Riverside Theatricals to Present POODLEFUL

Allen D. Cornell, Producing Artistic Director/CEO of Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, has announced the creation of Riverside Theatricals, a division of Riverside Theatre focused on the creation of new musicals. Poodleful, A K9 Mystery Musical, a musical created for young audiences starring professional performers, is the first production from this division and will play Riverside Theatre September 18-20, 2015 and The Lyric Theatre in Stuart, FL on September 25, 2015.

Based on the book Pansy at the Palace by Author Cynthia Bardes, Poodleful, A K9 Mystery Musical follows the adventures of Pansy the poodle and a young girl named Avery at the glamorous Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Featuring 10 original songs written by Ken Clifton and a libretto by Mr. Clifton and DJ Salisbury, Poodleful is the delightful new musical for the entire family.

"Riverside Theatricals is a very exciting venture," said Mr. Cornell. "By creating original works, this new division will expand Riverside Theatre's mission in providing a total theatre arts experience for children and adults."

In the show, Pansy's life blossoms when she is adopted from an animal shelter by a loving family and little girl named Avery. Swept into her new life at the Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills, this smart and courageous puppy saves the day when a mysterious theft occurs, threatening to close down the hotel and disrupt the lives of her new family.

"Underneath the colorful characters and fun music is a simple story of a girl and her dog," said Mr. Cornell. "Poodleful is about two outsiders finding each other and making a difference even though they are small."

Ken Clifton, Riverside Theatre's resident Music Director, wrote 10 new songs for the hour-long show. Mr. Clifton also co-wrote the play with DJ Salisbury, a frequent Director/Choreographer at Riverside Theatre.

"The show is really fun," said Mr. Clifton. "To simply entertain is what we set out to do; to create characters that you wanted to live with for an hour and follow their journey. There are a few morals we have included; like don't judge a book by its cover, you don't need to be made over to be beautiful (you already are) and family is something that can, at times, be chosen. But the show is very entertaining. Ms. Pansy and I have been together for about a year now. I'm glad she let me into her life and now I'm looking forward to giving her to the children."

Pansy at the Palace is the first book in Mrs. Bardes' Pansy Mystery Series. Other titles in the collection include: Pansy in Paris and Pansy in Venice.

"Working with Riverside is sublime," said Mrs. Bardes. "Riverside Theatre has boundless energy and is led by one of the great creatives, Allen Cornell. Couple Allen's talent with Ken Clifton's genius as songwriter and music director and you have MAGIC! Under the direction of DJ Salisbury and management of Jon Moses my 'Pansy' sings!!!"

Directed and choreographed by DJ Salisbury, the Poodleful cast includes: Kelsey Flannery (Desiree/Frida), Samantha Cho Grossman (Pansy), Katherine Hintz (Mrs. Goldleaf), Katie Keller (Avery), Sean Potter (Mr. Dumal), and Ian Thomson (Nigel/Detective Delby).

The Poodleful creative team includes: Ken Clifton (Music Director), Dusty Terrell (Scenic Design), Stephen Stines (Costume Design), Daniel Meltzer (Lighting Design), Josh Schacht (Sound Design), and Nick Voight (Stage Manager).

Performances at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach are:

September 18 @ 7:30pm, September 19 @ 10am & 2pm, and September 20 @ 10am & 2pm.

Performances at The Lyric Theatre in Stuart are:

September 25 @11am and 7pm

Riverside Theatre tickets can purchased by calling the Riverside Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.

The Lyric tickets can be purchased by calling the Lyric Box Office at 772-286-7827 or online at www.lyrictheatre.com.