Mary Gordon Murray News

The Best in LA Theatre for 2011 (alphabetical listings) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) announces the recipient of the second York Theatre Company Noël Coward Prize, celebrating individual musical theatre talent; as well as the next three offerings in its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series.

Perhaps Kander and Ebb's best musical, apart from Chicago, Cabaret has it all: a finely detailed book, deliciously diverse characters, dynamite music and a subtext that will not quit. The subtext being: either compromise or get out if you value your life, the latter, to be sure, the wiser. This is Berlin, circa 1930, before Hitler, but just as Nazi pressure hits the fan. Reprise Theatre Company's stellar new revival production has the brilliant stamp of Broadway director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

Reprise Theatre Company's production of the classic American musical 'Cabaret,' which opens the 2011-2012 Reprise season and plays September 13 to 25 (press opening September 14, 2011) at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, includes a cast of new talents as well as Broadway and West End veterans - Zach Bandler as Ernst Ludwig, Lisa O'Hare as Sally Bowles, Jeff McLean as Cliff Bradshaw, Katrina Lenk as Fräulein Kost, Mary Gordon Murray as Fräulein Schneider, Robert Picardo as Herr Schultz and Bryce Ryness as the Master of Ceremonies.

Reprise Theatre Company's production of the classic American musical 'Cabaret,' which opens the 2011-2012 Reprise season and plays September 13 to 25 (press opening September 14, 2011) at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, includes a cast of new talents as well as Broadway and West End veterans - Zach Bandler as Ernst Ludwig, Lisa O'Hare as Sally Bowles, Jeff McLean as Cliff Bradshaw, Katrina Lenk as Fräulein Kost, Mary Gordon Murray as Fräulein Schneider, Robert Picardo as Herr Schultz and Bryce Ryness as the Master of Ceremonies.

Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities and Executive Producer James A. Blackman III continue their 20th Anniversary Season with Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' sweeping musical, The Light in the Piazza. Performances begin on Wednesday April 20 (with a gala press opening on Saturday April 23) and will run through Sunday May 8 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities and Executive Producer James A. Blackman III continue their 20th Anniversary Season with Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' sweeping musical, The Light in the Piazza. Performances end Sunday May 8 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities and Executive Producer James A. Blackman III continue their 20th Anniversary Season with Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' sweeping musical, The Light in the Piazza. Performances begin on Wednesday April 20 (with a gala press opening on Saturday April 23) and will run through Sunday May 8 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival (June Lindenmayer, Executive Director; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director) has announced casting for the line-up of new works for the 2010 summer festival of theatre and dance at the venerable performing arts school in Steamboat Springs, CO.

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival (June Lindenmayer, Executive Director; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director) has announced casting for the line-up of new works for the 2010 summer festival of theatre and dance at the venerable performing arts school in Steamboat Springs, CO.

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival (June Lindenmayer, Executive Director; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director) has announced casting for the line-up of new works for the 2010 summer festival of theatre and dance at the venerable performing arts school in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Broadway veteran James Barbour (A TALE OF TWO CITIES, ASSASSIN, URINETOWN) will end the world premiere musical Nightmare Alley opening at the Geffen Playhouse on May 23, 2010.

Where's the nightmare? Not nearly as dark as it needs to be or musically enticing enough, Nightmare Alley at the Geffen, by its very nature should be diabolically thrilling like a Kander and Ebb musical but it doesn't cut the mustard, even with its exceptional cast including James Barbour, Larry Cedar and Mary Gordon Murray.

Sarah Glendening (Broadway's Good Vibrations), joins the colorful cast of characters in the world premiere musical Nightmare Alley opening at the Geffen Playhouse on April 21, 2010.

Sarah Glendening (Broadway's Good Vibrations), joins the colorful cast of characters in the world premiere musical Nightmare Alley opening at the Geffen Playhouse on April 21, 2010.

Broadway veteran James Barbour (A TALE OF TWO CITIES, ASSASSIN, URINETOWN) leads a colorful cast of characters in the world premiere musical Nightmare Alley opening at the Geffen Playhouse on April 21, 2010.

The award-winning York Theatre Company ended its limited engagement of THE TIMES on January 17, 2010. The production was presented as part of the York's New2NY series.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) announces further casting of an upcoming weekend of concert performances of the new musical, The Times.