Musical Theatre Guild Sets 2019-2020 Season - BARNUM, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU, and More!

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, has announced an exciting quartet of shows for their 24th season of Broadway in Concert musicals. The MTG 2019-2020 season includes: BARNUM, THE GOODBYE GIRL, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU and KISMET.

For over two decades the group has presented a wide variety of rarely seen musicals including West Coast and Los Angeles premieres from such composers as Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Maury Yeston and Ahrens and Flaherty. In addition to their concert series, MTG, in partnership with the Los Angeles Music Center's Education Division, expands their mission of preserving the genre of Musical Theatre by presenting in-school programming to teach a new generation about this original American art form.

The actors who make up the Musical Theatre Guild company consist of some of the finest professional musical theatre talent in Southern California. Among them they share over 60 Broadway shows, 80 Broadway National tours and dozens of Tony, Ovation and Drama Desk Award nominations.

Says Elissa Glickman, CEO of Glendale Arts, where MTG is a resident company at the Alex Theatre: "When MTG pairs some of LA's most talented musical theatre performers with some the industry's most popular and/or unknown shows, what you get is pure magic on stage. Couple this with their extraordinary educational programming and it's a win/win for the Alex and the Glendale community."

Season tickets will be available online in late June and single tickets in early August through both the MTG website and the Alex Theatre Box Office, or by calling 818-243-2539 or 310-772-8178. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd. in Glendale, CA. More information about Musical Theatre Guild can be found at www.musicaltheatreguild.com.

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THE MUSICAL Theatre Guild 2019-2020 SEASON

BARNUM

Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Michael Stewart, Book by Mark Bramble

Before there was the movie smash "The Greatest Showman", there was BARNUM, the Tony Award-winning story of P.T. Barnum who combined razzle-dazzle with brass and charm to sell humbug to cheering crowds. A joyful and moving musical portrait of the nineteenth century's greatest showman, BARNUM is a colorful, dynamic spectacle with heart and a landmark Cy Coleman score ("Come Follow The Band", "The Colors of My Life", and "Thank God I'm Old").

BARNUM premiered at Broadway's St. James Theatre in 1980 starring Jim Dale and Glenn Close where it played for 854 performances. It was nominated for ten Tony© Awards with wins for Mr. Dale as Best Actor plus scenic and costume design. Its 1981 West End premiere starred Michael Crawford. BARNUM was recently revived at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2018.

Sunday, September 22, 2019 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

THE GOODBYE GIRL

Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by David Zippel, Book by Neil Simon. Based on Simon's 1977 award-winning screenplay of the same name.

Based on Neil Simon's 1977 award-winning film, THE GOODBYE GIRL follows the unlikely comic romance between Paula, a bitter single mother and former Broadway dancer who has been jilted one too many times, and Elliot, an opinionated actor who shows up unexpectedly with a lease to sublet her apartment. Musical sparks ensue. Simon's collaborators for the musical were the legendary Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) and David Zippel (City of Angels).

After an out-of-town tryout in Chicago, THE GOODBYE GIRL opened on Broadway in 1993 starring Bernadette Peters, and, in his Broadway debut, Martin Short. It ran for 188 performances, was nominated for five Tony© Awards and won the Drama Desk Award for Mr. Hamilish's brassy, giddy and rhythmic score.

Sunday, November 10, 2019 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU

Music by Barbara Anselmi, Lyrics and Book by Brian Hargrove

The bride is Jewish. The groom is Catholic. Her mother is a force of nature. His mother is a tempest in a cocktail shaker. One of the funniest musicals of the decade, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU invites you to an unforgettable wedding, where anything that can go wrong does and love and music pop up in the most mysterious of places.

After debuting at the St. George Playhouse in 2011 and a subsequent staging at Village Theatre in Issaquah, WA, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU opened on Broadway in 2015 under the direction of David Hyde Pierce starring Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, Lisa Howard and Sierra Boggess. It ran for 135 performances and was nominated for six Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Drama League Awards and three Drama Desk Awards.

Sunday, February 9, 2020 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

KISMET

Music and Lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest from the themes of Alexander Borodin. Book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, Based on the play by Edward Knoblock

Set in the exotic time of the fabled Arabian Nights, KISMET spins the fateful adventure- filled tale of glib-tongued street poet, a resourceful seller of rhymes, and his beautiful daughter Marsinah. It weaves a lush tapestry of romance and melody and features many favorites including "Stranger in Paradise", "And This is My Beloved" and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads".

The Los Angeles Civic Light opera commissioned composers Wright and Forrest to adapt the luscious classical melodies of Alexander Borodin. KISMET premiered in Los Angeles before opening on Broadway in 1953 during the middle of a newspaper strike. Having no reviews to help sell tickets, KISMET was perhaps the first musical to use the power of television to promote a show. It ran for 583 performances, starring Alfred Drake, Joan Diener and Richard Kiley. The recipient of three Tony© Awards, including Best Musical, KISMET was adapted into an MGM film in 1955.

Sunday, May 3, 2020 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

Musical Theatre Guild is comprised of musical theatre's finest professional artists, producing staged concert readings of Broadway's forgotten gems and undiscovered treasures.

For over twenty years, Musical Theatre Guild has produced nearly 100 shows, many of which are once-in-a-generation opportunities to be performed and seen. Per Musical Theatre Guild's mandate, performances are concert-style versions of the shows, with script in hand, and with minimal scenery and costumes. A live professional orchestra is utilized at all productions. In addition, Musical Theatre Guild is a non-profit theatre organization, whose outreach and educational programs offer an excellent introduction to this unique American treasure and hope to inspire and excite a new generation of theatre artists and audiences. In addition to an extensive in-school outreach, Musical Theatre Guild regularly provides FREE tickets to hundreds of students throughout our season. For many Southern California area students, attending a Musical Theatre Guild show at the Alex Theatre is their introduction to a lifetime of enjoying this truly American art form.

Recognitions include The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award, The Actors' Equity Foundation, The ASCAP Foundation, The California Arts Council, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The City of Los Angeles Artistic Excellence Citation, and more.