Cathy Rigby to Star as Mrs. Claus in THE MAGICAL SPIRIT of CHRISTMAS in Newport Beach
By: Faetra Petillo
Broadway's Peter Pan, Cathy Rigby, will star as Mrs. Claus in "The Magical Spirit of Christmas", a fully staged and costumed musical extravaganza which culminates in the lighting of the nation's tallest decorated Christmas Tree, November 20-22 in Newport Beach, California.
Rigby is joined by Tony-nominated actress Jonelle Allen and 60 talented young singers and dancers from The California Conservatory of the Arts' "Broadway U", Southern California's most comprehensive and intensive training ground in musical theatre for young performers from throughout the region, founded by David Green. Mr. Green's alumni include Tony-nominated actors Susan Egan (Beauty and The Beast; Cabaret) and Matthew Morrison (Light In The Piazza; South Pacific) , Stephanie J. Block (Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5), Lindsay Mendez (Grease), Krysta Rodriguez (A Chorus Line; In The Heights) and Anneliese VanDerPol (Beauty and The Beast; Vanities) , among others."The Magical Spirit of Christmas" features original music by David Green and John Glaudini who wrote "How The Nurse Feels" which was recently featured as part of the National Alliance of Musical Theatre (NAMT) Festival of New Musicals at New World Stages and the ASCAP-Disney Musical Theatre Workshop, under the direction of Stephen Schwartz, in Los Angeles. Their music was also featured as part of the "Broadway At Birdland" series in July. According to press notes, "Santa Claus has lost the spirit of Christmas. Mrs. Claus sets out on a magical journey in a hot air balloon across the universe to find it, and in time, to save Christmas. The high energy song and dance spectacular is like a west coast version of the famous Radio City holiday show".Photo of Cathy Rigby and James M. Nederlander courtesy of Rob Rich (www.societyallure.com)
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