'Vanities' Begins Previews at Pasadena Playhouse Tonight, 8/22

Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director, Brian Colburn, Managing Director, Tom Ware, Producing Director) announced casting today for VANITIES, A New Musical by Jack Heifner, with music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum, directed by two-time Tony Award®-winner Judith Ivey. Set to star are Lauren Kennedy (Spamalot, Side Show) as Mary, Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q, …Spelling Bee) as Joanne and Anneliese van der Pol (Beauty and the Beast, TV's "That's So Raven") as Kathy. Preview performances begin on August 22 with the official press opening on August 29 at Pasadena Playhouse (39 S. El Molino Avenue).

Based on the smash hit 1976 comedy that ran for 1,785 performances Off-Broadway, VANITIES is a funny, sexy and poignant look at the journey of three All-American girls as they mature from cheerleaders to sorority sisters to independent women. Spanning the turbulent '60s through the late '80s, VANITIES celebrates the lives and loves of three best friends caught up in rapidly changing times.

Other members of the creative team include Choreographer Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, …Spelling Bee), Set Designer Anna Louizos (In The Heights, Curtains), Costume Designer Joe Aulisi (Charlie's Angels), Lighting Designer Paul Miller (Legally Blonde), Sound Designer Tony Meola (Wicked), Music Director Carmel Dean (…Spelling Bee) and Orchestrator Lynne Shankel (Cry-Baby).

VANITIES, A New Musical, was originally produced at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto in the summer of 2006. The critically acclaimed production was awarded two Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Musical Production and Best Original Score, and was also showcased at the 2006 National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) Festival of New Musicals. VANITIES will be produced on Broadway in the Fall of 2008 by Junkyard Dog Productions and Bartner/Jenkins Entertainment. A theatre will be announced at a later date.
VANITIES plays at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Avenue in Pasadena. Performances begin August 22 and run through September 28, with the official press opening on Friday, August 29. Performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets range from $48.00 - $76.00. Tickets are available by calling the Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-PLAY, by visiting the Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, open from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. daily excluding holidays and online at www.Pasadenaplayhouse.org. Group Sales (15 or more) are available by calling 800-378-7021.

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