Paul Blake News

According to an article by STL Today, the Muny's Executive producer Paul Blake, who has been at the theatre more than two decades, will leave after the upcoming 2011 season.

I remember seeing FOOTLOOSE in a theatre back in 1984, and I think I actually enjoyed it. I even have a cassette of the soundtrack somewhere, although I don't remember ever purchasing it. Still, it's the type of movie that can be easily tweaked for translation to the stage since the songs are already in place (for the most part), and the plot blends dance with romance. It is an undeniably infectious combination, especially for those of us who grew up with this music, for better or worse.

St. Louis is a baseball town, of that there can be no doubt. We live and die with our beloved Cardinals, ever optimistic that if we don't win this year, we'll give it our best shot the next. So, with our national pastime taking it's annual hiatus for the All-Star game, this is the perfect opportunity for fans to check out the best musical ever written about the subject; DAMN YANKEES. And, don't fret about the weather, even an impressive light show by Mother Nature wasn't enough to stop the show or dampen the audience's spirit on opening night at the Muny.

The Muny will present DAMN YANKEES through July 18, 2010. The cast will be lead by Eric Kunze (Joe Hardy), Angie L/ Shworer (Lola), and Lewis J. Stadlen (Applegate), and Leslie Kritzer (Gloria Thorpe.) The production is being directed at the open-air theater by Paul Blake and will feature choreography by Mary MacLeod.

The Muny will present DAMN YANKEES from July 12 - July 18, 2010. As previously announced, the cast will be lead by Eric Kunze (Joe Hardy), Angie L/ Shworer (Lola), and Lewis J. Stadlen (Applegate). BroadwayWorld has now confirmed that Leslie Kritzer will join the cast as 'Gloria Thorpe.' The production is being directed at the open-air theater by Paul Blake and will feature choreography by Mary MacLeod.

The Muny will present DAMN YANKEES from July 12 - July 18, 2010. As previously announced, the cast will be lead by Eric Kunze (Joe Hardy), Angie L/ Shworer (Lola), and Lewis J. Stadlen (Applegate). BroadwayWorld has now confirmed that Leslie Kritzer will join the cast as 'Gloria Thorpe.' The production is being directed at the open-air theater by Paul Blake and will feature choreography by Mary MacLeod.

Local Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) for Pioneer Theatre Company's 2010-2011 Season will be held on Friday, June 25th, 2010. Auditions are for actors ages 18 and up. Audition time slots are from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. If these slots are 75% filled in advance, additional time will be made available.

Local Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) for Pioneer Theatre Company's 2010-2011 Season will be held on Friday, June 25th, 2010. Auditions are for actors ages 18 and up. Audition time slots are from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. If these slots are 75% filled in advance, additional time will be made available.

Pioneer Theatre Company has announced its 2010-11 season, which will include an eighth 'add-on' production of the electrifying pop-rock opera RENT, the winner of both the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996.

Founded in 1973, Four County Players is Central Virginia's longest continuously-operating community theater. For more than 35 years, the players have delighted audiences with a full range of theater experiences.

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre adds an eighth main stage show to its 2010 season with a lineup that includes five new productions to its stage

"I am delighted to announce our Fantastic 58th Season of Musicals," states Christopher B. Manos, Producer of Theater of the Stars. "We have some wonderful world-class entertainment in store for 2010, from old-fashioned fun to brand new shows that are sure to dazzle. We are excited to bring the incomparable Melissa Gilbert to Atlanta in the new stage version of Little House on the Prairie, The Musical, to bring back Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, and to welcome the Blue Man Group for the very first time to our season. We've been asked for a long time to get The Sound of Music on our series and I'm pleased to say that we have it, along with the absolutely beautiful national touring production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Lastly, we'll add some comic relief with 9 TO 5: The Musical based on the smash hit movie with Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton."

Aled Jones and Adam Cooper will lead Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS when it plays Theatre Royal Plymouth November 10-21 and The Lowry in Salford November 27-January 9.

Happy Holidays New York! The Tony Award® nominated hit musical Irving Berlin'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, the stage reinvention of the beloved classic film, directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Randy Skinner, with music supervision by Rob Berman, returns to Broadway!

White Christmas played the Cabrillo Music Theatre @ Thousand Oaks. The show features a book by David Ives & Paul Blake, music & lyrics by Irving Berlin and direction by Todd Nielsen. The production ran December 26-29 only.

Happy Holidays, Southern California! You are cordially invited to the theatre event of the holiday season when Cabrillo Music Theatre presents IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS featuring some of Cabrillo and Southern California's best loved talent.

Happy Holidays, Southern California! You are cordially invited to the theatre event of the holiday season when Cabrillo Music Theatre presents IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS featuring some of Cabrillo and Southern California's best loved talent.

Happy Holidays, Southern California! You are cordially invited to the theatre event of the holiday season when Cabrillo Music Theatre presents IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS featuring some of Cabrillo and Southern California's best loved talent.

WCBS- TV 'EYE ON NEW YORK' host Dana Tyler sits down with IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS star Melissa Errico this Sunday morning, December 20 at 6:50am to discuss the Tony Award nominated leading lady's return to Broadway to play 'Betty Haynes' in the hit musical.

I originally saw Paul Blake and David Ives' adaptation of the 1954 movie WHITE CHRISTMAS back in 2006 at the Muny. There have been some minor changes made to it since then, but it still follows the basic plot of the movie fairly closely. In fact, most of the changes center on the inclusion of additional tunes by Irving Berlin. But, any time a film is reworked for the stage it's going to draw the inevitable comparisons to its original source material, and this version, which features some outstanding moments of song and dance, falls a bit short of expectations.