Rubicon Theatre Company to Present Kander & Ebb Musical Revue THE WORLD GOES 'ROUND Directed By Wren T. Brown

RUBICON THEATRE will ring in the holidays with the exuberant, Drama Desk Award-winning musical revue THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND, running December 6 to December 23, 2023, at The Karyn Jackson Theatre in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District. Directed by WREN T. BROWN, with Musical Direction by WILLIAM FOSTER McDANIEL and Choreography by KEITH YOUNG, The World Goes ‘Round is a salute to the timeless songs of JOHN KANDER and FRED EBB, the creative geniuses behind Broadway hits like Chicago and Cabaret. 

The World Goes ‘Round features brassy uptempo belt numbers and tender ballads, including unforgettable gems like "Mr. Cellophane," "Maybe This Time," "Cabaret," "New York, New York," and the title song. The stellar cast for the Rubicon production includes MARY ANN HERMANSEN (Chicago on Broadway), JEFFREY LANDMAN (Les Misérables and Falsettos on Broadway and national tours), Olivier Award nominee APRIL NIXON (Broadway and National Tours of Damn Yankees, The Dancer's Life, Fosse, Cats), TRISHA RAPIER (The Boy from Oz, Sister Act on Broadway), and ANDREW SAMONSKY (South Pacific on Broadway, and tick, tick…BOOM! and Little Miss Scrooge at Rubicon).

 

THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND opens Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 7:00 p.m., with low-priced previews December 6 through 8. The run continues through December 23, with performances Wednesdays at 2 and 7 p.m. (talkback following), Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30 - $89.50, with discounts available for subscribers, students, military and equity. To purchase single tickets, or to subscribe to Rubicon's 25th Anniversary Silver Season, call Guest Services at (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org.                                                                         

 

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW

 

Originally conceived by SCOTT ELLIS, SUSAN STROMAN, and DAVID THOMPSON, The World Goes ‘Round opened Off-Broadway in 1991 and ran for 408 performances. It garnered three Drama Desk Awards and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. The New York Times called the original production, “a smash...a handsome, tasteful snazzily staged outpouring of song and dance.” Broadway World hailed the show as “wonderfully rich, sophisticated and thoroughly satisfying.”  

 

The World Goes ‘Round weaves together a collection of story songs about charming misfits who embrace their unconventional truths, taking audiences on a journey through the lives, loves, and triumphs of its characters, all through the power of music and storytelling. With humor, poignancy, and a touch of nostalgia, the show showcases the indomitable spirit of the human condition.

 

ABOUT THE CAST

 

MARY ANN HERMANSEN spent her early childhood appearing in TV shows including “The Waltons,” “Family” and “Doogie Howser, MD” and in countless commercials. She has performed with such stars as Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, Prince, Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire. From the First National Tours of Smokey Joes Café and Thoroughly Modern Millie to her years on Broadway in Carrie and Chicago, she continued her passion for entertaining. Regionally, Hermansen played Kim Novak opposite Obba Babatunde in the musical Sammy. Screen credits include “Forrest Gump,” “Blast from the Past,” “Forget Paris,” “That Thing You Do,” “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Frasier,” “Nip Tuck,” and, most recently, “The Rookie.” 

 

JEFFREY LANDMAN starred on Broadway in Les Misérables and Falsettos (also the National Tour). His regional credits include Closer Than Ever, Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha, Disney's Frozen, A Class Act, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Annie Get Your Gun, [title of show], Kiss Me, Kate, Can-Can, and A Year with Frog and Toad. Landman starred in the iconic horror movie “Halloween 5” and appears in the documentary “Halloween: 25 Years of Terror.” He can also be heard singing in such movies and TV shows as “Home Alone 2,” “Life with Mikey,” “The Magic School Bus,” and “SNL.” Landman has sung with such artists as David Foster, Gloria Estefan, Maureen McGovern, Little Richard and Michael Jackson. He holds a B.F.A. from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. 

Olivier-nominated for her work in London's West End in Damn Yankees, APRIL NIXON has also been nominated for Audelco, Ovation and Elliot Norton Awards. Her Broadway and National Tour credits include Damn Yankees (Lola opposite Jerry Lewis), The Dancer's Life (with Chita Rivera), Smokey Joe's Cafe, 9 to 5, Fosse, The Wiz, Cats, The Who's Tommy, Mamma Mia, Sistas, Purlie, Crowns, Sweet Charity, Caroline, or Change, and Dreamgirls. Television credits include “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Dave Chapelle Show,” “The Wire,” “Macolm X,” and “Man on the Moon.” Other credits include “The Perfect Find” (opposite Gabrielle Union) on Netflix; and “Two Degrees” (opposite Carl Gilliard, Vanessa E. Williams, Miguel Nunoz and Tico Wells). Nixon just finished a tour of “Yemandja” opposite Grammy winner Anjelique Kidjo. She starred in and produced “Two Lost Worlds: The Musical,” starring Nicole Scherzinger.

 

Having performed on Broadway and across the globe, TRISHA RAPIER is thrilled to be making her Rubicon Theatre debut with The World Goes ‘Round. Favorite Broadway credits are The Boy from Oz starring Hugh Jackman (understudying and performing the role of Liza Minnelli), and Sister Act playing the role of Sister Mary Martin of Tours, while occasionally stepping into the role of Mother Superior. National Tours include The Who's Tommy and Forbidden Broadway/Hollywood impersonating such divas as Barbra Streisand, Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews, and Celine Dion. Off-Broadway, Rapier has been seen in Sessions, Her Song at Birdland, Shout! The Mod Musical, Nerds:// A Musical Software Satire, NEWSical the Musical, Golf: The Musical, and Forbidden Broadway. Favorite regional roles are Diana in Next to Normal, Rose in Caroline, or Change, Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, and the Guest Star in Spamilton. She can be seen on Cartoon Network's “Delocated”. She is a UCLA graduate and the recipient of the Carol Burnett Award and the Spotlight Award of the L.A. Music Center.

 

A Ventura native, ANDREW SAMONSKY is no stranger to Rubicon Theatre's stage, having previously taken on roles in productions like tick, tick…BOOM!, Little Miss Scrooge, and various concerts including 2 am at The Sands. He appeared on Broadway as Lt. Cable in the Tony award winning revival of South Pacific, where he was also seen in the Live from Lincoln Center PBS broadcast. Other Broadway credits include Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Kenneth Ormisten in Scandalous. Most recently, Samonsky appeared as Taduesz Lempicki at La Jolla Playhouse in the Broadway-bound new musical Lempicka. He was nominated for a Drama Desk award for his portrayal of Frank Russell in the Off-Broadway production of Michael John LaChuisa's Queen of the Mist and was featured in the New York City Center Encores! productions of Fiorello! and Merrily We Roll Along. Samonsky's National Tour credits include Kevin T in Come from Away, Robert Kincaid in The Bridges of Madison County, and Nick in Disney's On the Record.  He originated roles in Disney's American premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Captain Phoebus), Benny & Joon (Benny), Somewhere in Time (Richard), Tales of the City (Beauchamp), and Little Miss Sunshine (Joshua). He has been a soloist with the NY Philharmonic and Boston Pops. TV credits include “Madame Secretary,” and “Elementary.”

 

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR AND CREATIVE TEAM

 

Director WREN T. BROWN returns to Rubicon having directed Ain't Misbehavin' last year. Brown is theatre royalty - a fourth generation performer in his fourth decade as a director-actor-producer. He is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of the award-winning Ebony Repertory Theatre (ERT), Los Angeles' first and only African-American professional theatre company, in residence at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center. ERT, under Brown's leadership, has produced Ovation Award-and NAACP Theatre Award-winning productions of Two Trains Running, Crowns, A Raisin in the Sun, Robeson, The Gospel at Colonus, (which the L.A. Times called "Theatre at its most healing, electrifying and transcendent,” and the hit musical Five Guys Named Moe, which the Times reviewed as "...one of the more entertaining experiences available to humanity..." Brown's face and mellifluous baritone voice are familiar to audiences from his many film and television roles. He is an NAACP Theatre Award recipient, serves on the Board of the Screen Actors Guild, and conducts industry seminars on “Purpose, Passion and Possibility.” 

WILLIAM FOSTER McDANIEL (Music Director, Conductor, Pianist) is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music at Capital University in his native Columbus, Ohio.  He earned his Master of Music degree at Boston University and continued his studies in Paris, France as a Fulbright Scholar. Based in New York, McDaniel was an MD and conductor for Broadway musicals throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.  In that capacity, he brought three National Tours, back-to-back, to Los Angeles: Bubblin' Brown Sugar, and Timbuktu! (starring Eartha Kitt), both at the Pantages; and the original cast of Ain't Misbehavin' at the Aquarius Theatre. McDaniel was the Music Director for Blues in the Night at Ebony Repertory Theatre and at the Beverly O'Neill Theatre in Long Beach, and Ain't Misbehavin' at Rubicon and Ebony Rep. McDaniel utilized his pandemic "free time" to study, record and post his interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations on YouTube.

KEITH YOUNG (Choreographer) was a principal dancer with Twyla Tharp's company, later assisting Tharp on Milos Forman's film “Amadeus”. He also served as rehearsal director in the staging of The Sinatra Suites featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Twyla Tharp for American Ballet Theatre. An Emmy Award Nominee, Young has extensive film and TV credits ranging from Jiang Wen's “Gone with the Bullets,” and multiple Nancy Meyers' films (“It's Complicated,” “The Holiday,” and “Something's Gotta Give”). He received Choreography Media Honors for his choreographic work on the film “RENT.” In the theatre, Keith choreographed the Broadway Musical On the Town directed by George C. Wolfe. He received the San Diego Critics Choice Award for Best Choreography for the musical Sammy at The Old Globe (played by Obba Babatunde). He has directed and choreographed tours and videos for music artists such as Babyface, Madonna, Josh Groban, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight and many more.

Additional creative and technical staff includes, Set and Lighting Designer MIKE BILLINGS, Sound Designer DANNY FIANDACA, Costume Designer WENDELL C. CARMICHAEL, Associate Choreographer SHARON FERROL-YOUNG, Production Manager JULIA DONLON, Technical Director ANTHONY M. COLOMBO, and Associate Artistic Director/Casting Director STEPHANIE COLTRIN.

 

Performance Days, Times, Special Performances and Ticket Prices

The World Goes ‘Round previews Dec. 6 through 8, with a Gala Opening on Dec. 9 (also press night). Opening night tickets include a post-show reception with the cast and local VIPs at the hillside home of Doug Halter and Randy Encinas (formal or speakeasy attire encouraged). Performances continue through December 23, Wednesdays at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30 - $89.50. Perfect for social or civic club gatherings or corporate holiday parties, group discounts are available for 10 or more, with a free ticket for the group organizer. Pre-show or post-show catering is available in The Rose Room.  

The World Goes ‘Round is the second production of Rubicon Theatre Company's 25th “Silver” Anniversary Season, entitled Truly Yours. A four-show mini-series of The World Goes ‘Round, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, “A”-Trainand Once is on sale at a 15 % discount through December 6. Those who subscribe will automatically be entered to win a white-gold and diamond custom-made necklace from Fox Fine Jewelry (for details go to www.rubicontheatre.org/contest). Subscribers to all four shows receive other special benefits, including discounts and advance notice about added concerts, special events and series. To subscribe to Rubicon's 25th Anniversary Silver Season, or to purchase single tickets for The World Goes ‘Round, call Guest Services at (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the theatre, located at 1006 E. Main Street (Laurel entrance), from noon to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 

 

About Rubicon Theatre Company

Rubicon Theatre Company has been described as “the rising star of the Southern California cultural constellation.” The not-for-profit professional regional has reached more than 510,000 attendees and 53,000 students. Rubicon serves area residents and visitors with innovative productions of classic and contemporary plays, as well as a wide array of educational programs and events. Acclaimed by critics and industry professionals, the company has received the L.A. Drama Critics Margaret Harford Special Award for “Sustained Excellence,” Drama Desk Awards for the Off-Broadway productions of The Best is Yet to Come and Daddy Long Legs and has won more than 20 Ovation Awards from the L.A. Stage Alliance. 

 

Just prior to the pandemic, Rubicon transferred three shows to New York (Wiesenthal – Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; Lonesome Traveler – Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; and Daddy Long Legs (Drama Desk Award). Rubicon has welcomed a steady stream of high-profile actors and directors to the stage, including BRUNO and ODISEO BIRCHIR, SUSAN CLARK, DANA DELANEY, CONCHATA FERRELL, BONNIE FRANKLIN, HAROLD GOULD, JOEL GREY, LARRY HAGMAN, BILL IRWIN, STACY KEACH, JACK LEMMON, AMANDA McBROOM, TED NEELEY, PAUL PROVENZA, LINDA PURL, RONDI REED, JOHN RITTER, JOE SPANO, BRUCE WEITZ, LILLIAS WHITE, STEPHANIE ZIMBALIST, and others. Company members are GEORGE BALL, JOSEPH FUQUA, JOE SPANO and JENNY SULLIVAN. 

 

Based in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Rubicon resides in a 185-seat historic church built in the 1920s. In this renovated historic landmark, audience members are never further than 10 rows from the stage on the main floor. (The balcony, which seats twenty, is available for private parties or corporate groups.) 

 

True to the company's name and the vision of artistic directors KARYL LYNN BURNS and JAMES O'NEIL, Rubicon has created an environment where commitment and risk are encouraged, and where artists are nurtured and respected. As a result, the company has gained a reputation for invigorating interpretations of the classics and for supporting the development of new works. Rubicon presents at least one World Premiere each season, as well as readings of works-in-progress. 

 

Deeply rooted in the region it serves, Rubicon offers extensive outreach programs, including daytime matinees for high school students, after-school and weekend programs for at-risk youth, and summer musical theatre, drama and technical camps. 

 

A board of directors of prominent social and civic leaders governs Rubicon under the leadership of DOUG HALTER. The company is also supported by an advisory group of regional ambassadors and a volunteer auxiliary. Rubicon Theatre Company is located at The Karyn Jackson Theatre, located at 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District. For more information about Rubicon Theatre Company, or to purchase tickets, call (805) 667-2900 or go to www.rubicontheatre.org. 

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