Roger Bean's Award-Winning LIFE COULD BE A DREAM Runs at ICT

SH-BOOM! Meet fledgling doo-wop singing group Danny and the Dreamers as they prepare to enter the Big Whopper Radio contest and realize their dreams of making it to the big time, International City Theatre opens its 34th season with the delightful, award-winning jukebox musical Life Could Be A Dream, written and created by Roger Bean. Directed by Jamie Torcellini and with musical direction by Bill Wolfe, performances take place Feb. 22 through March 10 at ICT's home in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Two low-priced previews are set for Feb. 20 and Feb. 21.

Rodd Farhadi (Mamma Mia! at the Hollywood Bowl), J. Thomas Miller (touring production of Game of Thrones parody Musical Thrones), Josey Montana McCoy (Disney's Frozen - Live at the Hyperion) and Trevor Shor (The Hunchback of Notre Dame for 5-Star Theatricals) make up the singing foursome. Trouble comes in the form of Lois, played by Marisa Matthews (The Threepenny Opera at A Noise Within), who arrives to put some polish on the boys. Denny and Wally fall in love, Eugene falls apart, and along comes handsome heartthrob Skip to send the whole situation spinning. The '60s doo-wop songs say it all: "Fools Fall in Love," "Tears on My Pillow," "Runaround Sue," "Earth Angel," "Stay," "Unchained Melody," "Lonely Teardrops," and "The Glory of Love."

"Some of our favorite, feel-good memories sweep over us when we hear a song on the radio," says Torcellini. "Life Could Be A Dream transports us back to a simpler time, floods us with nostalgia and reminds us of those important times that helped shape our lives."

The creative team for the ICT production includes set designer Amanda J. Stuart, lighting designer Donny Jackson, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey, prop designer Patty Briles, and hair and wigs designer Anthony Gagliardi. Casting is by Michael Donovan and the production stage manager is Karen Schleifer.

Life Could Be A Dream premiered at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood in 2009, where it was a Los Angeles Times "Critic's Choice" ("euphoric ... so frothy, it floats"), and where it ran for a record-breaking 12-months. The production was the recipient of that year's L.A. Drama Critics Circle award for "Production of the Year," the LA Weekly award for "Best Musical of the Year" and the Backstage Garland award for "Outstanding Musical."

Roger Bean created the long-running off-Broadway hit The Marvelous Wonderettes (18 months at The Westside Theatre), along with the sequels Wonderettes: Caps & Gown;Winter Wonderettes; and Wonderettes: Dream On. The Marvelous Wonderettes received the 2007 Ovation award for best musical for its long-running Los Angeles production, and it continues to be an audience favorite, having had over 600 productions across the country. Mr. Bean also wrote and created the popular jukebox musicals Summer of Love, The Andrews Brothers, Route 66, Honky Tonk Laundry and Why Do Fools Fall In Love?. He is the president of Steele Spring Stage Rights, a leading independent theatrical publisher in the United States.

Life Could Be A Dream runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., Feb. 22 through March 10. A talk back with the cast will follow the matinee performance on Sunday, March 3. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and Thursday, Feb. 21, both at 8 p.m. Tickets are $47 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $49 on Saturdays and Sundays, except for Feb. 22 (opening night) for which tickets are $55 (includes a post show reception) or $125 (includes a pre-performance dinner in addition to the post-show reception). Low-priced tickets to previews are $35. International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center at 330 East Seaside Way in Long Beach, CA 90802. For reservations and information, call 562-436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.

 

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