So many great musicals coming up so let’s get to it!
OPENING THIS WEEKEND:3-D Theatricals presentsRagtime Oct. 10 – 26 at the historic Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton (opening this Saturday Oct. 11) and at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach Nov. 1 - 9. Based on the landmark E. L. Doctorow novel and featuring a Tony Award-winning score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and a book by Terrence McNally, this powerful portrait of turn-of-the-century America intertwines the stories of three diverse families as they confront history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, and hope and despair. Directed by T.J. Dawson, it features musical direction by Julie Lamoureux and choreography by Dana Solimando.
Ragtime stars Rufus Bonds, Jr. as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Craig McEldowney as Father, Tyler MicLean as Younger Brother, Gary Patent as Tateh, Daebreon Poiema as Sarah, and Christanna Rowader as Mother, with Brooke Besikof (Little Girl), Jimmer Bolden (Booker T. Washington), John McCool Bowers (J.P. Morgan), Gary Brintz (Harry Houdini), Doug Carfrae (Grandfather), Jeanette Dawson (Evelyn Nesbit), Jean Kauffman (Emma Goldman), Donovan McFann (Little Boy), William Shaffner (Willie Conklin), Amber J. Snead (Sarah’s friend), Robert Yacko (Henry Ford); and an ensemble that makes the cast nearly 50 strong. Tickets: www.3dtshows.com.
MORE OCT/NOV MUSICAL NEWS: Musical Theatre West opens its 2014-2015 season with the west coast premiere of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Big Fish, Oct. 31 - Nov. 16. Larry Carpenter directs, with musical direction by Matt Smedal and choreography by Peggy Hickey. The cast includes Jeff Skowron as Edward Bloom, Andrew Huber, Rebecca Johnson, Jude Mason, Kristina Miller, Timothy Hughes, Gabriel Kalomas, Zachary Ford, Molly Garner, Michelle Loucadoux, Richard Bulda and Jake Saenz, with Caitlyn Calfas, Rachel Davis, Jessica Ernest, Aaron Felske, Marissa Field, Brad Fitzgerald, Anne Hinskton, Morgan McGeehan, Lauren Newman and Michael Starr.
Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed Columbia Pictures film directed by Tim Burton, the musical adaptation of Big Fish made a splash on Broadway last year when Susan Stroman teamed with Andrew Lippa (music & lyrics) to develop the new book by screenwriter John August. Now, Musical Theatre West recreates the excitement of the original Broadway show, complete with its big production numbers and big special effects, and original sets and costumes. The story centers on Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest… and then some! Edward’s incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him – most of all, his devoted wife Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s epic tales. Tickets: (562) 856-1999 x 4 or www.musical.org.
Rubicon Theatre in Ventura opens its 17th season with 2 Pianos 4 Hands, written by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. Winner of the coveted Dora Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Tony), 2 Pianos 4 Hands is a musical comedy for anyone who has ever had a dream. Directed by Thomas Frey, this hilariously funny production features two actors, two pianos and multiple characters as fifteen years of piano playing unfolds in all its glory. Stories of crazy instructors, obsessed parents, torturous recitals, and other high points of musical training are accompanied by musical selections ranging from classical to pop to jazz as the actors/pianists portray a dazzling range of characters and display piano wizardry featuring the music of Beethoven, Bach, Elton John, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. 2 Pianos 4 Hands opens Oct. 18 with previews October 15 – 17. Performances are Wednesdays through Sundays through Nov. 16. Tickets: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org.
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| Rebekah Dunn, Bert Emmett, Don Schlossman, Truett Jean Butler, Troy Whitaker. Photo credit: Doug Engalla |
Waterfall is set in Bangkok and Tokyo between the turbulent years of 1933 and 1939, as a monarchy falls in Thailand and Japan is on the brink of war. A young Thai student falls in love with the American wife of a Thai diplomat, and the story of their forbidden love parallels history as the new democracy of Siam moves into the vortex of the increasingly anti-American Japan. With a gloriously romantic score, Waterfall is a modern love story of timeless scale. For more information, visit www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.
EXTENSIONS: Deaf West’s Spring Awakening gets a much-deserved extension and will now run through Nov. 9. The innovative, immersive production performed simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign Language is playing at Inner City Arts Downtown. Do not miss this production! Tickets: (818) 762-2998 or www.deafwest.org, You can read my review of the show HERE.
Sacred Fools Theatre Company’s The Behavior of Broadushas extended and will now run through Oct. 25. The Behavior of Broadus is the amazing, sort of true musical story of John Broadus Watson – the father of Behaviorism and modern advertising: with singing, dancing and talking lab rats.Tickets: www.sacredfools.org.
Due to popular demand, Wickedhas added six additional weeks of performances at the Pantages and will now run through March 15, 2015. Individual tickets for this new block of performances will go on sale to the general public on Sunday, October 26 at 10:00 am. www.HollywoodPantages.com
The Pepperdine University Fine Arts Division presents its Luciana and Daniel Forge Fall Musical, a new production of Into the Woods Nov. 13 - 22 at Smothers Theatre on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. Dimitri Toscas helms an all-student cast, with Tyler Kimmel serving as musical director. This modern reimagining of the beloved musical by Stephen Sondheim offers a glimpse of what happens after happily ever after. What begins as a clever diversion, a simple fairy tale, ultimately leads down a dark path of self-discovery to a universal message of hope. Tickets, priced at $20 for the public, $10 for Pepperdine students, and $16 for Pepperdine faculty and staff, are available now by calling the Pepperdine Center for the Arts box office at (310) 506-4522. Click Here for tickets for the general public.
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| The cast of Zombie Prom in rehearsal. Photo credit: Susan Farese. |
Canyon Crest Academy Envision Theatre in San Diego will present the girl-loves-ghoul rock and roll Off Broadway musical Zombie Prom Oct. 24 – Nov 1. Directed by Jeannine Marquie with musical direction by Leigh Scarritt and choreography by Max Gidaley, Zombie Prom is set in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High, where the law is laid down by a zany, tyrannical principal. Pretty senior Toffee has fallen for the class bad boy. Family pressure forces her to end the romance, and he charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear waste dump, only to return glowing and determined to reclaim Toffee’s heart. Due to adult subject matter, parental guidance is advised. The cast includes Riley Cavanaugh, Cameron Chang, Alyxandra Charfauros, Michelle Cohen, Julian Coker, Alyssa DeVries, Madi Rae DiPietro, Tyler Faison, Emmy Farese, Kion Heidari, Halle Hoffman, Sammy Lurie, Steve Macario, Constantine Mickens, Avery-Claire Nugent, Adam Sussman, Alyson Tharp, and Julia Vandeweil. For more information contact envision.theatre.cca@gmail.com or call (858) 350-0253 x 4075. Click Here for tickets.
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