Warren Carlyle Joins LIMELIGHT Musical Team

The La Jolla Playhouse will soon open a new musical about Charlie Chaplin entitled LIMELIGHT: THE STORY OF Charlie Chaplin. Now Warren Carlyle has joined the creative team as co-director with Michael Unger.  Carlyle's past directing/choreographing credits include Broadway's FINIAN'S RAINBOW and A TALE OF TWO CITIES. The show will have its world premiere at the Mandell Weiss Theatre beginning September 7 and running through October 17.

The new musical began as BEHIND THE LIMELIGHT by Christopher Curtis. BEHIND THE LIMELIGHT premiered in 2005 at the Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar College.

LIMELIGHT features music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis, a book by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan, with direction by Michael Unger.

LIMELIGHT tells the story of Chaplin's rise and fall to fame. He came to America an unknown. He left amidst scandals and controversy. In between, Charlie Chaplin became one of the best-loved and most famous entertainers in the world. From the gritty streets and smoky music halls of London to movie screens across the world, Limelight goes behind the camera to show how a comic genius found soaring success and later fell from grace. Limelight provides a moving and delightful close-up on the man who changed motion pictures forever.

Composer, lyricist and writer Christopher Curtis has written for television and film and was signed to the Disney Animation Songwriter program. He is currently writing Dave The Musical (based on the Kevin Kline film) with Thomas Meehan for Warner Bros. Theatrical and producer Lauren Shuler Donner. Celebrated writer Thomas Meehan is the multiple Tony Award-winning playwright of Hairspray, The Producers and Annie, which was his first Broadway show.

For more information and tickets visit www.lajollaplayhouse.org

 

 

Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, the new musical about the stage and film renaissance man, flickers to life at La Jolla Playhouse, opening Sept. 19 following previews from Sept. 7. Warren Carlyle (direction and choreography of Broadway's A Tale of Two Cities, Finian's Rainbow) now shares direction credit with Michael Unger.

 

 Choreographer Carlyle (who has a handful of Encores! choreography jobs to his credit) was recently named co-director of the show, with Unger, who had shepherded the show for several years. Unger's credits include the Arlington Signature production of The Happy Time, NYMF's Caligula and Off-Broadway's Retribution.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.