is certain he lives in the best of all possible worlds. But an unrelenting series of ridiculously unfortunate events makes him question everything he has been taught. Kelsey Grammer takes on the delightful double role of satirical author Voltaire and optimistic philosopher Pangloss, with two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole in the riotous role of the Old Lady. Bernstein’s brilliant score features some of musical theater’s greatest hits, from its exuberant overture, to the show-stopping “Glitter and Be Gay.” More info: www.laopera.org
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| The Hypocrites’ Pirates Of Penzance at Arizona Repertory Theatre courtesy of The Hypocrites |
Pirates of Penzance – Pasadena Playhouse
Jan 23 – Feb 18, 2018
Pasadena Playhouse turns its theater into a wacky beach party for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, as reimagined by the Chicago theatre hooligans, The Hypocrites. For the first time in its history, the Playhouse will be completely transformed into a new configuration. All of the orchestra seats will be removed, and in their place there will be a deck, making the entire orchestra level of the theatre a playing area with actors and audience sharing the space promenade style. Expect flying beach balls, rubber duckies, ukuleles, banjos, plastic swimming pools, and even a tiki bar, for a night you won’t forget as Frederic, an orphan mistakenly apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates, disavows the pirates’ way of life and falls for the beautiful Mabel. Adapted and directed by Sean Graney, co-adapted by Kevin O’Donnell, and featuring music direction by Andra Velis Simon. www.pasadenaplayhouse.org
Million Dollar Quartet – 3-D Theatricals
Feb 9 –18 (Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center)
Feb 23 – March 4 (Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts)
David Lober directs the 3DT production which goes back to when Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll” who launched the careers of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, brought the four superstars together at the Sun Records studio for the first and only time, in what became known as one of the greatest jam sessions in rock ‘n’ roll history. Starring Cole as Elvis Presley, John Countryman as Jerry Lee Lewis, David Elkins as Johnny Cash, and Michael Monroe Goodman as Carl Perkins, this one is sure to get the house rockin’. 3dtheatricals.org/milliondollar
Allegiance – East West Players
Feb 21 – April 1, 2018
George Takei will be joined by Broadway cast members Elena Wang (Kei Kimura), Greg Watanabe (Mike Masaoka), Scott Watanabe (Tatsuo Kimura), and Janelle Dote (Hanako) for the LA premiere of Allegiance, produced by East West Players and Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. The production is directed by Snehal Desai with musical direction by Marc Macalintal and choreography by Rumi Oyama and performances will take place at JACCC’s Aratani Theatre. With gorgeous music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione, Allegiance tells the story of the Kimura family, whose lives are upended when they and 120,000 other Japanese Americans are forced to leave their homes following the events of Pearl Harbor. This is definitely a don’t-miss production. EastWestPlayers.org
Feb 2 – 25, 2018
Chromolume Theatre’s first production of 2018 will be Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flhery’s Dessa Rose. James Esposito directs and the show will feature musical direction by Daniel Yokomizo and choreography by Michael Marchak. Dessa Rose is the story of a young black runaway slave (Shauntee Tabb) and a white abandoned mother (Abby Carlson) and their journey to acceptance in the antebellum South as they tell their story to their grandchildren. www.crtheatre.com
Feb 21 – March 11, 2018
This two-hander by Paul Gordon and John Caird transforms Jean Webster’s novel into a charming and poignant musical that tells the story of Jerusha Abbott, an 18 year old young woman who has grown up at the John Grier Home for orphans. When a trustee of the home reads one of her essays and sees promise in her writing, he offers to send her to college to continue her education. His only requirements are that she must write him monthly letters, even though he will not write her back, and that she will never know his identity. Jerusha’s heartwarming journey to independence, education and romance is a journey every woman can understand. If you’re looking for the secret of happiness, you just may find it in this lovely musical. ICTLongbeach.org
Feb 2 – March 4, 2018
Set in the Deep South during the early days of the civil rights movement, this powerful musical by Jeanine Tesori tells the touching story of a young woman accidentally scarred on the face as a child. Hoping that a TV evangelist can cure her, Violet sets out on a long bus ride from her sleepy North Carolina town through Memphis to Oklahoma. Along the way, she meets two young soldiers who teach her about love, courage and the true meaning of beauty. Use online code “POKER” for 20% off tickets. Discount expires February 1st. Good for any performance before February 19, except opening. ChanceTheater.com
Feb 11, 2018
Up next for Musical Theatre Guild is High Society, the 1956 musical film adaption of Philip Barry’s sparkling stage play The Philadelphia Story, which starred Grace Kelly, Bring Crosby and Frank Sinatra. The plot centers on pretentious socialite, Tracy Samantha Lord, who is planning to wed an equally pretentious executive when her ex-husband arrives to disrupt all her plans. AlexTheatre.org/highsociety
Feb 18 & 20, 2018
An original musical comedy by Manny Hagopian, this 50 minute show is the little known story of Amelia Earhart. For 50 years, Earhart has been known as only an unexplained mystery, but she was, and is, much more than that - especially today. Earhart delivers the story of a proud, kickass girl, who set out to change the world and to prove once and for all that she is more than an f-ing mystery. www.Rockwell-LA.com
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Labels: 3D Theatricals, chance theater, chromolume theatre, east west players, hollywood pantages, international city theatre, la mirada theatre, la opera, musical theatre guild, pasadena playhouse
Thursday, August 18, 2016
MUSICAL NEWS for Thursday, August 18, 2016
MUSICAL CELEBRATION
MUSICAL NEWS
International City Theatre has announced its upcoming 2017 season, which begins with Forever Plaid, Feb 15 – March 5 (opening night 2/16). Always an audience favorite, it is the story of four young singers killed in a car crash on the way to their first-ever big concert who miraculously return to earth to fulfill their dream and perform the show after all, sixty years later. Written by Stuart Ross and featuring musical arrangements by James Raitt, Forever Plaid was first produced in 1990, yet remains one of the most popular and successful off-Broadway musicals in history. For a complete look at ICT’s 2017 season, visit www.internationalcitytheatre.org.
COLLEGE THEATRE
The CSULB University Players will present Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley’s Stop the World I Want to Get Off as part of their 2016-2017 season. Show runs Oct 7 – 16 in the Studio Theatre and is directed by Joanne Gordon. The quirky, British musical is a tale of rags to riches that will take the audience on a journey of one man’s search for hope during his rise to fame. Cast includes Christian Sullivan as Littlechap and Alexandra Billings (ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, Amazon’s Transparent) in multiple roles as the many women in Littlechap’s life, with Maddie Larson, Asialani Holman, Kaleigh Clark, Bonnie Dolan, Asialani Holman, Likun Jing, Lara Lafferty, Maddie Larson, Tamanii Meeks, and Carolina Xique. Ticket Link
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Labels: barn stage company, CSULB, international city theatre, laguna playhouse, the wallis
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Photo Flash: International City Theatre's CLOSER THAN EVER
International City Theatre presents Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever directed by Todd Nielsen, now through March 6 at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. The musical “how-to” manual for life features two dozen wise and witty songs of experience with charming melodies and smartly crafted lyrics. Tickets: www.ictlongbeach.org |
| L-R: Katheryne Penny, Adam von Almen, Kevin Bailey, and Valerie Perri |
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| L-R: Kevin Bailey, Valerie Perri, Adam von Almen, and Katheryne Penny |
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| Valerie Perri, Adam von Almen, and Katheryne Penny |
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| Kevin Bailey and Katheryne Penny |
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| L-R: Adam von Almen, Valerie Perri, Katheryne Penny, and Kevin Bailey |
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| Valerie Perri, Adam von Almen, and Katheryne Penny |
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Labels: international city theatre
Monday, October 19, 2015
Review: A Tribute to the Master - SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM
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| Barbara Carlton Heart, Kevin McMahon, Josh Wise, Stephanie Fredricks, J ake Novak, and Shaina Knox. All photo by Suzanne Mapes |
He has been studied, copied, emulated, and lauded but one fact is indisputable. Stephen Sondheim is American Musical Theatre royalty. And rightfully so. All of his efforts have been in pursuit of making the work better. Where other writers would bring 20 or 30 options for a word or idea to a meeting with his collaborators, Sondheim would bring 150. That’s one of the things we learn about the man in Sondheim on Sondheim playing at International City Theatre.
The show is a revue that intersperses archival photographs, video clips, and interviews with songs from musicals like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (along with stories of how difficult it was to find the right opening number), Company (and it’s early alternate endings), Gypsy, Follies, Passion, Sweeney Todd, Do I Hear a Waltz (the one he felt was a waste of time) and Sunday in the Park with George (his favorite) sung by a cast of six.
He is the master of crafting a simple lyric or writing a sophisticated harmonic progression, and can suspend a moment in time just long enough for it to land with finesse before moving on. In Sondheim on Sondheim we hear him talk about his process and share stories – some sweet, some poignant, and a few, downright hilarious. It is an enchanting evening that will make every Sondheim lover feel like they have had a personal conversation with Sondheim himself.
Despite much speculation, Sondheim says he only wrote one autobiographical song in his career – “Opening Doors” from Merrily We Roll Along. It’s a song that represents the dreams and determination of three young creative artists trying to make it in show business – a writer, a lyricist and a composer (based on Mary Rodgers, Hal Prince, Sondheim and every other struggling artist he knew at the time). In it, he encapsulates their plight with remarkable specificity and weaves together the lyric and melody so compactly that the form itself tells the story as much as the words and music do.
And that’s what is missing from International City Theatre’s LA premiere. Theirs is a perfectly respectable musical revue nicely staged by director DJ Gray in a very general kind of way. That’s the problem. Sondheim is famous for exploring the underbelly of our emotions. Behind every “normal” looking person is a complicated set of issues and neuroses that play into the decisions a person makes. He is the king of subtext, the master of nuance, and always wrote for specific characters and specific situations.
For a song to work, it requires that the singers be able to reach deep within and, not only find what the song is really saying, but be able to communicate it to the audience with clarity. Translation: you can’t just sing the notes and make them pretty. You have to do the internal work and that takes time. Young singers who haven’t had much life experience are at a distinct disadvantage and must compensate by doing the work.
By the same token, a singer cannot take a song like “Loving You” from Passion, written with long beautiful phrases and specific punctuation, and not honor that phrasing. To breathe every few notes, presumably for effect or because breath support isn’t there, chops up the line and does the song a disservice. Likewise, a comic masterpiece like “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” that has so many changes of thought and rhythm should have the audience in stitches until the bitter undertone takes over the song. But the actor needs to be up to the task to be successful.
Intonation was also an issue on opening night for both solos and ensemble numbers. Everything sticks out when you’re working with these kinds of close harmonies and in only a few of the numbers did the cast really jell. “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story and the second half of “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George where gorgeous.
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| L-R: Jake Novak, Kevin McMahon, Stephanie Fredrics, and Josh Wise |
On the flip side, there are songs in this production that do work, and quite beautifully. Stephanie Fredricks and Josh Wise’s “So Many People in the World” is a lovely example of simplicity that serves the song. The arrangement features Jennifer Li on cello and Roman Solazinka on violin in the accompaniment and, if you listen closely, the strings literally sing in the background. The orchestrations are by Michael Starobin and the arrangements are by David Loud and they are some of the most beautiful and unexpected you’ll hear. Musicians, you’ll find a lot to love.
Fredricks also does a rich and poignant version of “Good Thing Going” and a seductive turn with the boys in “Ah, But Underneath” that are highlights. Kevin McMahon’s emotional evolution in “Being Alive” was heartfelt and brilliantly effective, as was his moving “Finishing the Hat.”
But even if every song had been on point, the star of this show is still Sondheim himself, as well it should be. James Lapine, Sondheim’s longtime collaborator, with whom he wrote some of his best work, conceived the revue as a gift for Sondheim’s 80th birthday. To see how charming he was as a young man, to see the sparkle in his eyes captured in the photographs and hear what he has to say about himself is more than enough reason to not miss the show.
“Art is the other way to have children,” Sondheim says late in the second act. His kind of art will continue as a legacy for musical theatre generations to come. And happily, we will continue to roll along and reap the benefits.
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| The Cast of Sondheim on Sondheim |
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| L-R: Kevin McMahon, Stephanie Fredricks, Josh Wise, Jake Novak, and Shaina Knox |
SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM
October 14 - November 8, 2015
International City Theatre
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
300 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Tickets: (562) 436-4610 or www.InternationalCityTheatre.org
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Labels: international city theatre
Friday, October 10, 2014
First Look: Eileen Barnett in International City Theatre's GLORIOUS!
Based on a true story, Glorious! is Peter Quilter’s hilarious, Olivier-nominated comedy that invites us into the world of this New York socialite of great passion, considerable wealth and zero talent who fancied herself an opera diva. Richard Israel directs a four-week run at International City Theatre, opening Octber 10. Tickets: http://ictlongbeach.org/ |
| Eileen Barnett as Florence Foster Jenkins, the worst singer in the world. Photos by Suzanne Mapes |
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| Leland Crooke and Eileen Barnett |
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| Matthew Wrather and Eileen Barnett |
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| L-R: Leland Crooke, Eileen Barnett, Janellen Steininger, Matthew Wrather |
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| Leland Crooke, Janellen Steininger, and Eileen Barnett |
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Labels: international city theatre
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Musical News for Saturday, September 13, 2014
Eileen Barnett stars as “the caterwauling countess,” with Matthew Wrather as her longtime accompanist Cosmé McMoon and Leland Crooke as her boyfriend and manager, St. Clair. Janellen Steininger is loyal friend Dorothy, and Carol Abney doubles as the singer’s obstreperous maid, Maria, and as Jenkins’ detractor, Mrs. Verrender-Gedge. Glorious! runs Oct 8 - Nov. 2 (Opening night Oct. 10). International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center at 300 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach, CA 90802. Tickets: 562-436-4610 or www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.
The cast includes Harley Jay, Sheldon Robert Morley, Kevin Patrick Doherty, Jonathan Brett, Bryan Dobson, and Paul David Bryant along with Heidi Godt, Eric Ronquillo, Kevin Paul, Jason Sluyter, Jade Anna Rosenberg, Natalie Haro, Cori Cable Kidder, Rebecca Morris, Bradley Nolan, Sarah Meals and Eloise Coopersmith. The Full Monty contains partial nudity, adult language and situations and is recommended for mature audiences. The Norris Theatre is located at 27570 Norris Center Dr., Rolling Hills Estates 90274. Tickets: (310) 544-0403 or www.palosverdesperformingarts.com.
Third Street Theatre and Oddbird Theatricals present the world premiere, fully-realized production of Bronies: The Musical, with music by Joe Greene, book and lyrics by Heidi Powers and Tom Moore, choreography by John Todd, musical direction by Jennifer Lin and direction by Richard Israel. Bronies tells the story of three outsiders who find purpose, meaning, love – and each other – all thanks to those fantastical cartoon ponies so many may love as the ultimate super-fans! It explores the phenomenon of fandom through the lens of pony fans – including all the passion, the awkwardness, the creativity, and the community it can inspire. The cast includes Joey Acuna, Brielle Batino, Anna Grace Barlow, Mark Gelsomini, Molly Gilman, Joe Greene, Stephanie Hayslip, Taylor Helmboldt, Rachel Hirshee, Hannah James, Josey Montana McCoy, Tom G. McMahon, Blaine Miller, Shelley Regner, Gabby Sanalitro, Richy Storrs and Charlotte Mary Wen. Bronies will run Sept. 25 – Nov. 1 at the Third Street Theatre, 8115 W. Third Street in West Hollywood.
Boss: The Untold Tony Danza Story extends for four shows at the Theatre Asylum Lab in Hollywood. With new producing partners Monica Martin of Complex Theaters and Matthew Quinn of Combined Artform/Theatre Asylum, the team behind Boss introduces The ExtravaDANZA, a live 80s themed interactive variety show featuring musical acts, stand up, dance, trivia and prizes. The ExtravaDANZA premieres during the September 27th and October 25th performances of Boss at the Theatre Asylum Lab in Hollywood. Written and performed by actors Damien Luvara and Jennifer Monce, and directed by Michelle Thorn, the cast (which also includes Meghan Parks, Christopher Schram, Jordan Rennick, Matt Wool, Hannah Kanengieter, and Gabriel Rissa) explores the nature of the entertainment industry and how far some people will go to achieve success in it.
“With ExtravaDANZA, we wanted to create something unique, fun and different that surpassed the average theatre experience,” says Luvara. “The ExtravaDANZA is a multi-disciplined exploration of everything 80s that will transport the audience to an entire hit era through one hit TV show.” Theatre Asylum Lab, 1078 Lillian Way in Hollywood, 90038. www.theatreasylum-la.com
Theatre Unleashed is back with a new musical by Justin Moran, POPE! An Epic Musical, which will play The Belfry in North Hollywood Oct. 11-Nov. 17. An idealistic young Pope (also named Pope) is framed for a heinous crime and banished from the Vatican. The people, blinded by the media frenzy, allow a tyrannical archbishop to seize power. As this new Pope tightens his iron fist the people are disheartened and in despair and the world is crying out for a hero. POPE! is an adventure that echoes the timeless mythological hero’s journey; when good and evil engage in an epic power struggle lines must be drawn, sides must be taken, and confrontations must be musical. POPE! runs Saturdays and Mondays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. TU also presents original One Acts from the company’s Writer’s Group on Fridays at 8 pm and Saturdays immediately following POPE! www.theatreunleashed.com
FESTIVALS: The Encuentro 2014 National Theatre Festival begins in October and will be held at Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Highlights featuring music include Enrique’s Journey (10/17 – 11/7) adapted and directed by Anthony J. Garcia. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning work of Sonia Nazario with music composed and directed by Daniel Valdez. Enrique’s Journey depicts the contemporary odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reunite with his mother in the United States.
For a full schedule of all events and more information, go to www.thelatc.org. Most tickets are only $20 when ordered with the promotional code ENC14. To purchase tickets, go the website or call (866) 811-4111. LATC is located in the heart of the revived downtown historic core at 514 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.
True to the blues, the would-be record deal falls through, he’s got no gigs, he’s penniless and hopeless with Lilly in the hospital dying, and he soon finds himself lying in the middle of a frozen road one night, about to die, when he is visited by life-changing forces. Lilly’s spirit leaves her body and descends upon I.B. to convince him that life is worth living, then magically guides two young homeless hard-rock musicians, Layla Knuckles (America’s Got Talent winner Bianca Ryan) and Dustin Ladue (Boogie Long, Guitar Center King of the Blues winner) who rescue I.B. and restore him to the Blues Bucket. They also pick up a young runaway, Sam The Rapper (RCA/Sony recording artist Pryce) and together, the foursome will create music history and triumph. Certified by the Dove Foundation for family-appropriate viewing 12 years to adult.
Performances are Sept. 19 - 25, 2014. Fri. at 8:30, Sat. & Sun. at 6:00, Mon. & Tues. at 6:30, Wed. & Thurs. at 8:15 p.m. Red Carpet for Friday world premiere will begin 30 minutes before screening. Tickets: ($12) are available in advance at http://arenascreen.com. Info: (323) 306-0676. Arena Cinema Hollywood, 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028. Discounted parking is available with validation at lots adjacent to the venue and across the street.
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Labels: haugh pac, international city theatre, theatre unleashed, third street theatre