SPLENDORA - A Musical Opens in Hollywood
By: James Sims
Hollywood's Celebration Theatre opened their 2006-2007 season Friday with the West Coast premiere of SPLENDORA – A Musical.
Based on the novel by Edward Swift, SPLENDORA – A Musical is directed by Kenneth Salzman and features music by Stephen Hoffman, lyrics by Mark Campbell and book by Peter Webb, with musical direction by Jake Anthony.SPLENDORA tells the story of a small town in East Texas and the recent return of Timothy John Coldridge, who ran away fifteen years before. Accompanied by Miss Jessica Gatewood, a lady of Victorian dress and speech, they move into the house of Coldridge's deceased grandmother, as Gatewood mesmerizes the town. Sue Ella Lightfoot seems to be the only person who suspects "there's something mighty slippery beneath those frills and flippery.""The story is haunting, the score is gorgeous and reminiscent of Sondheim and we have a fantastic cast and design team in place," says managing artistic director Michael Matthews. "To begin our second season, we are thrilled to be presenting the West Coast premiere of the extraordinary musical, SPLENDORA." SPLENDORA's stars Janet Clark, Elizabeth Greene, Michael Gregory, Ben Hensley, Laurie Morgan, Adriana Roze, Kathryn Skatula and Cory Watson. It features set design by Kurt Boetcher, lighting design by Tim Swiss, costume design by Marjorie Baer and sound design by Cricket S. Myers.The production runs through Sunday, December 3, 2006. Ticket prices are $30, and can be purchased at (323) 957-1884. The Celebration Theatre is located at 7051B Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood.