Casting is announced today for Music Theatre Wichita 46th Season, 'Hollywood to Broadway,' featuring five lavish stage musicals inspired by films, including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Hairspray, and the Kansas premieres of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Disney's Newsies.
Loretta Swit, who played Hot Lips Houlihan on television's MASH, is appearing in Coyote Stageworks' SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS at the Annenberg Theater, in Palm Springs. Ms. Swit and her co-star, David Engel, make up the cast of this two-person comedy. Their emotionally honest interaction and Larry Raben's top-notch direction help make this production a winner.
There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2016 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed.
(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)
(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)
No set, costume, technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.
The Old Globe has some great ideas to simplify your holiday shopping this year! Might we suggest tickets for the family to our 19th annual production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, a San Diego multigenerational family tradition, which runs now through December 26.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a wonderful, whimsical musical based upon the classic Dr. Seuss book. Back for its 19th incredible year, the family favorite features the songs "This Time of Year," "Santa for a Day" and "Fah Who Doraze," the delightful carol from the popular animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Celebrate the holidays as the Old Globe Theatre is once again transformed into the snow-covered Whoville, right down to the last can of Who-hash.
When October hits and Halloween horror movies begin to flood late night TV, you can always count on at least one station somewhere airing Mel Brooks' 1974 classic comedy YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. But this year, the situation is a little different. With the recent passing of Gene Wilder, who stars in the title role and also co-wrote the film with Brooks, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN has been making many more appearances than usual in tribute to Wilder's uncommon genius. As a writer and actor, the film was some of his finest work and will continue to make audiences laugh for years to come.
Palos Verdes Performing Arts is mounting a new staging of Mel Brook's Broadway hit musical comedy 'Young Frankenstein,' which was adapted from the comic genius' classic 1974 movie. The production will run September 23 to October 9 the 450-seat Norris Theatre on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.
Palos Verdes Performing Arts is mounting a new staging of Mel Brook's Broadway hit musical comedy 'Young Frankenstein,' which was adapted from the comic genius' classic 1974 movie. The production will run September 23 to October 9 the 450-seat Norris Theatre on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.
What a remarkable age this is! The five-time Tony Award-winning 'TitanicThe Musical' sets sail for the Moonlight Amphitheatre from Aug. 17, 2016 to Sept. 3, 2016 at 8 p.m. The production made port on the Broadway stage in March 1997 and won five Tony Awards that same year, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Scenic Design and Best Orchestrations. The musical 'Titanic' is a factual story, a far cry from James Cameron's film, that examines the causes, conditions and characters involved in this ever-fascinating drama, and honors the lives lost on the fateful journey. Tickets are $10 to $55 and general lawn admission is $8 to $20 and includes a lawn chair provided at entry. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 760-724-2110 or visit moonlightstage.com.
Despite boasting one of the most gloriously 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 audience and critics. Come to think of it, how entertaining can a musical be about the sinking of the Titanic?
What a remarkable age this is! The five-time Tony Award-winning "Titanic The Musical" sets sail for the Moonlight Amphitheatre from Aug. 17, 2016 to Sept. 3, 2016 at 8 p.m.
Watching Cabrillo Music Theatre's The Little Mermaid on the Fred Kavli stage is an enjoyable treat, almost like viewing the Disney film ... it's so alive and scintillating. All the color and splendor of the ocean is onstage, and that has a lot to say about this production's creative team. All the technical aspects of the show are working smoothly, in sync. Cabrillo may be assuredly proud of their production. The sad thing is it only plays a week more, until Sunday July 24.
When The Little Mermaid was released in 1989, it not only became one of the most popular Disney films to date, it was also the very first animated musical to use Broadway composers for its music - changing the direction of animated movies forever. Now Cabrillo Music Theatre brings this amazing story to life with The Little Mermaid, live on stage! This is not simply a children's show - it's a brand-new fully-developed Broadway musical, in the spirit of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Mary Poppins, and Cabrillo Music Theatre's production will be the first in the region!
Now Cabrillo Music Theatre brings this amazing story to life with THE LITTLE MERMAID, live on stage! This is not simply a children's show - it's a brand-new fully-developed Broadway musical, in the spirit of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING, and MARY POPPINS, and Cabrillo Music Theatre's production will be the first in the region!
Larry Raben is an accomplished actor and director who has added his prodigious abilities to a multitude of productions around the world. In addition to acting in a command performance before Queen Elizabeth II in London and producing Sweet Charity in Argentina, Raben has also graced Cabrillo Music Theatre's stages in productions of Singin' in the Rain, The Producers, and, most recently, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Raben is directing Cabrillo's summer offering this year, Disney's The Little Mermaid, which will prove to be the final production overseen by Cabrillo's longtime artistic director, Lewis Wilkenfeld. We talked with Larry not only about his plans for the show, one of Cabrillo's most challenging and ambitious productions, but also about working with the indefatigable Wilkenfeld.
Music Theatre Wichita opens its 45th summer season June 15-19 with the first of its five large- scale productions, Nice Work If You Can Get It at Century II Concert Hall in downtown Wichita, KS. This marks the 29th season for producing artistic director Wayne Bryan.
Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the sixth and final show in the Laguna Playhouse 2015-2016 season, Emerson Collins starring in BUYER AND CELLAR, written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Larry Raben. "To quote Barbra Streisand, "Hello, Gorgeous!" When I first saw this production, I knew that our subscribers and audiences would fall wildly in love with it and am thrilled to welcome Emerson Collins to our Laguna stage with the remarkable writing of Jonathan Tolins," says Wareham. BUYER AND CELLAR began previews on Wednesday, June 1; opened on Saturday, June 4 and will run through Sunday, June 26, 2016 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. BroadwayWorld has a look at the production - check out photos below!