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
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
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
MUSICAL NEWS for Tuesday, May 9, 2017
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Labels: a classic broadway, actors co-op, after hours theatre company, ebony rep, hollywood bowl, musical theatre guild, robot teammate
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Brent Crayon Discusses the Life and Crazy Schedule of a Music Director
Brent, is this the first time you’ve music directed an MTG show?
It’s my first time as music director but I played keyboards for A New Brain last spring. Gerry Sternbach was the musical director for that project and that was my first experience with them. What they do is pretty crazy. They put these readings together so fast but their company members are some of the best around so it really works.
I’ve worked with a good number of the company members over the years, either as an accompanist or as a music director in shows that I’ve been in, but it was my connection to John Bucchino, who wrote A Catered Affair, that I think sparked their interest.
I was the music director for the world premiere of It’s Only Life, which he composed, at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura in 2008, and that was a really amazing experience. The whole team was a kind of a who’s who of musical theatre. Daisy Prince directed the show, John wrote it, Jason Robert Brown wrote some of the vocal arrangements, Bruce Coughlin (who did Light in the Piazza) was the orchestrator. Being given that opportunity, as pretty much an unknown person in town, was amazing.
I’ve done a few shows at the Rubicon but the first show I did in Los Angeles as a music director was the world premiere of Songs For a New World. When I was at CalArts, I studied with some really excellent people and one of my piano teachers was playing the pre-Broadway run of Flower Drum Song at the Mark Taper Forum. He couldn’t play the extension of the run and he remembered that I played for some community theatre productions back home in New Orleans so he asked me if I wanted to take over for him. That was my first gig. At the Taper.
I was just the second keyboardist but Jennifer Paz took over for Lea Salonga because Lea couldn’t do the extension either. At the end of the run Jenn’s next project was to star in and co-produce the west coast premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For a New World at LATC. It turned out we had a mutual friend who recommended me as music director and she remembered me, so I became the music director on that show. Jon Rivera directed it and Karyl Lynn Burns and Jim O’Neil from the Rubicon Theatre saw it there. They decided they wanted it for their next season so within just a few months we picked it up and moved it up to the Rubicon where it was an enormous hit. The next musical I worked on with them was the west coast premiere of Tick, Tick…Boom by Jonathan Larson, which was directed by Scott Schwartz.
When it came time for It’s Only Life, the producers were friends with Daisy Prince and John Bucchino, and since I’d already worked with the Rubicon as music director on previous projects, they thought of me. My background is as a classical pianist and they saw that I had the chops to play Jason’s music so they figured I was the guy to play It’s Only Life.
Now I did have to essentially audition for Daisy Prince and for John and it was kind of a funny story because I had gone out of town with Stephen Schwartz working on Snapshots. I believe I was in Dayton, OH and I literally got off the plane, got into a cab, drove to Daisy Prince’s apartment, who I’d only met once, and I had to audition Billy Porter for Daisy and John.
While there was an enormous amount of pressure just because of who was in the room, the challenge for me was that John’s music is incredibly difficult to play. He has enormous hands. Where I can barely hit a tenth, I think John’s reach is 13 notes across. And he’s written all of his piano music for him to play. Once I had the gig, I practiced every day for four months before we even went into rehearsal to just be able to play it. I had to come up with some really creative ways to make it work.
I could talk about John’s music for days. I’m a huge fan of his music. He really writes modern day art songs. It’s incredible to find someone who doesn’t read a note of music, like John, who writes very, very intricate music. There are a lot of intricate inner lines and complicated rhythms. For It’s Only Life, it was like giving a piano recital every night. There’s so much depth and richness in his musical material and then his lyrics are so personal and oftentimes really heartbreaking. There’s a song on the Grateful album called “Temporary” that I can’t get through playing without just breaking down. When you get to the very end and you see what the song is about, I lose it. It’s so moving.
A lot of A Catered Affair is like that. It’s a story about a couple planning a wedding for their daughter and discovering the unfulfillment in their own lives. Parts of it are funny and parts of it are very heartbreaking.
I got to see it on Broadway, which was a complete joy. I was in New York rehearsing It’s Only Life with John and Daisy while A Catered Affair was playing. So to thank me for all of my hard work, I got to see it on Broadway sitting third row center, next to the composer. And then he took me backstage to meet Tom Wopat, Harvey Fierstein and Faith Prince. It just kind of blew my mind. That was one of the highlights of my life.
It really depends on the budget of the production. In large productions they’ll have a copyist; they’ll have someone who does the arrangements; they’ll even have someone else play the piano. But for many shows in town that aren’t million dollar productions, when I end up being the music director, I play piano; I make new arrangements if they’re needed; I’m the copyist; I make the actual sheet music. There’s a bit of work involved behind the scenes and I think people don’t really know what we do. They don’t realize that we’re just expected to make it work, and it’s countless hours.
I’ve had that experience. I did a production where I had to essentially re-orchestrate the entire show because the sheet music was a complete mess. And it was a well-known show. I did all kinds of things. I learned to play the clarinet. I had to sing in a trio at one point. I had to make new arrangements of all the songs. But because not everyone understood the director’s vision of the show it didn’t get the positive recognition it deserved. People didn’t see how much we did to make it work.
I think a lot of times people assume that the music we get from the publisher is exactly what we use and that we just do it by the numbers - play this note, sing that note - but that’s not always the case. While productions are certainly true to the original version of the show, necessary changes are always made to fit the needs of the performers. It can be something as simple as changing the key but somebody’s got to write the sheet music for that. Someone has to put it together in a program like Finale or Sibelius and make all the charts. And while that’s not terribly difficult, someone still has to do it on top of their other duties. It’s another hat to wear, and then you have to adapt to whatever the director’s vision of the piece might be.
Working on A Catered Affair is certainly faster. We have minimal rehearsal. I’ve essentially worked with everyone once - to play their part, to correct rhythms. Then we’ll have three days of rehearsal before putting it up on Monday. I am in charge of hiring and rehearsing the band. I have to learn how to play the show. With It’s Only Life there were so many more people involved who contributed to the final product.
Absolutely. I’ve gotten the reputation of being the emergency guy here in L.A. When people are stuck, I’ll get a phone call because I sight read so well from so many years of playing auditions. I think I can read music faster than I can read English.
As a solo pianist you spend a lot of time in the practice room and it gets lonely. Growing up as a classical pianist and going to competitions, I used to practice 10 hours a day. So I started doing community theatre in my early twenties just to get out and meet girls and to play with other musicians. As a pianist you tend to live kind of a solitary life. That’s why I enjoy playing shows. I like playing for singers and I’ve gotten to where I can follow any slip up that happens. If a singer skips an entire verse I can find it right away and communicate to the band. I really enjoy being able to do that. And I really enjoy performing with other people. It can be stressful at times but I’m always learning new things and that keeps it interesting for me. For example, right now I’m learning Ableton Live and Logic, different recording programs to play live in different situations.
I’ve been very, very fortunate that within a handful of shows I was picked up by Stephen Schwartz. I’ve been touring with him and his show Snapshots. I get a lot of calls from New York to play auditions for different companies there. I do have the reputation for being a solid player and a good enough musician that other companies feel confident to call me to come in when their music director or pianist can’t make it.
I’m also working on Bubble Boy the Musical directed by Scott Schwartz, based on the movie Bubble Boy, and it’s so much fun. We did a reading of it in New York last November and in Rahway, NJ. I played the show on a 12 foot Bösendorfer, which is an enormous luxurious piano. I’m the music director, pianist, score supervisor and copyist. I am the entire musical team (laughing), but it’s a show I really believe in.
I’ve had a pretty eclectic career with the types of gigs that I play. A couple years ago I played for a rapper and we opened up for the Wu-Tang Clan at House of Blues. And then last Halloween I played the Theremin with a band for a pole dancer. My tastes are very varied. I just enjoy performing.
For me it is. I play a lot of cabarets around town which is always terrifying, and exciting, because we’ll run through the song once and then put it up. The way I got to do Snapshots was from playing a Stephen Schwartz Tribute for Ryan Black’s 88’s Cabaret in Los Angeles. It was full of amazing people like Bruce Vilanch, Deborah Gibson, William Katt, and the cast of Wicked. Luckily for me, I don’t get star struck. Well, I did get nervous working with Stephen Schwartz at first because he’s Stephen Schwartz.
I think there’s a level of bravery involved. You just have to do it. If I’m going to be in music theatre – something I never thought I was going to go into – I’m going to jump in with both feet. I’m going to learn how to do it. Now fortunately, and unfortunately, the opportunities that I’ve had have been enormous. So you have to step up to the plate. It’s been terrifying but what better learning experience than that. If you’re going to play the game, play with the big boys.
Well, that’s the thing…I never want to be the best person in the room. To be the nobody in the room or to have people say, ‘who’s that guy from LA?’ is a great place for me because I never want to feel comfortable. The moment you feel comfortable, it’s over. So I’m always learning. I’m always trying to get better in everything that I do.
Well, literally the day after I get done with A Catered Affair I’m assistant music directing for Sleepless in Seattle over at Pasadena Playhouse. David O. is the music director and I’m going to be his assistant music director and rehearsal pianist.
That is the story of my life. I get thrown into these situations where I have to just improvise. You learn to roll with whatever they give you, which is why I do so many cabarets and auditions. If somebody wants me to play “Baby Got Back” in a lounge style I’ll do it. And that has happened.
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Labels: musical theatre guild, rubicon theatre
Monday, March 11, 2013
What's Happening Around Town for March 11, 2013
Master Class - International City Theatre
Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play, Master Class, begins previews March 20 and will officially open on Friday, March 22 at International City Theatre in Long Beach. Performances run through April 14. Internationally renowned soprano Maria Callas, had a legendary voice and an equally legendary life as one of the world’s most celebrated - and gossiped-about - opera stars. Master Class finds Callas near the end of her career, her voice almost gone, as she instructs a group of young singers aspiring to the heights of fame and fortune with wicked humor, unrelenting criticism and deeply personal stories. Master Class is directed by Todd Nielsen and stars Gigi Bermingham, James Lent, Jeremy Mascia, Tyler Milliron, Jennifer Shelton, and Danielle Skalsky. For tickets visit http://ictlongbeach.org/.
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A Catered Affair
Musical Theatre Guild has announced the cast for its upcoming concert presentation of A Catered Affair on Monday April 15 at Glendale’s Alex Theatre and Sunday April 21 at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza’s Scherr Forum. Featured will be Marsha Kramer, David Holmes, Roy Leake, Jr., Melissa Fahn, Jeffrey Christopher Todd, Helen Geller, Paul Keith, Carol Kline, Tracy Lore and Kristen Lamoureux. A Catered Affair will be directed by Alan Bailey, with musical direction by Brent Crayon. Visit www.musicaltheatreguild.com for tickets.
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Camarillo Skyway Playhouse’s first musical of the 2103 will be Company, which runs March 22 – April 28. It will take place at 330 Skyway Drive in Camarillo. Compnay is Stephen Sondheim’s Tony award winning musical about love, marriage, and a man named Robert who can’t seem to commit to either of those concepts. Directed by board president Dean Johnson, with musical direction by Susan T. Calkins, it also features choreography by Dawn Notagiacomo. The cast includes Alex Choate as Robert along with Dana Kolb, William Carmichael, Marisa Miculian, Michael Worden, Sara Marie Calvey, Patrick Beckstead, Javiera Torres, Michael McGraw, Kathleen Silverman, Rick Steinberg, Kellie Holm, Bryana Gable, and Kelly Whitaker. In lieu of a performance on Easter Sunday, a special discounted performance for only $12 will take place on Thursday, April 4. Tickets are available at http://skywayplayhouse.bpt.me/.
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S.T.A.G.E Adds Performers
Jim Bailey, Joely Fisher, Terri White, Kathy Garrick, Lisa Vroman, Marsha Kramer and The Mumos have been added to the cast of the 29th Annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.) Broadway, My Way, being held on Saturday, April 6th at the historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. David Galligan directs for the 29th time with John McDaniel returning as musical director. Other Broadway stars scheduled to appear in the concert that raises critical funds for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) include Patrick Cassidy, Mary Jo Catlett, Carole Cook, Karen Culliver, Tyne Daly, Davis Gaines, Florence Henderson, Shirley Jones, Jane Lanier, Vicki Lewis, Kimberly Locke, Tom Lowe, Pat Marshall, Patricia Morison, Janis Paige, Madison Claire Parks, Valarie Pettiford, Andrew Rannells, Andrew Samonsky, James Snyder, Bruce Vilanch, and Joanne Worley. For tickets and detailed information, visit www.stagela.com or www.apla.org/stage.
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San Diego’s Canyon Crest Academy Envision Theatre presents Avenue Q: School Edition March 21 – 30 at the CCA Proscenium Theatre. The production is guest directed by Dana Carr, with musical direction by Stephanie Sabin, and puppetry direction by Lynne Jennings, San Diego Guild of Puppetry. The laugh-out-loud musical tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the residents seem nice, it’s clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood. Together, Princeton and his new-found friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life. Avenue Q: School Edition features music & lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx book by Jeff Whitty based on an original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Originally produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffery Seller, Vineyard Theatre and The New Group.
The cast includes Hunter Schwarz, Alison Norwood, Julian Coker, Emmy Farese, Elliot Rappaport, Alex Waxler, Jerrin Padre, Brooke Patterson, Grace Condon, Ben Sutton, Talia Goodman, Julia Vanderwiel, Steve Macario, Kion Heidari, Nicole Belinsky, Jess Tierney, Josh Guichert, Halle Hoffman, Mandy Wirt, Ammagrace Chang, Marin Ross Eyjolfsdottir, Kion Heidari, Halle Hoffman, Kristin Knox, Steve Macario, Katherine Michel, Alexi Stein, Jacob Surovsky, Jess Tierney, Julia Vanderwiel, and Mandy Wirt. For tickets, visit http://www.cca-envision.org/events.html.
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Labels: camarillo skyway playhouse, international city theatre, musical theatre guild
Sunday, January 13, 2013
What's Happening Around Town for January 13, 2013
Musical Theatre Guild has announced the cast of its upcoming staged concert reading of CHESS which will play two performances, the first on February 11 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale and the second on February 17 at Scherr Forum in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, wrote the music for this show, which literally and metaphorically showcases The Game of Kings. With lyrics by Tim Rice, the story revolves around the two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess tournament. They find themselves competing for both the championship and for the affections of the woman who manages one, yet yearns for the other.
The cast will feature Dan Callaway (Anatoly), Louis Pardo (Freddie), Shannon Warne (Florence), Melissa Lyons Caldretti (Svetlana), Jason Graae (Arbiter), Joshua Finkel (Molokov), Will Collyer (Walter), Reed Armstrong (Gregor), along with ensemble members Jill Marie Burke, Alyssa Simmons, Kathy Deitch, Tomasina Abate, Samantha Altounian, Jeffrey Polk, Trey Ellett, Loren Smith, and Brad Standley. www.musicaltheatreguild.com
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Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group proudly presents their all-new premiere production, Two Cosmic Brothers Unshackle Mother Earth, celebrating the highs and lows of brotherhood, sisterhood, spirituality, and the laws of attraction. The show features real-life brothers Alex and Robert Walters, Amy Bartlett and Nicole Fabbri, with an original live musical score by Christopher Reiner and is directed by Zombie Joe. It plays Saturdays at 8:30 pm, January 19 - February 9 at ZJU Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. For reservations, call (818) 202- 4120. Tickets: $15. www.Zombiejoes.com
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Broadway Songwriting Duo Kait Kerrigan (words) and Brian Lowdermilk (music) will make their west coast debut at Catalina Bar and Grill on Sunday, January 20 at 8pm. Presented by Chris Isaacson and Upright Cabaret, the show will feature performances by Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Melissa Benoist (Glee), Barrett Foa (NCIS-LA), Max Ehrich (Young and The Restless, Broadway: Newsies), Dezmond Meeks (America’s Got Talent), Meghann Fahy (Broadway: Next To Normal), Matt Sax (Clay), Morgan Karr (Spring Awakening), Arielle Jacobs (In The Heights), Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings), Laura Dickinson (Disney’s Phineas & Ferb) and more. The evening is music directed by Brent Crayon and will perform One Night Only - on Sunday, January 20 at 8pm at the Catalina Bar and Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
Tickets: $25, VIP Seating Available. For Tickets, visit online www.UprightCabaret.com or call (866) 468-3399. Upright Cabaret at Catalina Bar & Grill is located at 6725 West Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028. For more about the duo, visit www.kerrigan-lowdermilk.com.
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Kander and Ebb’s impeccably woven, high voltage And The World Goes ‘Round, a stunning revue of two of Broadway and motion picture’s most prolific songwriters with direction by Los Angeles multiple theatre award winner Gary Lee Reed and musical direction by Joshua Kranz will run February 2 - March 10 in North Hollywood. Choreography is by Noel Britton. This true-to-the-original Broadway production is presented by Be Wild About Music in association with Kevin Bailey and the NoHo Arts Center and features cast members Erica Hanrahan-Ball, Emily King Brown, Isaac James, Kristin Towers-Rowles, and Ryan Ruge.
A special performance will be presented Sunday, February 10 for Asperger teens, young adults, adults, and their families. The performance will be tailored specifically to accommodate their needs, and is meant to entertain and inspire their interest in the performing arts. All proceeds from the performance will go to the MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute at UC Davis for research identifying the causes of autism and targeted treatments. There will be also be a special Valentine’s Day promotional performance on Thursday, February 14 in conjunction with North Hollywood area restaurants. All seats are general admission and are priced at $28 (with the exception of one preview performance on February 1 with all seats priced at $15). For reservations and tickets, visit www.plays411.net/world or call (323) 960-4418.
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Cabrillo Music Theatre announces the next in a series of fundraising and entertainment events in the recently renovated Founders’ Room of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Shirley Jones & Patrick Cassidy: Two Side To Every Story will take place on Sunday, February 10, at 7:00 pm, and reunites the Oscar-winning star of stage, films and television, Shirley Jones, with her son, Broadway and television star Patrick Cassidy. The pair, who headlined Cabrillo’s popular Holiday Spectacular a couple of years back, use the intimate space of the Founders’ Room to regale guests with stories and anecdotes about their lives and careers, take questions from the audience, and perhaps launch into a song or two.
The entertainment will be preceded by a brief cocktail hour featuring hors d’ouevres, and followed by a reception with Patrick and Shirley, with desserts from Valley Bakery. Tickets are $75, and can be purchased at www.cabrillomusictheatre.com or by calling (805) 497-8613. The Founders' Room is located in the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks.
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Theatre West will present Panama Hattie as its 3rd Annual Betty Garrett Memorial Musical Comedy Benefit, featuring the music & lyrics of Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields & B.G. DeSylva. Performance dates are March 2, 3, 9, and 10. Miriam Nelson directs and choreographs, and Brian O’Halloran returns as musical director. The cast features Jeanine Anderson, Sara Ballantine, Jacque Lynn Colton, Paul Denniston, Neil Elliot, Oliviana Griep-Halus, Anthony Gruppuso, Nicholas Gutuerrez,, Doug Haverty, Gerald Lancaster, Don Lucas, Mark Marchillo, Lee Meriwether, Donald Moore, Chi Chi Navarro, Victoria Rabitcheff, Cody Rogers, Sarah Ann Vail, and David Zack. Click Here for tickets or call (323) 851-7977.
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HAIR, the American tribal love-rock musical, has just opened and is playing at the Grove Theatre in Upland through January 27. Seeking a new way, and with a yearning to change the world, the flower children take on the feel of an American Indian tribe, questioning authority, the society they are living in and the war in Asia. Attempting to live a philosophy of peace and love, they hang out in clouds of incense and grass, turning on, freaking out and dropping out. Living in crash pads, in the parks and on the streets, they are unkempt, wild, free, unique, colorful and hip, joining hands in protest and in song. Phenomenal musical numbers include Aquarius, Good Morning Starshine, I Believe in Love, Hair, I Got Life, What a Piece of Work Is Man and Hippie Life. The Grove Theatre is located at 276 E. Ninth Street, Upland, CA 91786. For tickets, call (909) 920-4343 or visit www.grovetheatre.com.
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The Grove Family Theatre is proud to present Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. Opening on Saturday, February 2nd, performances are scheduled each Saturday at 2pm and Sunday, February 3rd and 24th through February 24th. Join Alice's madcap adventures in Wonderland as she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with the Tweedles, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game. This is a fun show for the entire family. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children and can be purchased by calling (909) 920-4343, by visiting The Grove’s box office at 276 E. Ninth Street, Upland, or on the web at www.grovetheatre.com.
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Labels: cabrillo music theatre, musical theatre guild, noho ace, the grove theatre, theatre west, upright cabaret, zombie joe's