Interview: Joshua Finkel of HERE'S TO US!

Joshua Finkel,  magically heads up the Musical Theater Program at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, runs the three tiered training program, the ANMT Performers' Workshop in North Hollywood, vocal coaches internationally doing his 11 brilliant master classes, as well as out of his private studio: the Creative Combustion Acting Studio. Joshua has also created classes for and has taught at the Los Angeles campus of AMDA.

Recent directing credits include the world premiere production of TSARINA at the Grove Theater in Upland, LOVE BYTES and DECEMBER SONGS both at the Noho Arts Center in North Hollywood, INTO THE WOODS at the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks (April /May 2009), the Los Angeles Premiere of THE SPITFIRE GRILL at Actors' Co-op, the Bay Area premiere of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD in San Francisco and FALSETTOLAND at San Francisco's Phoenix Theater. Joshua directed Maccabeat for the Festival of New Musicals, LES MISERABLES at Hamilton High's Music Academy Magnet, and continues to direct and star in the ongoing corporate event HOLLYWOOD REVISITED. Other notable performing credits include Lew Fields in Richard M. Sherman's latest musical about Weber and Fields, PAZZAZZ!, Bamatabois/Dance Captain in LES MISERABLES at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL with Lea Michele and 11 characters in THE KID FROM BROOKLYN: THE Danny Kaye MUSICAL at the El Portal Theater. Joshua has starred as the wild latin nightclub singer Ricardo Romero in the Los Angeles premiere of NEVER GONNA DANCE at Musical Theater West, and as Eddie Ryan in FUNNY GIRL at Robert Redford's complex in Sundance, Utah. And was in the original cast and cast album of BARK! He originated Jacob Finney in the original cast of THE GRAVE WHITE WAY at the Hudson Theater in Hollywood. Other theater credits include playing the Tony Award Winning role of Uncle Louie in LOST IN YONKERS, starring Erin Moran from Happy Days, Al in A CHORUS LINE starring Jane Lanier, and Buttons in a wild, burlesque version of CINDERELLA. Television appearances include DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES with Marcia Cross, GENERAL HOSPITAL, Joshua was seen as the Singing Waiter on the Emmy Award winning 2000 Season Finale Episode of ALLY McBEAL, THE MUSICAL ALMOST, and can be seen in the movie THE KID playing opposite Bruce Willis. Joshua played Gary Carson opposite Kathleen Quinlan on FAMILY LAW, and was the Card Dealer/Mr. Zapatella in Reprise's FIORELLO! starring Tony Danza.

On Broadway, Joshua co-starred as Molina, the Window Dresser in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN with Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams and was selected to play the role twice in India. Los Angeles audiences have seen Joshua appear as Thenardier in the original LA company of LES MISERABLES.  A classically trained actor with his MFA in Classical Theater from the University of Delaware Professional Theatre Training Program, Joshua's recent roles include Tybalt in Portland Stage's ROMEO AND JULIET directed by Tony Award Winning director Bartlett Sher, Birdie Bowers in TERRA NOVA at The Virginia Stage Company, and Juror #4 in TWELVE ANGRY MEN at Merrimack Rep. Khlestakov in THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, Edmund in KING LEAR, and the title role in HAMLET. Internationally, Mr. Finkel has performed Brecht in Germany in THE GOOD PERSON OF SETZUAN, the Greeks in Japan with the Suzuki Company of Toga in CLYTEMNESTRA.  Additional Musical Roles include Macheath in the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival's THE THREEPENNY OPERA, Jigger in Sacramento Music Circus' CAROUSEL, El Gallo in THE FANTASTICKS at the Hangar Theatre, Paul in A CHORUS LINE, Franklin Shepard in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Cosmo Brown in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, and the Pirate King in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. Other television appearances include CAROLINE IN THE CITY, THE TONY AWARDS, THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, and being a regular soloist on AMERICAN BANDSTAND. Joshua can be heard on the original cast recordings of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, BARK! and on Voice-overs for ARTSCENECAL.COM, CHUBB INSURANCE, MILLER BEER, and HALLMARK. Joshua was the live action model for Prince Eric in THE LITTLE MERMAID.  Additionally, Joshua is a master class teacher and the Emcee on the Crystal Cruise Emerging Artist cruises featuring winners from the MUSIC CENTER SPOTLIGHT AWARDS PROGRAM and directs Hollywood Revisited on the Film and Theater Cruises aboard Crystal Cruises.

JOSHUA sat down to take ten questions in ten minutes for Broadway World Los Angeles to share the process of developing your natural talents in order to follow your dreams into live performances. He is known on both coasts for being the final word in cabaret deveopment and production values:  

What constellation was in the sky when you arrived on earth?

 I was born in October, so Scorpio was hovering over Hollywood, California at 4:35 am in the morning in a gas station because my parents did not make it to the hospital. That's a whole other wonderful self-contained story. Lots of fun details and even some memorabilia I still have from the event. Happy to share with your six million readers in a later issue. 

 Please share your earliest semblance of a memory attending your first live performance and who brought you there?

One of the first live performances that really captured my attention was when I was in first or second grade and an assembly at my school had a cool theater team that did a combination of live action and puppet theater. Anoncee the Spider was the show. I believe it's an African or Asian tale, and It was magical, and I wanted to do it. And I DO love puppetry and incorporate it when I can! Plus, I literally knew the OCR of Fiddler, which was never off the turntable in my house, from the time I was 1 year old.Fruma Sarah (still a dream role, lol), but I was wired for it and always played make believe and acted out things in my room, etc.  For my 8th birthday, my aunt who lived in NYC took me to my first B'way show. I saw Fiddler from the front-row center mezz. (Paul Lipton was Tevye at that time.) That was the first time I saw a scrim being used during the Little Bird/Chava Ballet, and I had NO idea how that was done. Magic again!

How was the support at home for chasing the rainbow of performance arts? 

I am the only child of my parents. I was a late in life baby because my parents got married in their 40s. I have two older half brothers and we share mom. But she loved having a baby again 20 plus years later and was very supportive of my creativity because I was smart and read early , so I was always using my imagination and was fascinated by magical things: The Fairy Godmother in Lesley Ann Warren’s Cinderella (Celeste Holm) or shows like I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched. Loved trick photography and loved special effects. I took up magic and was a mediocre Kid magician (with my Brooklyn-ese tough guy dad as my 'lovely assistant'). He handled the hecklers and threw these brats in the thumb cuffs if they were giving me crap.  But I always played make believe and episodes and listen to albums and act them out. So, my mom was very supportive, and my dad appreciated it;  although he probably would have wanted me to be a bit more sporty, but he also knew my interests. as well as some obstacles having very sensitive eyes that really were difficult in the sun.  So seeing a ball coming out of the sky during the day was really hard for me. It still is. The contrast is difficult. Much better at night, let's say playing tennis with lights and yellow tennis balls, no problem. Or sports like gymnastics where it's just me in the mat and I'm not trying to interface and deal with things flying through the air at me, especially outside. So, they were supportive, my mom especially. And they were proud. Especially when I finally got to star on Broadway in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (as my usual track in all original casts after SUNY Purchase when GARTH DRABINSKY and LIVENT took it up) but, also as Molina. I covered Brent Carver and, later, Jeff Hyslop and HOWARD McGILLIAN.  I got to play the part in all three cities: Toronto, London and NY. That was a bucket list achievement, which they both lived to see.

How were you exposed to thearical training in higher education or bus and truck on “the Orpheum circuit?”

Higher education rather than the Orpheum Circuit...that's where I learned to strip of course...with 'finesse'  I was lucky to do a great deal of Shakespeare throughout high school and into my undergraduate training. So when it came around to getting into grad school, I was kind of in this weird in between time, since I was going to be graduating college in three years. So I wasn't quite ready to audition for the leagues. And I would have to wait the whole other year to audition for the leagues to get into grad school; but there happened to be another classmate's girlfriend who went to this wonderful new classical acting program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, called the Professional Theatre Training Program, headed up by Sandy Robbins and Susan Sweeney , Leslie Reidel, and Jewel Walker. And it was taking one class of only 36 actors, once every three years--instead of taking in folks every year.  It was intensive actor training as well as building the consciousness and interpersonal relationships a Rep Company demanded.  We learned the detail and technique that top acting schools like Julliard or RADA did, learning to master dense and complex text, so that an audience could comprehend and emotionally connect to it instantly. That has served me well. . Until that point, I had a sense of how to make something clear and emotional but not to that level of specificity and mastery. Best of all, it would not only round out my training as an actor and as a musical actor ,but also give me my MFA ergo, that smart idea to have something to fall back on . An MFA gave me the opportunity to teach at the University level, which I did for a while. And I did not have to ‘earn a degree’ outside my field of interest. So with that lucky back to back timing, I had my BA and MFA by the age of 23, and I was ready to go. 1 year out of grad school, I got into the Orig. LA company of Les Mis which led to the tour of that and then to Spider Woman. It was a wonderful 8 years of production contract work and then fun regional work as well after that.  So that’s ANOTHER long winded answer, which concisely would be: I was exposed to classical training through higher education, not the 'Orpheum Circuit.' The latter is where I (and everyone else) learned to strip…with finesse, of course' 

Who hired you first and what did it pay during your salad days? How did your extremely popular and very funny but not kosher “Bacon” Christmas song come about? 

One of the very first jobs I did was some kind of show when I was about 15 or 16. Um, it was a performance, and I needed a dance team and I had been working on couples' disco for a long time. I loved it, loved touch dancing and all that New York hustle and stuff and they needed someone like that in the show the was 50 bucks. It was local. I think it was at my local recreational park, like Roxbury Park. I have some pictures of stills from it. When i was 16/17, I did the California High State School Dance Championships, unpaid, but good exposure, and I made the final cut of the final 16 couples. Then did through a friend’s connection when I was around 17 and into 18, I got to be a regular on American Bandstand because a friend who worked for Dick Clark Productions as a summer job and he put me on a list. And then trying to think beyond that. My amazing middle brother Andy was involved in an event/charity auction. And bid for and won a “one line“ (under 5) SAG part on CHIPS opposite Erik Estrada. There were three of us, I called us “The Taft- Hartley Players” All of us getting into the union that day via this gig. I and 2 ladies, one of whom was the current Miss November in Playboy who was very hot and sweet.  I think I was 18 or 19.  So the episode was called “The Barcelona Man,” where Erik’s character did Barcelona Jeans’ photo shoot in the jeans, and a billboard of him as The Barcelona Man was on Sunset while he was there unknowingly dealing with traffic issues. And I had one line. “It's him, the Barcelona Man!” seeing that Erik Estrada (who's in front of us coincidentally stopping traffic) is the same guy in the billboard behind him on Sunset Boulevard. So that was that was my first  SAG gig thanks to my brother. What was nice at the time, was that there were windows when you could buy your way into some of the unions. The first open membership was AFTRA, then I got the Chips/SAG gig to get into SAG. And also in my mid teens, there was open membership in AEA. So I was lucky to find out about it and become a member of each, and THEN worked within them as well. The reverse route of many other folks. I was so lucky to be interested when one COULD take advantage of an ”open membership” in 2 out of the 3 unions. So my first equity contract was at San Diego Civic Light Opera, Starlight, with Don and Bonnie Ward during a summer betw” stage manager. They needed an extra equity person for the season. I heard about it, and went in. I was already in Equity. But that was the first time I worked Equity. And because I was one of the AEA members, I had 'billing.'  I was featured on the on the billboards,with the Cohen family and Kirby and Bev Ward at the the bottom I think ‘in a box’ was printed “and Joshua Finkel as " Walt " 

I know what a standout amazing acting part that everyone remembers from George M. But God bless Equity and the need for billing!  As far as the song goes, Lisa Donahey and I met doing Beauty and the Beast for Cabrillo Music Theatre directed by Lewis Wilkenfeld and choreographed by Peggy Hickey (another pal from Kirby/Bev and the Welk theatre where all did Singing in the Rain together.  Lisa was Mrs. Potts, and I was Lumiere. And we had a ball, I was honored when she asked me for help on her British dialect and I know she appreciated my training and my ear and technique for comedy.  Later on, when I was teaching one of my “Getting Your Act Together: Build and Perform Your Own Cabaret Act and Specialty Material" classes.  She took it and rocked it. In my class I go into lots of detail and created a system in which performers leave knowing how to construct an act, keep it current and truthful to who you are at that time, and also how to create as well as format /layout specialty material, so you can take it to any Pianist (even at an open Mic) and have it all work from underscoring to patter and cueing, the customizing the material. That way you can test out new material or ideas without breaking the bank or performing "stale material" that no longer feels current to you.  She did a fantastic job, and I think that began HER journey of putting acts together, building her following, etc.   Because I was also a staff member at New Musicals Inc. in Noho, she wanted to write this song and was looking for a composer to help her and her pal Eric out musically. So, I suggested a couple of talented colleagues, and she loved and used Ron Barnett, who nailed the pastiche and parody in the song.  Luckily, after it was done, she asked ME to record it! And that’s how it happened.  Before that, I also got to do a really fun solo version of Bruce Kimmel's Yiddish Sondheim Medley that we did as a group number in one of his Kritzerland events at the Federal. I had an opportunity to be featured in a benefit hosted by Bruce Villanch Shores at the Catalina. So I decided to put that group number  together as a solo, and I gave my chart/cut to Bruce afterward as an extra thank you. It’s a fun sequence, and I'm not sure if that cemented the deal in some way, or just my relationship with Lisa and referring Ron to her--or just the fact that I am Jewish and get and know how to land the jokes.  Here’s the solo performance of the Yiddish Sondheim in case you are interested.

Are your druthers fronting a 55 piece orchestra, or are you cozy with augmented tracks?

There is absolutely NO replacement for working with a live orchestra. And also the thrill of hearing music you know and are accustomed to with 1 size of a band (e.g. Les Mis at the Shubert had 25 musicians in the pit) to then do it at the Bowl with 80 pieces from the LA Phil playing it.  There were so many layers of previously unheard melody lines  made by new instruments, e.g. a bass bassoon, which I  had never experienced in that score. Not only was it intriguing but also incredible to get to sing with as a scene partner, and discover it afresh.  So yes, a live band is always so great. But on the other hand, with tracks I can control everything from the timing to the key to the mix  and achieve whatever I need. And of course, I could also have it sweetened with some live musicians as well, as long as the tracks are consistently cued. It’s great. Plus, it can be a more economical as well as logistical advantage. But if mof 36 actors oney or space is NOT a problem. Then yes, please, the full band for that show or experience. It’s one of he most incredible collaborations a musical actor can have. And until you realize how much you may NOT get to sing with that kind of accompaniment, you learn to REALLY appreciate when it comes around again at a gig or in your life.

As Mr. Cabaret, can a song list make you or break you? Is it okay to drop in an original song during one’s act?  “Broadway Direct in the Park” seems to be an amalgamation of cabaret and musical theater.  Is musical theater evolving into Baretway? 

That’s an interesting question--my answer is mutli-factorial.  For example, doing Cabaret in NYC has a different audience awareness and sensibility than perhaps doing your act in a remote location. What might 'break you’ in NYC because they feel it’s overdone, or predictable when you begin that number, another place/audience might relish that the most. In fact depending upon the age group or place, doing some of the predictaEble line up IS your gold, whereas the obscure might be interesting, but unappreciated. It’s finding that balance or building a set specifically FOR that demographic. "Art isn't easy," right? Never forget it’s COMPLETELY subjective. Case in point--I was at a gathering today where 2 people had seen Shmigadoon in NYC, and 1 LOVED it whereas the other HATED it. Same show---and that’s with savvy theater folk who enjoy theatre and would LOVE to LOVE it (especially at these prices.)  However, a truly personal story that is uniquely yours (like the full story of my birth in a gas station) would intrigue and sell anywhere. It’s what you then pair it with , that propels the arc/story and act. And if THAT arc is clear and relatable, It will work, because we hear the framing of a song differently. And that surprise coupled with the humanity in the sharing of it is something ALL audience members could relate to in some way. And it can unite those different camps (not always).  But you will find that even the most jaded audience member will be pulled in by a story that is unusual and really shares the full persona and expression of the performer. Having worked with original material and new musicals/ writing teams for 2 decades, certainly yes, drop that unique new song into your act. It will be a stamp that is YOURS, and people can get ideas from YOU and YOUR viral YouTube clip, rather than you searching for ideas from others. LOVE that. May that golden nugget happen for us all. The Jewish Christmas Song: Oy Vey! It’s Christmas is one of them!!

Your professional thoughts on Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber lamenting on ticket prices to Jukebox musicals and pop stars in Sweeney Todd are causing  original musicals to suffocate?  How do you feel about pop stars popping off on the final note like a Manilow song to make it their own? Ana Gasteyer (six Broadway shows) calls it "stunt casting" but would you pay $900 to see George Clooney in a schmusical?    

Bottom line. Riffing or showing off if SOURCED by the character / singer’s want, then great. If it’s just to impress and show pyrotechnics, (it’s BS. I call it ”Riff Patrol.” You’re busted; pull over!) But if you find the emotional center of the riff and it feels organic to your message/truth/the moment. I buy it and love it. Even in a more strict format where riffing/scooping is not ordinarily done. Because of my classical training, I like to first delve into the possibility of what is there within the work, rather than thinking I have to overlay something ELSE to make this work, especially if that ‘unique choice’ is really far from the style or given circumstances of the piece or era in which it’s set. There are other choices you can use that still give you that range of expression: texture, dynamics, and nuance, rather than taking a role and a piece written in a clear 'timeline' or style, e.g. Gentleman’s Guide (a wonderful English operetta format and score), and making it urban or indie pop. It does not make sense nor serves the whole piece. It takes me OUT of it rather than showing me a layer I did not see in it.  But if a star is smart and gets coached correctly, it can be wonderful  I’d rather see Sweeney done well and sung well (where that pop star meets the style like Fergie, Grobin etc., rather than taking the show into a modern riff filled performance that would not exist in 1800s industrial London.  It reminds me of Lee J Cobb still being a gangster in the Roman Epic Spartacus or the Ten Commandments. GREAT Musical Theater  actors have the chops to change their sound and style to serve the piece. And many newer singers only learn pop without solid legit or jazz chops. That makes me sad.  Ironically, I teach a Genre/Style Versatility workshop teaching the skills for each thing, so you don’t go into a Ragtime audition with a Rock of Ages sound and vice versa.  

If a jukebox musical is well served with the story (like Jersey Boys) or a lot of Mamma Mia (the orig) I buy it. OR if it’s a review like Ain’t Misbehavin’. Another bottom line is follow through once you set the rules. For example, Spring Awakening takes place in the 1800s in Sweden or Norway, and has a rock score, even staged so that the students in the 1800s pull out handheld wireless mics to be ‘rock stars’. The rule: ONLY when they are alone or fantasizing. If they are really in the room with others and do not veer off into their heads and imagination; they sing to each other without modern mics, which also break the truth of the era.  The rule is clear,the follow through is consistent, so I buy it. I think audiences in general WILL buy it if you set the rules. They may not agree with it or LIKE IT, but they will go with you on it.  And to me, that honors the integrity of the piece yet can put your own stamp on it (but not randomly.)  Unless it is earned via the text or concept/theme--we don’t need to see Midsummer Night’s Dream in outer space in the 29th century (unless you find a passage about the moon and the stars and heavens which you extract and build from, and ideally which ALSO shows us a layer in the work we never saw before, but ancannot deny its presence.  AND NOTHING should cost $900. Theater SHOULD be affordable and something all can see, rather than only the rich or connected; OR worse--having the cost force a family to choose between seeing a show, having a dinner, and parking your vehicle--OR throwing your wedding or graduation party, or worse, paying your rent. It’s nuts. I’m glad they DO offer some rush or lottery, but in general, it should not cost an arm and a leg to see shows. Even if 2x a month, they have a pay what you can night. Find a way to include folks that would NEVER have the chance to afford it. You might be giving the next Tony Award winner a chance to experience and clarify their life’s goal.

You have sung with a who’s who of music directors from Broadway to LA  but what top three stand out?

I love this question and it’s a hard one.  I have been lucky to have worked with amazing people from Gareth Valentine in London to Ted Sperling in NY, And sensational people here. What I adore, as someone who has built new work or specialty material, to find someone who is not only knowledgeable and smart to create the exact tone or texture we need at that moment, but also folks who really understand nuance and surprise. For and can lay in a musical passage or phrase that is either loaded with pastiche or irony if necessary, or a moment that is raw, bare, and loaded with truth.  Really versatile and knowledgeable pianists and MD’s.

My dear pal and colleague, Ed Martel, who now lives in North Carolina, not only plays like a full orchestra, but can lay in a hilarious or perfect musical accompaniment or underscoring.  I said I want to build him a website called “www.scoreyourlife.com ‘ where AI (like Alexa is always listening) and then chimes in with an underscore or intro to a song in the middle of an actual daily experience.   Also Fred Barton (currently works as the MD of ARTCO and created the amazing act “Miss Gulch Returns,” playing NYC Gay Cabarets as Almira Gulch (pre Wicked Witch) as a frustrated spinster and all that comes with it. BRILLIANT hilarious material and orchestrator.  His wit as a writer as well is someone with whom I would LOVE to collaboration a NEW work or clever cabaret material.

It’s really difficult to stop there; my list would continue with Tom Griep, Brad Ellis, Ron Barnett, ROSS KALLING, GERRY STERNBACH, Richard Allen and more. All who are brilliant and versatile yet can lead a band with confidence, clarity, and expertise. Most of them can also orchestrate equally well, which is it’s own gift.

You have played a where’s where of LA live performance venues. Who has the best houses for cabaret and what show venue have you yet to conquer? 

I have yet to play the Kodak, the Taper, or the Pantages (stage proper) vs stuff in the lobby/benefits, etc. All my tours went to the Music Center or were too big for the Taper or played Costa Mesa in OC etc. But I miss the Shubert in Century City the most. I would also love to play Radio City as well. That would be a blast. Cabaret space-wise, that’s REALLY tough because so many have closed or no longer do Cabaret.The Velvet Martini at Vitello’s is one of first  that has a nice vibe, food, and space but is not big enough for anything beyond a piano, truthfully.   Catalina can handle the band but has a weird inconsistency of intimacy depending on where you sit. AND NOT having ANY obscured seating (poles in the way) or non staggered seating or levels, so heads are in the way.) That is also a big problem for me, and if I’m seated there, I’m always bobbing and weaving to see everything I wish to. Grrr.

I look for:

1. GREAT SOUND
2. GREAT LIGHTS
3. GREAT PROJECTIONS OR AV POSSIBILITY
4. GREAT INTIMACY TO REALLY SEE THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE AND CONNECT
5. GREAT FOOD / SERVICE WITHOUT BEING RIDICULOUS
6. GREAT PARKING SO IT’S NOT CRAZY AND IT’S EASY TO GET TO.
7. THE COST TO THE PERFORMER OR PRODUCER NOT BEING SO PROHIBITIVE THAT YOU CAN NEVER MAKE A PROFIT.
8. OR THE PROXIMITY TO THE KITCHEN OR ANOTHER SPACE (like the Century Cafe was: a shared room with the restaurant on one side of the small mid level partition wall which did NOT mask or even mute the diner’s conversation during the Cabaret show on the other side of the wall which you could see over.   You could not say ‘shhhh’ to the diners. They have a right to go out to dinner and have fun. Nor can you say shhh to the singer because the drummer is so loud I can’t hear my friend across the table.  As they say….’tough room’ lol

(MAYBE THE CUTTING ROOM AT THE WALLIS?)

One of the smaller spaces at the Magic Castle (usually used for magic) But the membership issue to get in etc makes it difficult.  

The iconic Cinegrill at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was cool, but I have NOT been there in ages, but I hear its still going strong. 

GONE L.A. VENUES:

The FEDERAL

BIGGER VITELLOS

THE WRITE OFF ROOM (SADDER THOUGH, IS OIL CAN HARRYS BEING GONE)

THE ROCKWELL (LIKED THAT PLACE AND IT’S VERSATILITY)

THE GARDENIA

THE M BAR and so many more from days of yore.

I also have NOT gone to newer spaces that might feature more 'burlesque shows’ and dance rather than cabaret, so I might be missing some places.

And the intimacy of a black box is cool as long as it’s not too run down and unworkable re: bathrooms, parking, etc.

Featuring memorable songs from productions including Titanic, Fanny, The Pajama Game, Sunday in the Park with George, and many more, HERE'S TO US!  offers audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at the artistry that has defined more than 125 Musical Theatre Guild concert readings. Inspired by Stephen Sondheim’s celebrated lyric, “Here’s to us! Who’s like us? Damn few!,” the evening celebrates the performers, directors, musicians, volunteers, patrons, and supporters who have shaped Musical Theatre Guild over the past three decades while raising funds to support the Guild’s youth education initiatives.

The gala also offers audiences an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the Guild’s creative process, with directors, musical directors, writers, and longtime collaborators reflecting on the artistry behind nearly three decades of acclaimed concert presentations.

Conceived and created by longtime MTG Members Kim Huber ("Belle" in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast, director of MTG's Brigadoon) and Michael Kostroff (Broadway's Dog Day Afternoon), directed by Huber and written by Kostroff, the celebratory evening will take place on Sunday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Musical Theatre's Guild's mainstage venue, the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center Eli & Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA.

Featuring memorable songs from productions including Titanic, Fanny, The Pajama Game, Sunday in the Park with George, and many more, the concert offers audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at the artistry that has defined more than 125 Musical Theatre Guild concert readings. Inspired by Stephen Sondheim's celebrated lyric, "Here's to us! Who's like us? Damn few!," the evening celebrates the performers, directors, musicians, volunteers, patrons, and supporters who have shaped Musical Theatre Guild over the past three decades.

The concert will also offer audiences an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the Guild's creative process, with directors, musical directors, writers, and longtime collaborators reflecting on the artistry behind nearly three decades of acclaimed concert presentations.

The famed cast for HERE'S TO US! includes Elizabeth Adabale, Eydie Alyson, Eileen Barnett, Anastasia Barzee, Roger Befeler, Jennifer Bennett, Patrick Beller, Teri Bibb, Jill Marie Burke, Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Barbara Carlton Heart, Stan Chandler, Will Collyer, Karen Culliver, Lauren Curet, Tami Damiano, Matthew Patrick Davis, Susan Edwards Martin, Melissa Fahn, Joshua Finkel, Tal Fox, Ashley Fox Linton, Spencer Frankeberger, Zachary Ford, Julie Garnyé, James Gleason, Jason Graae, Jennifer Gordon, Scott Harlan, Damon Kirsche, Carol Kline, Maura M. Knowles, Michael Kostroff, Valarie Larsen, Brian Kim McCormick, Kevin McMahon, Dana Meller, Mia Michaud, Barbara Minkus, Domonique Paton, Lisa Picotte, Teri Ralston, Trisha Rapier, Jenna Lea Rosen, Glenn Rosenblum, Brent Schindele, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Chantal Tribble, Mary VanArsdel, Shannon Warne, Paul Wong, Robert Yacko, and David Zack.

In addition to Huber and Kostroff, the creative team for Here's To Us! includes musical director Brad Ellis (FOX's 'Glee'), video designer Julie Garnyé, production coordinator Tal Fox, and production stage manager Leesa Freed.

To support Musical Theatre Guild’s youth education programs and bring together musical theatre lovers from across Southern California, the evening will begin with a VIP reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in The Edye, the intimate performance space adjacent to The Broad Stage. Guests will enjoy coffee, specialty cupcakes from gala sponsor, renouned Hansen’s Bakery, and a celebratory toast honoring MTG’s 30-year legacy before the concert begins. VIP tickets are $129 and include admission to the reception, premier seating for the performance, and commemorative anniversary gifts.

Nearbys:

METRO; Exposition Line; 17th Street/SMC stop

Free ample parking on site. Taxi/Uber/Lyft drop-off:  Santa Monica at 9th Street

EATS:  Fritto Misto

             LA Puglia

             DK's Famous Donuts

Hotels: The Huntley, The Georgian, The Fairmount

Motels:  Seaview, American, Santa Monica Motel, SM Youth Hostel 

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