Friday, October 30, 2009
ICT's "Songs For a New World" Soars
Life is made up of millions upon millions of moments strung together. Some are ordinary, quietly passing before we even have a chance to notice. Others crash awkwardly into our path and demand attention whether we’re ready for them or not. And then there are the critical moments that require us to summon up our inner strength and become the larger part of who we are. These are the ones that chart our course and define us.
All of these are present in International City Theatre’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For a New World - moments of resignation, regret, fear, joy, courage, and ultimately hope. There is an elegance in this production, directed by Jules Aaron, choreographed by Allison Bibikoff and under the musical direction of Brent Crayon that complements the sophistication of Brown’s musical scenes.
The cast of four appears onstage throughout, always in some way connected to each other. They are a radiant Jennifer Shelton and powerful Anthony Manough (who has some of the most poignant moments in the show), Brent Schindele, (who especially shines in the angst-ridden “She Cries”) and humorous character woman Parnia Ayari.
Each of Brown’s songs is a self-contained “moment” of its own, effectively staged to invite the audience into the thoughts and feelings of the actors, and when they open up in glorious four-part harmony the effect is stunning. This is a contemporary, yet timeless piece full of weight and meaning.
John Lennon said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Perhaps we would do well to remember that it's all about the present moment too. Life does have a way of moving on whether we're paying attention or not.
Songs For a New World runs through November 15 at Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at www.ictlongbeach.com/ or by calling 562 436-4610.
All of these are present in International City Theatre’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For a New World - moments of resignation, regret, fear, joy, courage, and ultimately hope. There is an elegance in this production, directed by Jules Aaron, choreographed by Allison Bibikoff and under the musical direction of Brent Crayon that complements the sophistication of Brown’s musical scenes.
The cast of four appears onstage throughout, always in some way connected to each other. They are a radiant Jennifer Shelton and powerful Anthony Manough (who has some of the most poignant moments in the show), Brent Schindele, (who especially shines in the angst-ridden “She Cries”) and humorous character woman Parnia Ayari.
Each of Brown’s songs is a self-contained “moment” of its own, effectively staged to invite the audience into the thoughts and feelings of the actors, and when they open up in glorious four-part harmony the effect is stunning. This is a contemporary, yet timeless piece full of weight and meaning.
John Lennon said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Perhaps we would do well to remember that it's all about the present moment too. Life does have a way of moving on whether we're paying attention or not.
Songs For a New World runs through November 15 at Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at www.ictlongbeach.com/ or by calling 562 436-4610.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Paige Davis & Patrick Page Star in I Do! I Do!
Photo courtesy of The Old Globe.
The well-loved classic, by the creators of The Fantasticks, spans five decades in the life of a married couple – from the nervousness of their wedding day to the wisdom of old age. I Do! I Do! will run Dec. 11 - 20, 2009, opening on Saturday December 12.
The creative team of I Do! I Do! will be announced at a later date.
Tickets are available at www.theoldglobe.org/, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office.
Friday, October 23, 2009
An Enchanting Daddy Long Legs for Rubicon Theatre
This is my kind of musical. I love beautiful music, characters that take me along with them on their journey of discovery, and a story that tugs at my heart. This enchanting world premiere musical at Rubicon Theatre contains all of that, and much more.Writers Paul Gordon (music & lyrics) and John Caird (book) have transformed Jean Webster’s novel, Daddy Long Legs, into a heartwarming and poignant musical that tells the story of Jerusha Abbott, an 18 year old girl who has grown up at the John Grier Home for orphans.
When a trustee of the home reads an essay she has written 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. She sees him once in the shadows and nicknames him “Daddy Long Legs.”
Beyond that, all she can do is imagine the rest of the details with a wit and fascination that make her wonder…is he old or is he very old? Is his hair black or white, thinning or balding? This is a girl you can’t help but fall in love with, especially when brought to life by Megan McGinnis. She has a voice like a nightingale and in this vivacious star-turn of a performance, she is magnificent. Her honest portrayal of the intelligent, self-determined young woman is inspiring and filled with layers of emotional depth.
The other half of this two person musical is Robert Adelman Hancock, who takes on the role of Jervis Pendleton, a.k.a. Daddy Long Legs. Becoming the benefactor to less fortunate students such as Jerusha is his attempt at soothing his guilty conscience over being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The terms for his help have always been the same and he has never before become involved in the lives of those he has helped. This time, however, he finds himself accidentally, unwittingly and completely enthralled by Jerusha and her letters.
Hancock workshopped the role of Jervis in Daddy Longs Legs as part of Rubicon’s Plays-in-Progress development program and does a fine job of bringing him to life in this full production. His dashing good looks and warm lyric baritone voice make him a perfect complement to McGinnis’ spirited presence onstage. Through their eyes we witness the roller coaster of emotions that occur in a relationship between two people, whether it be friends, lovers, associates, or even between two people who have never really met.
Musical Director Laura Bergquist leads a six-piece orchestra in Paul Gordon’s score full of beautiful melodies. Gordon was nominated for a Tony Award for Jane Eyre, directed by John Caird, and also wrote the musical Emma, (which I had seen at NAMT, and premiered at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto in 2007). Caird is best known for his London and Broadway creations of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, which won Tony and Olivier Awards.
Daddy Long Legs runs through November 8, 2009 at Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. Tickets are available at www.rubicontheatre.org, or by calling the box office at 805-667-2900.
Whether Jerusha is thoughtfully pondering the secret of happiness or humorously observing the behavior of men, “they purr if you rub them the right way; they spit if you don’t,” you'll find yourself thinking about your own life in a way you may not have before. I say don’t miss this charming musical, sure to become a classic favorite.
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Labels: daddy long legs, john caird, megan mcginnis, paul gordon, rob hancock, rubicon theatre
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
MTG Casts Fade Out - Fade In
Musical Theatre Guild will feature the Comden and Green musical Fade Out – Fade In as the next musical in its 2009-2010 season.
It is directed by Lewis Wilkenfeld, with Dean Mora as musical director and Cheryl Baxter as choreographer and is produced for MTG by Karen Culliver and Pamela Hamill.
The cast for this production features Chuck Bergman, Jill Marie Burke, Dan Callaway, Christopher Carothers, Robin DeLano, Joe Hart, David Holmes, Damon Kirsche, Paul Keith, Michael Kostroff, Carol Kline, Beth Malone, Marsha Kramer, Jeffrey Polk and Jeffrey Todd.
Originally starring Carol Burnett as Hope Springfield, a chorus girl full of hope but not much talent, the show spoofs some of the great film stars of the 1930s, such as Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. This rarely produced musical was last seen in Los Angeles 25 years ago.
Fade Out – Fade In will play the Alex Theatre in Glendale Monday, November 9 at 7:30 pm. 818-243-ALEX for tickets or click http://bit.ly/29SYD8.
It will also play the Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Sunday, November 15 at 3:00 pm. 805-583-8700 for tickets or http://bit.ly/WPeqP.
There will also be an exclusive Broadway Babies© greeting card sale at these events.
Labels: musical theatre guild
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Bringing Jan Karon's "At Home in Mitford" to Life as a Musical
Featured in the cast are David Holmes as Father Tim, Kelly Lester, Tess Ferrell, Elise Dewsberry and Jerry Martin, along with Evelyn Halus, Ellen Dostal, Johanna Kent, Christopher Maikish, Andrea Press, Ben Ryan, Stephen Vendette and Peter Welkin.
The show is adapted from the very popular and much loved Mitford series of books by writer Jan Karon and I was interested in hearing how Ferrell, Johnson and Wise developed the musical. Here’s what they had to say.
What inspired you to write a musical based on Jan Karon’s books? Were you already familiar with them?
Carl: Several years ago I had finished writing a commissioned musical based on John the Baptist and was trying to decide what to do for my next project. My priest at my church suggested I consider writing a musical based on the Mitford series of books. At that time I hadn’t read any of them, so he gave me a set of books-on-tape. I listened to them on a long drive, and found myself circling my destination until the book was over!
How did you approach Jan Karon with the idea?
Carl: On a whim, I contacted the book’s publisher to see if the musical theater rights to the book were available, and to my surprise they were. I asked Jan if anyone had ever tried to adapt her books for musical theater. She said that there was a non-musical stage adaptation, but that nobody had ever approached her about a musical. I think she was surprised by the idea, and agreed to let me have a year to try. We came back a year later on deadline and presented her with a completed show and a recording of a read-through. She liked the work and we incorporated her notes into the revised script, which we’ll be presenting in Burbank.
So she liked what you’d done with it?
Chana: Yes, Jan was very enthusiastic about the material we presented, and we were happy to get her approval. When Carl approached me with this project, I wondered what it would be like in terms of my capability of writing the thoughts and feelings of a Christian cleric (given that I'm Jewish). But Carl and I worked together previously on a short musical film called The Coffee Quintet that we shot earlier in the year and it was a great experience. Carl and Cynthia, along with lyricist Jeff Marx (Avenue Q), have also worked together writing a 15-minute musical called The Rightful Monarch of America so I knew we were in good hands all the way around. In the end, writing lyrics for this show was a very broadening and rewarding experience.
Cynthia, as the bookwriter, where did you come into the writing process?
Cynthia: The bookwriter goes to work first and is charged with pioneering the way. I started writing the Mitford musical book in May 2008, with Chana adding lyrics starting in late fall, and Carl adding music in December. My musical book created the character voices and the plot of each scene.
Has it been difficult writing the lives of characters that another author has created?
Cynthia: Jan’s Mitford series is massively popular, and it’s always a challenge meeting fans’ expectations for the characters they know and love. She is an enormously popular writer and this is her first foray into musical theatre. What plays on the page is different from what plays onstage. I like working with her characters, and I like working with her. Mostly I love when she reads my dialogue in her wonderful, warm North Carolinian accent.
At Home in Mitford is about second chances for all – that’s it’s never too late to find true love, safety, peace, family. Jan’s bio mirrors that. She was in her teens when she had her only child, and divorced at age 20. She rose through the ranks to build a successful advertising career, but after much soul-searching, she abandoned it at age 50 to become a novelist. We’re lucky she did.
Tell us a little about the development process you went through.
Carl: We developed Mitford through the Academy for New Musical Theater’s writing curriculum. The advantage of this was that we had monthly deadlines, monthly feedback and a goal of doing a full reading at the end of the year. It was a very compressed schedule, but it kept the project from languishing, and allowed us to complete the first draft within the time Jan had given us.Chana: Our concert reading in May was directed by Allison Bibikoff (Xanadu) and accompanied by Tom Griep. Some of the actors that were with us then are reprising their roles in the upcoming reading. That early reading was very helpful and allowed us to see where we needed to make changes.
For what audience is the musical geared?
Carl: Jan Karon’s books are sometimes thought of as Christian book market-oriented, but I think she sees her books as more about everyone’s life experiences. The mythical town of Mitford is a metaphor for Anytown U.S.A. The people and their relationships she writes about could be in any small town in America. I think that part of the appeal of her books is that almost anyone can find something to relate to in her characters and their lives.
Chana: I see this as a very traditional type of musical. In contrast to some of the edgier musicals being done today, this is a musical you can safely bring your grandma to without worrying if she'll be offended by the language or the situation.
And the future of At Home in Mitford?
Carl: While we don’t know if the show will fit within the current trends on Broadway, we think this show will have broad appeal to family-oriented audiences in most other parts of the country.
At Home in Mitford will be presented at 7:30 pm on October 26 at The Colony Theatre, 555 N. Third Street in Burbank, CA. For reservations go to http://bit.ly/BWdcc.
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Carl Johnson is a two-time Emmy Award-winning film and television composer (Invasion America, Aladdin: the Animated Series), and has recorded his music with symphonies around the world, conducting in London, Canada, Japan, Los Angeles, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. His feature films include Piglet’™s Big Movie, Disney’™s Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and Winnie the Pooh™’s Grand Adventure. Carl has also composed over 60 hours of music for TV projects, including Animaniacs and Batman: the Animated Series for Warner Brothers, Gargoyles and The Mighty Ducks for Disney, and Invasion America and Toonsylvania for DreamWorks.
Chana Wise began writing irreverent parodies to popular show tunes when she was a little girl, and just really never stopped (although now she is occasionally reverent). Among her recent projects are lyrics for the ANMT mini-musical Ahead or Behind. She is currently working on two original new musicals; Bagels! with Carl Johnson, and Cuban Nights with Nic De Armendi and Jonathan Price
.Cynthia Lewis Ferrell works internationally as a librettist and playwright. She is the winner of the Jerome Lawrence Fellowship in playwriting and the Conquest Prize for her essay “Cries that Register.” With works developed via 24th Street Theatre, Moonlight Studios, Celebration Theater and Theatricum Botanicum, her recent staged pieces include Jerome Lawrence Festival winner Snapshoot, the musical and Tennessee Williams Festival finalist 3DB Inside. Latest award: Spektrum Villa Music’s 2009 commissioning of Angeleno with Peter Michael von der Nahmer (Germany). She is a member of ASCAP, ALAP and the Dramatists Guild, and is published by Doubleday NY.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Street Lights to Hit The Old Globe
The Old Globe has announced that it will produce the world premiere of Street Lights, a new musical by writer/composer Joe Drymala February 20 - 28, 2010. The musical chronicles a group of inner city teenagers who fight to save their high school music program from being shut down.Directed by Ryan J. Davis, Street Lights uses hip hop, R&B and pop to tell a timeless story in the musical language of today's youth, while creating a bridge to earlier generations by incorporating samples of classic civil rights anthems.
(l. to r.) Jim Stanek, Virginia Cavalier, Chad Carstarphen, Jay Garcia, Melissa Joyner, Claudeen Benoit in Street Lights at the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Photo: Karen Rusch
Street Lights is currently an official selection of the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) with showcase performances being held at American Theatre for Actors in New York City October 13 - 18. It is also part of the Globe’s ongoing Southeastern San Diego Residency Project.
While fighting to save their high school music program from being shut down, the teenagers of Street Lights discover the power of music to unite their community and bring new hope to the residents of their troubled neighborhood. The talented singer and songwriter Dominique, her academically gifted brother Rocky and their beat-making DJ friend X-Ray use organizing techniques pioneered during the civil rights movement to help rally the people around them. When Dominique begins to fall in love with Damon, a local drug dealer with a Robin Hood streak, she must choose between accepting the hard realities of the world she lives in or try to change her neighborhood for the better.
Joe Drymala is the primary composer and original book writer for the satirical musical White Noise, which received its premiere at the 2006 NYMF and which received a Summer Theater Award for Outstanding Score that year. White Noise was subsequently optioned for Broadway, and was recently mounted in New Orleans as a tryout for the Broadway production.
Director Ryan J. Davis conceived and directed the award-winning, Broadway-bound White Noise at the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival, and was featured on “Good Morning America” and “Primetime Live.” Other New York City projects include My Life on Craigslist and the annual “Broadway Beauty Pageant.” He recently directed Vote! the Musical at FringeNYC and My Broken Brain at Midtown International Theatre Festival.
Tickets for Street Lights are currently available to subscribers only. Single tickets go on sale Dec. 6 and can be purchased online at www.theoldglobe.org/, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office.
Labels: old globe
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Casting Announced for MTW's Meet Me in St. Louis
Casting is complete for Musical Theatre West’s upcoming production of Meet Me in St. Louis, which runs October 30 - November 15, 2009 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Richard Israel will direct, Lee Martino will choreograph and musical direction is by Daniel Thomas.
Cassie Silva and Jason Evans star as Esther Smith and boy next door John Truett in this classic musical based on the heartwarming movie starring Judy Garland. Playing Anna and Alonzo Smith are Mary Gordon Murray and Norman Large, Sarah Bermudez is Rose Smith, Grace Kaufman is Tootie Smith, and Robert Pieranunzi is Lon Smith. The cast also features Jeremy Bernard as Warren Sheffield, Kevin Cooney (Grandpa), Alexa Freeman (Agnes) and Cathy Newman (Katie).
The ensemble includes Andrew Ames, Seth Belliston, Courtney Evans, Stephanie Gerson, Zane Gerson, Karla Gilbert, Danny Moreno, Linda Neel, Allison Paraiso, Tiffany Reid, Katie Schaar, John J. Todd, Daniel Smith and Karl Warden.
Meet Me in St. Louis tells the story of four sisters living in St. Louis at the time of the 1904 World’s Fair. Perfect for the entire family, it includes the classic musical numbers, “The Boy Next Door”, “The Trolley Song”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Under the Bamboo Tree.”
For tickets and information visit www.musical.org/.
Guys & Dolls Cast Announced for Cabrillo Music Theatre
Cabrillo Music Theatre has announced the cast of its upcoming production Guys and Dolls, which will run October 16 – 25 in the Kavli Theatre at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
Jeff Griggs (Sky Masterson), Jessica Bernard (Sarah Brown), Barry Pearl (Nathan Detroit) and Alet Taylor (Miss Adelaide) will head the cast directed by Nick DeGruccio. Musical direction is by Darryl Archibald and choreography by Roger Castellano.
The cast also features Nova Safo, Mike McLean, Danny Blaylock, Ronald Rezac, Farley Cadena, Paul Zegler, Jay Weber and David Scales, along with Jebbel Arce, Marc Bastos, Paul Berry, Cory Bretsch, Johnny Cannizzaro, Heather Castillo, Josh Christoff, Andreas de Rond, Jeff Ditto, Jennifer Foster, Jantre Haskin, Kat Liz Kramer, Alida Michal, Sabrina Miller, Clay Stefanki, Erica Strong, Bobby Traversa and Estevan Valdes.
Special events for Guys and Dolls will include a post-performance discussion following the 2:00 pm show on October 17th. You can also hear Jeff Griggs and Jessica Bernard preview songs from the show at the West Hills Fest this Sunday, October 4 at 11:00 am. West Hills Center is located at 23233 Saticoy Avenue at the corner of Woodlake and Saticoy.
Tickets for Guys and Dolls are available through the box office at 805-449-ARTS, via Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232, or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.
For more information about Cabrillo Music Theatre go to http://www.cabrillomusictheatre.com/.