Michael Quintos - Page 28

The Orange County Performing Arts Center's enormously popular 'FREE Movie Mondays' on the community plaza continues its series with a big-screen presentation of the 1968 musical OLIVER! on Monday, July 26. The film is based on the hit 1960 stage musical of the same name (and exclamation point) with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards in 1969, winning 6 statues including Best Director (Carol Reed) and Best Picture. OCPAC's screening of OLIVER! is co-presented with media sponsor KCRW.

Have you ever sat around with a bunch of your smart friends and just gabbed all night about anything and everything, mostly about personal creative struggles or maybe trading a few snarky pop culture anecdotes? Well, seeing the long-awaited Los Angeles premiere of the Tony Award-nominated musical [title of show], in the appropriately intimate Celebration Theatre, feels so much like a kind of fun get-together. It's as if we, as the audience, are sitting and listening in on a lively gathering of close friends-who all happen to be immensely talented and pleasantly relatable. With a staging that is both witty and consistently hilarious, coupled with a catalog of charming, whimsical songs, [title of show] offers up an amusing musical love letter to (somewhat obsessive) musical show-lovers everywhere. Performances continue through September 5.

It's safe to say that Roger Bean-the mind behind The Andrews Brothers, The Marvelous Wonderettes and its yuletide sequel Winter Wonderettes-has certainly become the most consistently successful purveyor of full-scale theatrical musicals that weave a simple story around a string of early to mid-20th Century pop hits. His latest of such offerings is LIFE COULD BE A DREAM, the crowd-pleasing jukebox musical that debuted last year at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood and is now performing an eight-week engagement at the Laguna Playhouse through August 29. The original production garnered the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and Backstage's 2010 Garland Award for Best Production.

History buffs aside, most people would probably cringe at the thought of sitting through what could be-on the surface-a boring, classroom-like history lesson disguised as a stage musical that runs more than two and a half hours long.But yet, almost immediately, those fearful first impressions wonderfully faded away as soon as the curtain rose to reveal a stage full of men, of varying shapes and sizes, dressed in impeccable 18th-Century period garb.What could have been a long, excruciating theatrical exercise, is instead a riveting, edge-of-your-seat drama with plenty of heart and soul and a generous amount of genuinely comical moments. Musical Theatre West's production of '1776' (with performances running through July 25) is unquestionably brilliant, intensely affecting, and deeply moving-from its rousing beginning to its glorious end.

When putting together an entertaining revival of a beloved musical theater entity such as HELLO, DOLLY! it helps to have a fresh perspective of such a familiar show, yet still have enough reverence to produce a work that honors its source material. With absolute certainty, 3D Theatricals' production of the Jerry Herman classic achieves this goal with great sincerity, providing the audience with a thoroughly splendid, fun, and engaging new show. Thanks to its adorable premise that's been brought to life by an outstanding ensemble cast-wonderfully led by Broadway vet Ruth Williamson in the title role-HELLO, DOLLY! will no doubt continue to please its audiences at the OC Pavilion Theatre in Santa Ana through to its final performance on August 1. The songs are well-sung, the dancing is exceptional, and the comedy is beguiling.

One of Orange County's newest theater companies, 3D Theatricals, will present HELLO, DOLLY! from July 9 through August 1 at the O.C. Pavilion Theatre in the Arts District of downtown Santa Ana. The hit stage and screen musical marks 3D Theatrical's fourth production for 2010. Starring in the iconic role of Dolly Levi will be Broadway vet (and L.A.-area stage favorite) Ruth Williamson (Guys and Dolls).

One of Orange County, California's newest theater companies, 3D Theatricals, will present HELLO, DOLLY! from July 9 through August 1 at the gorgeous O.C. Pavilion Theatre in the Arts District of downtown Santa Ana. Starring as the matchmaker Dolly Levi will be Broadway veteran (and Los Angeles-area theater favorite) Ruth Williamson. During a break from show preparations, Williamson paused briefly for a chat with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to discuss her extensive history in the theater and her excitement in taking on the iconic role.

What do you get when you grab a bunch of perky high school students and have them all magically fall in love while putting together the school musical, all while wearing bright, rainbow colored-preppy wear? If you said High School Musical, then you're... well, okay, you're right. But actually, the same description can be applied to another high school-set musical fairy tale-this one, though, has a particularly significant difference. This one is called ZANNA DON'T!, the latest production at Orange County's Theatre Out now playing through July 31. The Gay and Lesbian Theater group's revival of the 2003 off-Broadway show (which featured Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez in the original title role) sprinkles this high school musical with a lot of winks, twinks, and plenty of sequin-accented costumes.

The Chance Theater is pleased to announce that it has selected the innovative rock musical THE WHO'S TOMMY as its third production of the 2010 season, scheduled to run July 2 through August 8. Based on The Who's classic 1969 double album rock opera about a 'deaf, dumb and blind boy' who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, THE WHO'S TOMMY tells the dramatic story of a young boy's journey to manhood through the muted pain of catatonia after witnessing the murder of his mother's lover by his father. Tommy finds his calling as a pinball champion who becomes idolized by the public and the press, but his celebrity machine eventually begins to fall apart.

Once in a while, one of the most fortunate things about west coast debuts of touring shows is when a Broadway hit finally transfers here, bringing with it some of the original stars that helped launch it. For those able to catch the Los Angeles premiere of the 2008 Tony® Award-winner for Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS (now playing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through July 25), the pleasant surprise is the presence of the show's original lead actor, who also happens to be the man who conceived the hit musical, as well as write the show's music and lyrics. Not to disparage those that have (and will) take on the same role, but at the very second Lin-Manuel Miranda appears on stage as Usnavi-the show's central hero and de facto narrator-the electric energy is palpable. In Miranda, we see the show's very heart and soul, filled with the hopes and dreams of the characters he helped personally craft. With his lead, the show literally comes to effervescent life.

Theatre Out, Orange County's gay and lesbian theatre, presents the Orange County Premiere of the musical ZANNA, DON'T! This musical fairy tale follows magical match-maker Zanna as he tries to find love for his friends at Heartsville High. But things go awry at Heartsville High as the drama club tackles the important social issue of heterophobia in their school musical, only to find out there might be heterosexuals living among them. The production plays at the Empire Theater in Santa Ana from June 25 through July 31.

The second longest-running off-Broadway show in history, NUNSENSE is not only a silly, madcap farce, but a truly adorable, heartwarming little gem of a musical. With its final performances playing at the Mysterium Theater in Orange, CA through June 19, NUNSENSE will have you laughing until your cheeks hurt.

One of Orange County's newest theater companies, 3D Theatricals, will present HELLO, DOLLY! from July 9 through August 1 at the O.C. Pavilion Theatre in the Arts District of downtown Santa Ana. The hit stage and screen musical marks 3D Theatrical's fourth production for 2010. Starring in the iconic role of Dolly Levi will be Broadway vet (and L.A.-area stage favorite) Ruth Williamson (Guys and Dolls).

Stars from the world of film, television and the stage walked the 'blue carpet' on June 10, 2010 to celebrate the World Premiere of WORLD OF COLOR, the brand new nighttime show at Disney California Adventure park in Anaheim. A show five years in the making, WORLD OF COLOR combines water, music, fire, lights, animation, and a lot of Disney magic and storytelling to wow its audience with a 25-minute spectacle that rises from the waters of Paradise Bay.

One of Orange County's newest theater companies, 3D Theatricals, will present THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE from May 21 thru June 13 at the O.C. Pavilion Theatre in the Arts district of downtown Santa Ana.

n what is perhaps the most elaborately-choreographed water ballet ever set to lights, animation and music, WORLD OF COLOR rises (literally) from the waters of Disney's California Adventure park, reaching far up and wide with a dazzling display that is equal parts technical innovation and emotionally resonant imagery. Such a combination of wizardry and storytelling showmanship is fairly synonymous with the Disney oeuvre, whether it be in the intelligent artistry of its Pixar films or in the way stories are interwoven into the winding queue hallways of its imaginative theme park rides.

Lights, water, music, fire and animation will come together like never before on June 11 when WORLD OF COLOR makes its dazzling debut at the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, Calif. The show combines nearly 1,200 powerful fountains with heights that range from 30 feet to 200 feet in the air, dazzling colors and a kaleidoscope of audio and visual effects, including both classic and new animation projected on the world's largest projected water screen-a wall of water 380 feet wide by 50 feet high for a projection surface of 19,000 square feet . Presented on Paradise Bay in Disney California Adventure park, WORLD OF COLOR is a major milestone in the multi-year expansion of the park.

The Maverick Theater is squeezing one of Broadway's biggest musicals on to their 20' foot stage and letting all the comedy pour into the laps of the audience. THE PRODUCERS opens June 11th and runs through July 31st with performances on Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 3:00 p.m. starting June 19th. The Maverick Theater is located in historic Downtown Fullerton, CA.

Theatre Out, Orange County's gay and lesbian theatre, presents the Orange County Premiere of the musical ZANNA, DON'T! This musical fairy tale follows magical match-maker Zanna as he tries to find love for his friends at Heartsville High. But things go awry at Heartsville High as the drama club tackles the important social issue of heterophobia in their school musical, only to find out there might be heterosexuals living among them. The production plays at the Empire Theater in Santa Ana from June 25 through July 31.

There is always a sense of curiosity when it comes to the private lives of famous people...Which actress just entered rehab? Which actor is cheating on his wife? Which singer is a secret homesexual? Yes, despite bigger troubles in the world, there is an appetite for such salaciously juicy tidbits. And, oddly, even our own iconic, historical figures aren't immune to such speculation. To wit, Abraham Lincoln to this day can't quite escape a few whispered rumors about his alleged homosexual tendencies. That very rumor is the raison d'etre for Theatre Out's impressive revisionist adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's late 1500's play EDWARD II, now playing at the Empire Theater in Santa Ana through June 5. This new take on the troubled monarch's downfall-written in similar meter by Darcy Hogan-focuses its tabloid spotlight on the widely-held rumor that this King was really gay (or, perhaps, really bisexual), and that his eventual deposition from the throne of England (and subsequent murder) was a direct result of it.