Merritt David Janes News

DreamWorks Theatricals and NETworks Presentations, LLC. are pleased to announce that SHREK THE MUSICAL, with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, will play Bass Performance Hall, for eight performances only, Nov. 8-13, 2011. Performing Arts Fort Worth is presenting SHREK THE MUSICAL'S Fort Worth debut. Tickets start at $22 and are on sale NOW at www.basshall.com.

Like a warm Snuggie on a cold winter night or a decadent dessert to a calorie counter, sometimes we all just want to cater to our own basest pleasure centers that simply crave comforting, entertaining shows full of good ol' plain, silly fun. This same idea explains why macaroni and cheese makes for a great combo... why the excitingly mindless 'Summer Movie' was invented... and why SHREK THE MUSICAL made me laugh for most of its two-and-a-half-hour running time. Now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through October 16, this amusing, big-kid-friendly musical based on the popular 2001 DreamWorks animated film delivers the laughs not with beguiling snark but, rather, with fart battles, cheeky sight gags, and a sassy attitude that intermittently seeks to distract you from its flaws. Entertaining, yes, but hardly groundbreaking.

DreamWorks Theatricals and NETworks Presentations, LLC. are pleased to announce that SHREK THE MUSICAL, with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, will play Bass Performance Hall, for eight performances only, Nov. 8-13, 2011. Performing Arts Fort Worth is presenting SHREK THE MUSICAL'S Fort Worth debut. Tickets start at $22 and are on sale NOW at www.basshall.com.

DreamWorks Theatricals and NETworks Presentations, LLC's. SHREK THE MUSICAL with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, opens at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, for 8 performances only, today - October 2. Tickets are available by phone at (916) 557-1999 or (916) 801-5181, in person at The Community Center Theater Box Office at 1301 L Street, Sacramento, The Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office at 1419 H Street, Sacramento, or online at Tickets.com.

DreamWorks Theatricals and NETworks Presentations, LLC. are pleased to announce that SHREK THE MUSICAL with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, will play the Sacramento Community Center Theater, for 8 performances only, September 27 - October 2. Tickets are available by phone at (916) 557-1999 or (916) 801-5181, in person at The Community Center Theater Box Office at 1301 L Street, Sacramento, The Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office at 1419 H Street, Sacramento, or online at Tickets.com.

'Tale as old as time' nails the complex simplicity of Beauty and the Beast the quintessential story of true love, the most difficult to obtain and sustain. Disney's adaptation of the fairy tale with its sweepingly imaginative spectacle wins over even the hardest of hearts. The animated film was such a tremendous hit in 1991 that it was adapted for the stage in 1994 with new songs by Tim Rice added to the Academy Award-winning movie score originally written by deceased Howard Ashman. It ran worldwide until 2007 and proves undoubtedly that fairy tales retain a popularity that never dies. The current revival tour of Beauty and the Beast, now at the Pantages until March 27, is every bit as glorious, delectable and elegant as the original.

The award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, presented by NETworks, will enjoy its first major Los Angeles engagement in 15 years when it comes to Hollywood's Pantages Theatre for a limited 3 week engagement, March 9 - 26, 2011.

"Tale as old as time.." as the title song so beautifully tells us, but when Beauty and the Beast returns to the Fabulous Fox Theatre January 12 - 16, Atlanta audiences are in for something new. The hit Broadway musical has been tweaked and updated and this newly reworked tour is sure to please. Inviting audiences to "Be Our Guest" in this new production is actor Merritt David Janes who plays the fiery Lumiere. We caught up with Merritt and chatted about his career, the updates to the show and what it's like playing a candlestick.

Based on the 1991 hit movie musical masterpiece--the first animated feature film to ever score a Best Picture Oscar® nomination--Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST went on to become a hit stage musical as well, ushering a new, successful theatrical arm for the studio. That original 1994 Broadway production eventually garnered nine Tony Award nominations and played on for more than 5,000 performances before finally closing in 2007. Now revived in a newer, noticeably less extravagant touring production mounted by NETworks Presentations (on stage this week at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through November 21), the show's latest incarnation, despite its lively characters and still memorable music, feels less magical than its more Disney-esque origins.

Tuesday night, hundreds of children were enchanted by the touring production of Beauty and the Beast, now playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through Sunday, June 13. As I wandered through the lobby before the show and during intermission, I often had to carefully sidestep a tiny Belle in requisite yellow ball gown and tiara. What was most remarkable though was how enchanted the adults were, myself included.

Tuesday night, hundreds of children were enchanted by the touring production of Beauty and the Beast, now playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through Sunday, June 13. As I wandered through the lobby before the show and during intermission, I often had to carefully sidestep a tiny Belle in requisite yellow ball gown and tiara. What was most remarkable though was how enchanted the adults were, myself included.

After an incredible 13 year run (1994 - 2007), Disney's first Broadway musical hits the road, with the tour beginning right here in Providence, RI.

SWEENEY TODD, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, will make its Detroit premiere at the Fisher Theatre for a limited three-week engagement, March 17 - April 5, 2009. Tickets are available for purchase at the Fisher Theatre box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.broadwayindetroit.com and by phone at 1- 800-982-2787.

SWEENEY TODD, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, will make its Detroit premiere at the Fisher Theatre for a limited three-week engagement, March 17 - April 5, 2009. Tickets are available for purchase at the Fisher Theatre box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.broadwayindetroit.com and by phone at 1- 800-982-2787.

The touring production of 'The Wedding Singer' provides a pleasant evening of musical theater

WHO: The National Touring Company WHAT: The Wedding Singer WHERE: Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center WHEN: Through September 23. Tues-Sat at 8PM, Sat at 2PM, Sun at 1PM and 6:30PM. HOW MUCH: $25 - $70, plus fees. TICKETS: www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com or 1-800-451-SEAT