Chuck Ketter

The marriage of ballet and Disney musical is a delightful one. Beauty and the Beast was a sold-out smash hit at the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga March 2nd through 10th.  A joint production of the Candlelight Pavilion and the Inland Pacific Ballet, this Disney musical was lavish and entertaining.

Man of La Mancha /book by Dale Wasserman/music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion/ directed by Chuck Ketter/choreographed by Daniel Solis/ music direction by Douglas Austin/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre/through February 22 This has to be my hundreth viewing of this show. As many times as I see Man of La Mancha, I relish the music and high dramatic moments of this classic piece of theatre. Such is the case when the production is top notch, with the perfect actors and highly skilled direction. Candlelight Pavilion's current revival is fantastic with artistic director John LaLonde stepping into the role of Cervantes for the sixth time. In spite of the entire cast's excellent performances, he is the main reason to see this fine production.

The Bodyguard The Musical/based on the film with screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan/book by Alexander Dinelarissir/music: the hit songs of Whitney Houston/directed by John LaLonde/choreography by John Vaughan/musical director: Kevin Casio/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through September 28 As much as I admired Whitney Houston's phenomenal vocal instrument, I did not much care for 1992's movie of The Bodyguard. Apart from the music, I found it relatively boring. Houston's role Rachel Marron seemed of lesser focus than that of her bodyguard played by Kevin Costner, and maybe screenwriter Kasdan didn't feel that Houston, in her first film, could cut the acting. Now onstage in a revamped version, The Bodyguard The Musical took my breath away from moment to moment. The focus here is on Rachel Marron (Daebreon Poiema) and her sister Nicki (Deanna Anthony) who sing the hel

Peter Pan is an enchanting tale that delights children of all ages. Children dream of being able to fly and to live freely, without attachments or responsibilities. With the right casting, the show is pure magic. Now onstage through August 18 at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Peter Pan will never grow up, thank heavens! In this case there is not a famous star attached to the role....and director John LaLonde has cast a male in the lead. A refreshing change...and, let's face it, it must work. Peter is a boy, after all. Gavin Juckette is an immmensely talented triple threat who has played the role previously on the East coast. La Londe has cast this Peter Pan very well, making it soar.

No No Nanette/book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel/adapted by Burt Shevelove/'music by Vincent Youmans; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach/directed by John LaLonde/choreographed by John Vaughn/musical director: Douglas Austin/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through April 13 Based on Frank Mandel's 1919 play My Lady Friends, the musical version No No Nanette bowed on Broadway in 1925 and spawned many movies through the years. But it wasn't until 1971, in a rollicking revival adapted by Burt Shevelove, that the

Titanic the Musical/story and book by Peter Stone/music and lyrics by Maury Yeston/directed by Chuck Ketter/musical director: Andrew Orbison/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through February 23 In spite of the fact that it has one of the most majestic musical scores ever written for a Broadway stage by Maury Yeston in 1997, Titanic the Musical was, no pun intended, a disaster with lukewarm reception from both audiences and critics. Come to think of it, how entertaining can a musical be about the sinking of the Titanic? People were repelled by the

The Addams Family, whose Broadway run was clouded with negative reviews and less than powerful performances from its two  talented stars Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, is receiving a handsome revival at Candlelight Pavilion.. Director Chuck Ketter puts the kooky Addams Family through their diliriously divergent moves through November 24.

Bonnie & Clyde/book by Ivan Menchell/music by Frank Wildhorn; lyrics by Don Black/directed by Victor Hernandez/music director: Ryan O'Connell/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through October 14 When people read that the violent story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow was musicalized in 2009, they cringe at the thought of it making a decent musical. But it is, and much more than just decent. It's really quite wonderful in every way.

Disney's The Little Mermaid/book by Doug Wright/music by Alan Menken/lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater/directed by John LaLonde/choreographed by Chelsea Morgan Stock/musical director: Julie Lamoureux/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through September 1 Disney's The Little Mermaid is an entertaining treat ... it's aglow and scintillating for kids of all ages. Young kids laugh and hiss at Ursula and her mad pranks; older ones love Ariel's romantic reverie with the Prince. All the color and splendor of the ocean is onstage without water, and that has a lot to say about the creative team who strive to make us believe where we are. As technical aspects of the show are working smoothly, and splend

OMG! You mean, like, Elle Woods isn't from the San Fernando Valley, but from Malibu? Wow! And- she not only attended college locally but got into Harvard Law School? May seem a bit far-fetched or too hard to swallow, but it doesn't matter, because once you've seen Elle in action, she's irresistible: a cross between Goldie Hawn, Glinda from Wicked and a splash of Mary Poppins thrown in for good measure. You're gonna love her, guys, in this grande spanking, freshly blossomed pink rosebud of a show. If you liked Reese Witherspoon, you will adore perky, gorgeous Callandra Olivia and everyone else in the fantastically sugar-coated romp Legally Blonde The Musical currently onstage at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre.

I have seen Ragtime the Musical a half dozen times since it premiered in LA in 1997 prior to Broadway and...have never tired of it. Why? First, its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to tears. Secondly, it presents elements of pop culture mixed in with the meaningful historical content of America at the turn of the 20th century, making it the most relevant show in the last 25 years. Now by means of Candlelight's revival production, onstage in Claremont through February 24, Ragtime continues to enlighten and enchant simultaneously.

Lakewood Theatre Company begins its fall season on September 8th with the legendary landmark musical Cabaret directed by Ron Daum. Musical direction is by Beth Noelle, and choreography is by Laura Hiszczynskyj.

There's no finer Christmas entertainment than an original story about home and family that has lots of humor, music and more than enough touches of magic...and of course, several kids and, to top it all off, Santa and Mrs. Claus. That's pretty much it in a nutshell with Home For Christmas, 2015's holiday show currently onstage at Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont through December 27. It's a whole lot of imaginative fun that you cannot afford to miss.

Tim Rice's & Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita has had a thirty-seven year international love affair with the public since it premiered in 1978 in London and in 1979 on Broadway. The latest local reincarnation currently at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont until June 28 is lovingly directed by Chuck Ketter and excellently choreographed by Roger Castellano.

EVITA opens May 16, 2015 at the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont, blending a fine dining and musical theatre experience during their 30th season. With more than 20 major awards to it's credit, and the Oscar winning film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, Evita has become iconic.

Satire on religion can be fun to watch. Take The Book of Mormon, for example, with its ferocious attack on innocence and man-made intervention. On a much smaller scale, Smoke on the Mountain is an intimate up close theatrical experience that comes to life via its bluegrass-style gospel musical numbers. Some of the stories as told by the Sanders family, a group of traveling singers/musicians, who perform a one-night gig circa 1938 at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, North Carolina are wrenchingly funny. In a well-directed and very well-cast revival at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Smoke on the Mountain becomes a real audience pleasing entertainment.

Monty Python'sSpamalot/book & lyrics by Eric Idle/music by John Du Prez & Eric Idle/directed by Chuck Ketter/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through October 19

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