WATERFALL World Premiere to Close This Weekend at Pasadena Playhouse; Heads to Seattle This Fall

WATERFALL, the epic new Broadway bound musical love story, which had its world premiere at The Pasadena Playhouse (Artistic Director, Sheldon Epps) on June 7, 2015, will play its final performance on Sunday, June 28. The production will next play Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre October 1-25, 2015.

WATERFALL is directed by Thai theatrical impresario Tak Virivan, the leading figure of Thailand's burgeoning theatre scene, and co-directed and choreographed by Tony Award-nominee Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, Lysistrata Jones). The production features Thai sensation Bie Sukrit making his American stage debut.

As WATERFALL rehearsals began last spring, The Pasadena Playhouse was selected as one of 26 arts organizations from around the country to be a part of the New York-based Wallace Foundation's Building Audiences for Sustainability effort. This is a new, six-year initiative for which The Pasadena Playhouse seeks to develop stronger ties to Asian American Pacific Islander audiences of the Southern California region. WATERFALL spoke directly to this effort, and prominent members of the Thai community shared their praise.

The Thai Consul General of Los Angeles, Jesda Katavetin, said, "WATERFALL is a success in exemplifying the Thai way of life... also possesses the quality of the highest level for a Broadway Musical."

Chanchanit (Chancee) Martorell, Founder and Executive Director of the Thai Community Development Center said, "What an incredible production -- so professionally done, well performed, and the vibrant and exquisite set designs, costumes and special effects just blew me away."

Waraporn (Nid) Tiaprasith, President of the Thai Association of Southern California, Inc., said, "The leading characters, Noppon and Katherine, are doing the right thing -- that is to live for the present and keep good memories of the past."

Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse, says, "Our premiere production of WATERFALL has been a tremendous success on every level. We have had a joyous and rewarding collaborative process with the creative team that has led to a beautiful production on our stage and also valuable insights that will contribute to the ongoing growth of the show as it heads to its next incarnation with our producing partner the 5th Avenue Theatre. In terms of our stated goal of using this valuable project to broaden our outreach, specifically to the API community in Southern California, we completely celebrate our amazing success in this area. It has been thrilling to attract hundreds of new audience members to our theatre, introducing them both to The Playhouse and to a theatrical and cultural experience that has been rightfully enthusiastically received and celebrated by so many throughout our blissful run."

WATERFALL Producer Jack M. Dalgleish says, "I am thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response from The Playhouse's diverse audience to the world premiere of WATERFALL! We couldn't have started at a more perfect theatre! Not only did we get a production of a very high standard, but under Sheldon's strong artistic leadership we discovered so much about our show that will serve to enhance WATERFALL's continued development as we move toward the 5th Avenue production this fall. I look forward to a continuing collaboration with Sheldon and The Playhouse staff as we prepare for the Seattle leg of a journey that has brought together world class theatre artists from America and Thailand to create this very beautiful musical romance."

WATERFALL stars Emily Padgett (Broadway: Side Show, Rock of Ages), Thom Sesma (Broadway: The Times They are A-Changin', Man of La Mancha), J. Elaine Marcos (Broadway: Annie, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert), and Thai superstar Bie Sukrit and features a distinguished international creative team and a cast of 20.

WATERFALL marks a groundbreaking collaboration between American and Asian theatrical artists. The musical, based on a contemporary classic Thai novel, Behind the Painting by Sriburapha, features book and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby Jr. (Ain't Misbehavin', Miss Saigon) and music by Oscar-winner and two-time Tony Award nominee, David Shire (Baby, Big, written in collaboration with Richard Maltby, Jr.) The production is directed by Broadway and Thai theatrical impresario Tak Viravan and co-directed and choreographed by Tony Award-nominee Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, Lysistrata Jones). Casting for WATERFALL is by Stewart/Whitley.

The cast of WATERFALL also features Celia Mei Rubin as Ensemble (Broadway's Matilda The Musical, London West End's Parade), Colin Miyamoto as Surin/Ensemble (National Tours of Beauty and the Beast and How I Became a Pirate), Darryl Semira as Ensemble (Broadway's Mamma Mia! and Bombay Dreams), Eymard Cabling as Siamese Ambassador/Ensemble (National Tour of Miss Saigon and International Tour of The King and I), Jordan De Leon as Santi/Ensemble (Drury Lane Theatre's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Kansas City Starlight Theatre's Footloose), Kay Trinidad as Ensemble (Broadway's The Little Mermaid, Off-Broadway's Bare), Kenway Kua as Ensemble (Broadway's Wicked and The Frogs), Kimberly Immanuel as Pree/Ensemble (Regional credits include Crazy For You and Love's Labour's Lost, the Musical) , Koh Mochizuki as Ensemble (Broadway's Mary Poppins and Aida), Leon Le as Ensemble (Broadway's Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, Theatre Under The Star's West Side Story), Lisa Helmi Johanson as Kumiko/Ensemble (Off-Broadway, National and International Tour of Avenue Q), Marcus Choi as Japanese Attache/Thai Minister/Ensemble (Broadway's Wicked and Flower Drum Song), Minami Yusui as Ensemble (National Tour of Mary Poppins, Meadow Brook Theatre's Lysistrata Jones), Riza Takahashi as Ensemble (The MUNY's The King and I and Thoroughly Modern Millie), Rona Figueroa as Ensemble (Broadway's Miss Saigon and Les Miserables), and Steven Eng as Takamoto/Ensemble (London West Ends' The King and I, North Shore Music Theatre's Pacific Overtures).

The creative team for WATERFALL includes John McDaniel (Music Supervisor/Conductor), Sasavat "Ja" Busayabandh (Scenic Designer), Wade Laboissonniere (Costume Designer), Ken Billington (Lighting Designer), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Designer), and Caite Hevner Kemp (Projection Designer).

WATERFALL is an epic love story, 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 Japan prior to World War II. With a gloriously romantic score, WATERFALL is a modern love story of timeless scale.

WATERFALL will be produced on Broadway by Scenario Company Ltd. and Jack M. Dalgleish. Foresight Theatrical serves as general managers. Production dates for Broadway will be announced once a theatre has been confirmed.

The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The 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, priced from $47.00 to $87.00, are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org; by calling The Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529; or visiting The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, Tuesday - Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. during non-performance dates. On performance dates the Box Office is open Tuesday - Saturday from 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

Pictured: Emily Padgett and Bie Sukrit in WATERFALL. Photo by Jim Cox.

Don't Miss a Los Angeles News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...