Two dozen wise and witty "songs of experience" with charming melodies and smartly crafted lyrics.International City Theatre opens its 2016 season with a recently updated version of Closer Than Ever, the Outer Critics Circle Award winner for Best off-Broadway Musical that also netted Drama Desk nominations for lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. and composer David Shire. Directed and choreographed by Todd Nielsen, with musical direction by Gerald Sternbach, and starring ICT favorites Kevin Bailey (Abigail/1702),Valerie Perri (The Sweepers), Adam von Almen (The Heir Apparent) and newcomer Katheryne Penny, Closer Than Ever opens February 12at ICT's home in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Two low-priced previews take place on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11.
Two dozen wise and witty 'songs of experience' with charming melodies and smartly crafted lyrics. International City Theatre opens its 2016 season with a recently updated version of Closer Than Ever, the Outer Critics Circle Award winner for Best off-Broadway Musical that also netted Drama Desk nominations for lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. and composer David Shire. Directed and choreographed by Todd Nielsen, with musical direction by Gerald Sternbach, and starring ICT favorites Kevin Bailey (Abigail/1702), Valerie Perri (The Sweepers), Adam von Almen (The Heir Apparent) and newcomer Katheryne Penny, Closer Than Ever opens February 12 at ICT's home in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Two low-priced previews take place on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11.
There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2015 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, or technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.
Proving once and for all that concerts need not be serious or dull, Fraser Entertainment Group's 9th installment of A Classic Evening of Broadway bowed at Rockwell Table and Stage on Monday, August 10 to a packed audience of enthusiastic show tune fans. And it was an uber delightful show! Musical director Brad Ellis, best known for TV's Glee and Broadway's Forbidden Broadway, is outrageous fun and his witty repartee at the piano serving as introduction to each of the guest singers was a big plus to the evening's seemingly spontaneous entertainment. Yes, indeed, the ambiance was so casual in the 90-minute set that it was as if we were all sitting on Ellis's private patio sipping drinks and listening to this musical genius create something fresh, for the very first time. He took lots of risks as in his exuberant opener, Peter Allen's 'Everything Old Is New Again'...and motivated each and every singer to join right in and follow his lead. And what a bevy of super-talented performers were on hand, including Valerie Perri, Barbara Minkus, Kevin Odekirk, Damon Kirsche, Jahmaul Bakare, Elizabeth Hayden and even producer Dianne Fraser, whom Ellis referred to as the series' empresario.
Fraser Entertainment Group's critically-acclaimed ongoing series AN EVENING OF CLASSIC BROADWAY returns to Rockwell Table & Stage in Los Feliz on Monday, August 10 at 8pm, the ninth installment of the successful concert series, produced by Dianne Fraser. Acclaimed musical director Brad Ellis (from the hit television series GLEE, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, etc.) leads a cast of superb singers from Broadway, television, and film.
Kritzerland At Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal followed its successful formula of monthly themed cabarets with The Birthday Boys: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Serrano NY, LLC presents the World Premiere of SERRANO THE MUSICAL, book and lyrics by Madeline Sunshine, music by Robert Tepper, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo (Sunset Blvd. The Wizard of Oz), choreography by Peggy Hickey (A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder) and directed by Tony nominee Joel Zwick (Dance With Me, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'). SERRANO THE MUSICAL opens tonight, January 16, and runs through Sunday, March 29 at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the stage door, featuring the creative team, below!
A perfect combination of talents winningly converges in the world premiere of Serrano The Musical, a non-stop, jaw-dropping two-hour-plus of entertainment at the Matrix Theatre.
Serrano NY, LLC presents the World Premiere of SERRANO THE MUSICAL, book and lyrics by Madeline Sunshine, music by Robert Tepper, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo (Sunset Blvd. The Wizard of Oz), choreography by Peggy Hickey (A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder) and directed by Tony nominee Joel Zwick (Dance With Me, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'). SERRANO THE MUSICAL opens tonight, January 16, and runs through Sunday, March 29 at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
Serrano NY, LLC is thrilled to present the World Premiere of SERRANO THE MUSICAL, book and lyrics by Madeline Sunshine, music by Robert Tepper, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo (Sunset Blvd. The Wizard of Oz), choreography by Peggy Hickey (A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder) and directed by Tony nominee Joel Zwick (Dance With Me, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'). SERRANO THE MUSICAL will begin previews on Thursday, January 8, 2015 and will open tonight, January 16 at 8pm and run through Sunday, March 29 at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood.
Serrano NY, LLC is thrilled to present the World Premiere of SERRANO THE MUSICAL, book and lyrics by Madeline Sunshine, music by Robert Tepper, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo (Sunset Blvd. The Wizard of Oz), choreography by Tony nominee Peggy Hickey (A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder) and directed by Tony nominee Joel Zwick (Dance With Me, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding').
The Best in LA Theatre for 2014
(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)
(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)
Serrano NY, LLC is thrilled to present the World Premiere of SERRANO THE MUSICAL, book and lyrics by Madeline Sunshine, music by Robert Tepper, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo (Sunset Blvd. The Wizard of Oz), choreography by Tony nominee Peggy Hickey (A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder) and directed by Tony nominee Joel Zwick (Dance With Me, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding').
Jennifer Kranz, winner of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2014; and Stage Star top finalist Adrienne Visnic make their respective headlining debuts at Sterling's Upstairs November 16th and 23rd.
On Sunday November 2, Kritzerland presented its 51st show Put on Your Sunday Clothes, The Songs of Jerry Herman at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with special guest star Karen Morrow. No surprise that this was an uplifting, thoroughly enjoyable evening of song, for as host Bruce Kimmel stated up front, 'No one brings optimism to Broadway like Jerry Herman.' Fabulous Tom Griep served as musical director at the piano with super songsters David Engel, Valerie Perri, Damon Kirsche, Shannon Warne, Chelsea Emma Franko and 14 year-old Sami Staitman as well as the aforementioned queen of singers Karen Morrow. Singing doesn't get any better than this!
Actors/singers David Burnham and Valerie Perri were critically acclaimed costars of Musical Theatre West's (MTW) Sunset Boulevard last season, but they have never sung together in cabaret until now. Together Again For the First Time premiered at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal on Sunday September 21, and with the opening number 'It's a Grand Night for Broadway' to the strains of 'Its a Grand Night for Singing', no finer words could appraise the evening. Accompanied on the piano and at various points in song by superior musical director Mark Vogel the trio knocked it out of the park.
Continuing its 8 year reign as the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area dedicated to presenting the best of Broadway Performers and Nightclub Artists in concert, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal welcomes Broadway's David Burnham and Valerie Perri in their co-headlining concert debut of Together Again for the First Time, an evening of non-stop Broadway showstoppers with Musical Direction by Mark Vogel at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood Sunday, September 21, 2014.
The Stars of Broadway are coming out to play with the Pasadena POPS in their one of a kind, simply cannot miss popular outdoor summer concert series at the Los Angeles County Arboretum today, June 28th with 'Broadway's Leading Ladies.'
Sterling's Upstairs - housed at popular LA hot spot The Federal in North Hollywood's NoHo Arts District - has not only been described by the Los Angeles Times as "LA's cabaret destination;" but was just cited by LA Weekly as one of Los Angeles's top five supper clubs, With an arsenal of similar accolades from LA based media, Sterling's Upstairs celebrates its eight-year anniversary this month with Broadway performers Maura Hanlon Smith (June 9), Sandy Bainum (June 22) and Bernard Dotson (June 29-June 30). Kritzerland Records' Nobody Does it Better... The songs of Dorothy Fields kicked off the month-long celebration on June 1st featuring Tara Browne, Cynthia Ferrer, Zachary Ford, Kim Huber, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sami Staitman, Sarah Staitman, Robert Yacko and Special Guest... Broadway's Kerry O'Malley.
