GrooveLily Returns To TheaterWorks With SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES Benefit 4/10

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, is pleased to announce the return of its favorite pop-rock group, GrooveLily, to the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto for a special benefit concert, Friday, April 10. SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES is a fractured fairytale from the authors of TheatreWorks' hit show, STRIKING 12. Band members Brendan Milburn, Valerie Vigoda, and Gene Lewin give this classic fairy tale a decidedly modern twist.

After her centuries long snooze, Beauty wakes to find herself far from her fairy tale kingdom in a contemporary sleep disorder clinic where all the princes seem to have disappeared. Tickets, which include a pre-show dinner reception with GrooveLily, center orchestra seats, and GrooveLily's newly released CD, are $225. Performance-only tickets are available for $75. All audience members are invited to a post-show champagne reception with the band. This music-filled celebration also marks GrooveLily's West Coast CD release party for SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES. A post-show reception follows the performance. All proceeds benefit TheatreWorks' educational and outreach programs. For more information, please call (650) 463-1960 or visit TheatreWorks.org

GrooveLily's 2004 holiday offering, STRIKING 12, a rewired version of Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, debuted at TheatreWorks, and was an instant hit with audiences. More recently, TheatreWorks partnered with Vigoda and Milburn to bring the world premiere of their work, LONG STORY SHORT, to the Bay Area in December 2008, where it was lauded by critics and audiences alike.

Valerie Vigoda (electric violin, vocals) has toured the world with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and has opened for Tina Turner and Cher. An honors graduate of Princeton University and a former Army lieutenant, Vigoda founded GrooveLily (originally The Valerie Vigoda Band) in 1994, and has seen the band release six critically acclaimed albums. Brendan Milburn (keyboards, vocals), received his MFA in musical theatre from NYU's Musical Theatre Writing Program but was instead drawn into a rock band. His road time with GrooveLily has proven to be a way back into writing musicals. Milburn and Vigoda have been contracted to work on a soon-to-be-announced project with Disney. Gene Lewin (drums, vocals), earned a Master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music and has appeared on album recordings with George Coleman, John Patitucci, and many others.

Founded in 1970, TheatreWorks, an Equity/LORT theatre located in Palo Alto, CA, is one of the nation's leading performing arts presenters. The company produces eight shows annually, playing to more than 100,000 patrons and nearly 10,000 subscribers a year. Dedicated to the cultivation and production of new musicals, the theatre has developed and premiered more than 50 new works by both emerging artists and performing arts veterans. The company's New Works Festival and Writers Retreat programs attract renowned authors and composers and provide a solid place for America's musical theatre artists to create new works. The company has developed many works which have gone on to productions both Off-Broadway and regionally.

April 10, 2009 - 5:30pm dinner, 8pm show

TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre
1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto

TICKETS: $225 for the pre-show dinner reception, orchestra seats, post-show champagne reception, and copy of GrooveLily CD. $75 performance only. For tickets and information, the public may call (650) 463-1960 or visit theatreworks.org.

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