Laguna Playhouse Presents HERSHEY FELDER, BEETHOVEN
By: A.A. Cristi May. 07, 2018
Laguna Playhouse is thrilled to present a very special event production in association with Hershey Felder Presents, Hershey Felder, BEETHOVEN, book by Hershey Felder, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and directed by Joel Zwick. Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, "We are thrilled to be bringing Hershey Felder as Beethoven to the Playhouse for this very special two week engagement. Our audiences are going to be enraptured by this wildly acclaimed production." Adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, "We are fortunate to have such a wonderful working relationship with the genius that is Hershey Felder and are delighted to have him performing once again on our stage with the music of Beethoven!" Hershey Felder, BEETHOVEN will open on Wednesday, May 16 and performs through Sunday, May 27, 2018 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.
AN EXTRAORDINARY MUSICAL PLAY! The brilliant Hershey Felder now brings Ludwig van Beethoven to life through the eyes of a Viennese doctor who as a boy spent Beethoven's last years by the Maestro's side. Featuring some of the composer's greatest works, from the "Moonlight Sonata" to the "Ninth Symphony" and the "Emperor Concerto," this intense, illuminating, and unforgettable journey through time will immerse you in the astounding life of the Maestro and his genius that transcended it all!
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
Hershey Felder (Beethoven/Playwright) Named to Time Magazine's 2016 Top 10 Plays and Musicals, Hershey Felder has played over 4,500 performances of his self-created solo productions at some of the world's most prestigious theatres and has broken box office records consistently. American Theatre Magazinehas said, "Hershey Felder is in a category all his own." His shows include: George Gershwin Alone (Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre, West End's Duchess Theatre); Monsieur Chopin; Hershey Felder, Beethoven; Maestro (Leonard Bernstein); Franz Liszt in Musik, Lincoln: An American Story, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, and Our Great Tchaikovsky. His compositions and recordings include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano; and An American Story for Actor and Orchestra. Hershey is the adaptor, director and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music The Pianist of Willesden Lane; and producer and designer for the musical Louis and Keely: 'Live' at the Sahara, directed by Taylor Hackford. Upcoming projects include The Story of My Cello, a solo workfor cello virtuoso Antonio Lysy. Composition projects include EDITH,an opera, based on the story of British nurse Edith Cavell; a Washington Irving musical, and a new musical based on the award-winning book Out on a Ledge by Eva Libitzky. Hershey has operated a full-service Production Company since 2001. He has been a scholar-in-residence at Harvard University's Department of Music and is married to Kim Campbell, the first female Prime Minister of Canada.
Joel Zwick (Director) directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. Recent films include Fat Albert and Elvis Has Left the Building. Mr. Zwick directed the Broadway production of George Gershwin Alone at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Mr. Zwick began his theatrical career at La Mama E.T.C., as director of the La Mama Plexus. He has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Broadway touring companies. He and Hershey Felder have collaborated on Monsieur Chopin, Beethoven As I Knew Him and Maestro. Currently, Mr. Zwick is recognized as one of Hollywood's most prolific directors of episodic television, having the direction of over 650 episodes to his credit. New York productions have included Dance With Me (Tony nomination), Shenandoah (Broadway national tour), Oklahoma (national tour) and Cold Storage (American Place Theater). He acted in the original New York production of MacBird. He directed Esther (Promenade Theater, NY), Merry-Go-Round (Chicago and Las Vegas), Last Chance Saloon and Woycek (West End). Mr. Zwick has taught drama at Yale University, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Wheaton College, and the University of Southern California. He is a graduate (B.A., M.A.) of Brooklyn College. He is currently directing for the Disney Channel and has been at the helm of Suite Life on Deck, Dog with a Blog, Jessie, Shake it Up, Girl Meets World, I Didn't Do It and K.C. Undercover.
The Design Team is as follows: Scenic Design by Hershey Felder; Lighting and Projection Design by Christopher Ash; Sound Design by Erik Carstensen; Costume Design by Theatr' Hall, Paris.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
Hershey Felder BEETHOVEN will open on Wednesday, May 16 and perform through Sunday, May 27, 2018 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.
Performances will be Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm; Thursdays and Saturdays at 2pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1pm.. There will be an additional Sunday performance on Sunday, May 20 at 5:30pmand on Tuesday, May 22 at 7:30pm.
Tickets are $95.00 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. Prices subject to change.
The box office is open Mondays - Saturdays: 11a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until showtime on performance days); Sundays: 11a.m. - 4p.m. For more information on all shows and programming visitwww.lagunaplayhouse.com. For more information on all shows and programming visitwww.lagunaplayhouse.com. LAGUNA PLAYHOUSEis located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.
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