Orange County Performing Arts Center
THE CENTER ANNOUNCES 2007-2008 SEASON
DEBUTS, WORLD PREMIERES
AND ON-GOING ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS COMPRISE

CENTER’S BIGGEST SEASON

International Dance Series hails return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre and La Scala Ballet plus Tango Buenos Aires and world premiere performances by prima ballerina extraordinaire Diana Vishneva

The Jazz Club Series roster includes Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra,
Renaud Garcia-Fons, The Crusaders and
Wynton Marsalis with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Celebrities shine in the Cabaret Series – including Tony^® Award winners Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, James Naughton and Victoria Clark

Musical genius in the Concert Series includes Joshua Bell, Andrew Manze and the Helsingborg Symphony, Emerson String Quartet plus series debuts by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and eighth blackbird

The fun-filled Family Series presents Trout Fishing in America,
Snow White, ¡Sofrito! and others

NEW SERIES JOIN ALREADY-ANNOUNCED
BROADWAY AND CURTAIN CALL SERIES

 Connect yourself to the center of great cultural experiences and incomparable entertainment during the Orange County Performing Arts Center 2007-2008 Season. The Center offers seven diverse series: its hallmark International Dance Series; the Broadway Series along with its companion the Curtain Call Series; the star-studded Cabaret and Jazz Club Series, a Concert Series of the world’s leading classical artists and the enlightening Family Series. The season unfolds throughout The Center in Segerstrom Hall, the magnificent new Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and the popular Samueli Theater. As never before, this is the way to add to your life and discover new venues, new programs and new ways to enjoy great performances at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. 

Terrence W. Dwyer, president of The Center, said, “Following last year’s historic opening of our new venues and 20^th anniversary celebration, the Orange County Performing Arts Center is inspired to create a new era of exciting programs, bold initiatives and programs that will stimulate and engage the entire community. I am pleased that the 2007-2008 Season already includes a tapestry of artists and companies who are audience favorites interwoven with many who are making their debuts with us. I promise, also, that this is just the beginning of our plans; I look forward to unveiling additional programming and education projects throughout the year that will engage new audiences in new ways – allowing people to experience, learn and participate in the incredible power of live performance.”

The Center thanks Mercedes-Benz, the official vehicle of The Center, for its generous support of the 2007-2008 Season.

InTernational DANCE SERIES

Tango Buenos Aires • Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater •

Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion • La Scala Ballet • American Ballet Theatre

Few theatrical experiences can be as gripping and involving as dance. Combining unbelievable feats of grace, beauty and strength with visceral expressions of emotions and passion, dance is beyond the extraordinary. The Center’s 2007-08 International Dance Series includes many of the world’s greatest dance companies offering unique styles and interpretations. Inspired by The Center’s world premiere production of Kings of Dance that showcased four of the world’s leading male dancers, The Center will present the brilliant prima ballerina Diana Vishneva in Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion.

The Center’s International Dance Series has been made possible by the ongoing generosity of Audrey Steele Burnand. Major support for the 2007-2008 Dance season is provided by Jane & Jim Driscoll, Ameriprise Financial and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. The Los Angeles Times is the exclusive media sponsor.

Tango Buenos Aires | Center Debut

November 8-11, 2007

Experience the authentic tango spirit – seductive, sensual and invigorating. Tango Buenos Aires has become one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, known throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East as the most authentic and uncompromising representative of the Tango. The Washington Post says, “… swirling, fast-paced tapestries of movement, laced with proud postures and sensual couplings.” Rhythms and flawless synchronization by the leading dancers and musicians from Argentina infuse this venerated dance art with the pulse of modern cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.

Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion | World Premiere

February 12-13, 15-17, 2008

Following the phenomenal success of Kings of Dance, The Center presents another world premiere dance co-production with Ardani Artists showcasing an international dance superstar. Diana Vishneva is one of the world’s most glamorous and extraordinary dancers, worthy of this tribute. As the San Francisco Chronicle states: “Few ballerinas in recent memory have created quite a stir as the Kirov Ballet's Diana Vishneva.” The prima ballerina will perform a program of new ballets created for her by three distinct choreographers: Alexei Ratmansky, Moses Pendleton and Édouard Lock. Joining her for this world premiere are the orchestra and corps de ballet of the National Ballet of the Ukraine.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

March 11-16, 2008 Judith Jamison, artistic director; Masazumi Chaya, associate artistic director

Few companies electrify an audience like the dancers of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – “the most gorgeous dancing you ever did see,” as New York Magazine wrote. Their phenomenal energy and commitment create life-affirming experiences. The always-astonishing Ailey returns to The Center with an array of classics and new works by today’s most inventive choreographers.

Teatro Alla Scala Ballet

June 17-22, 2008 Paolo Arcà, artistic director

The Orange County Performing Arts Center is proud to welcome the return of La Scala Ballet – the resident company of one of the world’s most esteemed theaters. Dance Magazine says, “the Scala dancing was masterly throughout.” The company’s original style and spectacular fashion are the result of long and fruitful associations with some of the greatest names in ballet. Today’s La Scala epitomizes a company built on an illustrious history with a vision and view to the future.

American Ballet Theatre

July 29-August 3, 2008 Kevin McKenzie, artistic director

“One of the most beautiful sights in dance is American Ballet Theatre in full flight,” says New York Post. Center audiences love ABT, and ABT loves The Center, which has virtually become the company’s West Coast home. The brilliant company and its galaxy of dance superstars captivate audiences with every move, whether enchantingly subtle or larger-than-life bravura.

Season ticket prices for the Dance Series range from $60 to $299.

JAZZ CLUB SERIES

Renaud Garcia-Fons • Tierney Sutton • Rachael Price •

Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra: Celebrating Benny Carter’s 100^th Birthday •

Joey DeFrancesco and Bobby Hutcherson • The Crusaders •

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra •

Taylor Eigsti • Phil Woods

The Center’s 2007-2008 Jazz Club Series welcomes established stars and up-and-coming talents to its new home, the Samueli Theater. Audiences will also get to enjoy three spectacular concerts in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, including a world premiere performance by the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra honoring the 100^th birthday of Benny Carter. Making their Jazz Club Series debuts will be Renaud Garcia-Fons, Rachael Price, Taylor Eigsti and Phil Woods. Support for The Center’s Jazz Club Series is provided by Clos du Bois, preferred wine partner of The Center; Kingston Technology, KKJZ-FM, The Long Beach Press Telegram and Delta Air Lines, official airline of The Center.

Renaud Garcia-Fons | Center Debut

October 5-6, 2007 - Samueli Theater

Wrote The Herald: ““truly exhilarating.” Double bass virtuoso Renaud Garcia-Fons is a dazzling performer on five strings, as opposed to the standard four. Using his instrument's entire range, and then some, he takes jazz to new places, creating music that has no limits. His interpretations reflect his passion for the Flamenco, Mediterranean and Oriental traditions. Throughout, the art of improvisation has become a central element, earning for Garcia-Fons the reputation of “Paganini of the double bass.”

Tierney Sutton

October 26-27, 2007 - Samueli Theater

Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton has collaborated with such greats as Diana Krall, Ray Charles and Natalie Cole. But as a soloist, she’s in a league of her own, a consummate artist at the top of her game. The New York Times calls her “A serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level.” Her first album was nominated by the Indie Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album, her second was #1 on the charts, and I’m with the Band was nominated for a Grammy^® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In 2005, Sutton won JazzWeek’s Vocalist of the Year Award and, in 2006, Jazz Vocalist Award at the L.A. Jazz Society Awards.

Rachael Price | Center Debut

November 16-17, 2007 - Samueli Theater

The Center’s Jazz Club has introduced many talented artists who have gone on to stardom: Diana Krall, Jane Monheit and Steve Tyrell. Vocalist Rachael Price is an artist you’ll hear at The Center now, and much more from her in the future. The Los Angeles Times wrote, “impressive … she is clearly a talent with extraordinary potential.” She made her professional U.S. jazz festival debut in 2005, opening for Joshua Redman. Her debut CD, Dedicated To You, is a compendium of jazz standards made famous by other “girl jazz singers” such as Doris Day and Anita O’Day.

Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra: Celebrating Benny Carter’s 100^th Birthday

November 24, 2007 - Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

World premiere co-commissioned by The Center

To honor Benny Carter’s upcoming 100^th birthday, The Center commissioned Quincy Jones, John Clayton and the great jazz master himself to each compose part of a special suite for this special occasion. Sadly, Carter passed away shortly after completing his portion. The complete work receives its world premiere at The Center as part of a special salute to a true jazz legend. The CHJO comprises many top-rated musicians, including trombonists George Bohanon and Ira Nepus, and trumpeter Clay Jenkins. Most notable among the musicians, is 88-year-old “Snooky” Young who continues to tour and record with the orchestra.

Joey DeFrancesco and Bobby Hutcherson

December 21-22, 2007 - Samueli Theater

A special Jazz Club Christmas tradition continues. As the San Francisco Chronicle said, when Joey DeFrancesco plays, “… notes often fly by with such velocity that time seems to become suspended.” Soulful, swinging, and thoroughly funky – that’s what you can expect when Joey DeFrancesco, the undisputed master of the mighty Hammond B-3 organ, and legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson combine their many and always remarkable talents.

The Crusaders | Center Debut

January 19, 2008 - Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

“The Jazz Crusaders created jazz anthems that epitomize everything important about jazz,” said All About Jazz. Fifty years after The Crusaders was born, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper are leading the charge for the group’s renewal. They’ve never sounded better—Sample’s boldly percussive piano; drummer Steve Gadd, who is touring with the group; and Felder’s full-cry tenor. They wrote all the songs; they fashioned the charts; they reinforce their signature sound with a sweet maturity that nourishes our souls. The titles—“Heartland,” “Greasy Spoon," “Viva de Funk,” “Shotgun House Groove”—are self-descriptive pieces of poetry all pointing in the same direction.

Wynton Marsalis: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

January 31, 2008 - Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Says Down Beat, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by its music director and eight-time Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, is “not just a band … but a religious congregation spreading the word of jazz.” Fifteen of today’s finest jazz soloists and ensemble players, led by Marsalis, will perform in The Center’s acoustically superb Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for this special concert. From swinging to supple, sophisticated to spirited, it’s all sheer jazz perfection.

Taylor Eigsti | Center Debut

February 8-9, 2008 - Samueli Theater

All About Jazz says Eigsti “has the technique, sensitivity, imagination and taste to be one of the great pianists of this new century.” Taylor Eigsti has been jamming with such jazz titans as David Benoit and Dave Brubeck since the age of 8. Today, he tears up the ivories on his own with style, enthusiasm, sensitivity and intuitive musicality rarely found at his young age. With Grammy nominations for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, the young pianist/composer/bandleader is, indeed, poised for greatness.

Phil Woods | Center Debut

April 25-26, 2008 - Samueli Theater

“The ever-prolific altoman is still setting the pace at 74,” writes JazzTimes. His tone sears; the driving pulse and improvisations grab listeners and never let go. Phil Woods is a Charlie Parker disciple, and he’s achieved something special with a legacy many deem untouchable. His searingly hot tone improvisations and intensely driving rhythmic pulse grab listeners and never let go.

Season tickets for the Jazz Club Series are $400 or $380. Samueli Theater performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Performances in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall are at 8 p.m.

CABARET SERIES

Victoria Clark • Stefanie Powers • Lorenzo Lamas • Sutton Foster •
Brian Stokes Mitchell • James Naughton •

John Schneider and Tom Wopat

Intimate, personal and entertaining evenings await audiences as the greatest talents in musical theatre perform in The Center’s Cabaret Series. The inviting club-style setting of the new Samueli Theater will provide the ideal ambience for these special evenings. Plus, series subscribers will enjoy a special one-night-only concert in the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Making their Cabaret Series debuts will be Victoria Clark, Stefanie Powers, Lorenzo Lamas, Sutton Foster and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The Cabaret Series is made possible by the generous support of Bill and Harriet Harris.

Victoria Clark | Center Debut

October 11-14, 2007 - Samueli Theater

Her luminous Tony-winning star turn in The Light in the Piazza confirmed what theater insiders have known for years: Victoria Clark is a musical theater performer of the highest order.

Stefanie Powers | Center Debut

November 8-11, 2007 - Samueli Theater

As a Hollywood star, Stefanie Powers is known for inimitable style and sophistication. Now she brings those same qualities to the American songbook and unveils yet another facet to her remarkable talent.

Lorenzo Lamas | Center Debut

January 17-20, 2008 - Samueli Theater

In the classic tradition of the handsome playboy as a romantic crooner, Lorenzo Lamas has audiences swooning over his matinee idol looks and sly way with a song.

Sutton Foster | Center Debut

February 14-17, 2008 - Samueli Theater

Sutton Foster conquered Broadway with her Tony-winning role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and she’s been center stage as Broadway’s darling ever since.

Brian Stokes Mitchell

March 6-9, 2008 - Samueli Theater

Whether it’s his showstopping performance in Ragtime, his Tony win for Kiss Me, Kate or any of his other mesmerizing appearances, Brian Stokes Mitchell is undeniably Broadway’s leading leading man. “Stokes” makes his solo Center debut in the 2007-08 Cabaret Series.

James Naughton

April 10-13, 2008 - Samueli Theater

A Tony winner twice over (for Chicago and City of Angels), another of Broadway’s impeccably suave leading men, James Naughton gives audiences the old razzle dazzle as a captivating singer and engaging storyteller.

John Schneider and Tom Wopat

May 10, 2008 - Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

John Schneider joins Tom Wopat for his Center debut. Both have enjoyed diverse careers spanning Broadway, recordings and television. Now, the original “Dukes” reunite for a not-to-be-missed concert.

The price for a seven-show season ticket package is $381. Samueli Theater performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 7 p.m.

CONCERT SERIES

Emerson String Quartet • Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Belcea Quartet • Joshua Bell • Andrew Manze and the Helsingborg Symphony • eighth blackbird

The world’s most respected chamber orchestras and ensembles are showcased each year in the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Concert Series. The 2007-2008 Season welcomes audiences to enjoy these august musicians in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Samueli Theater. The design of both new venues creates intimate sound environments in beautiful settings that further enhance these great artistic experiences. Subscribers have the option to select a series of chamber orchestras, smaller ensembles, or combine the two for a comprehensive survey of musical styles and periods. Support for The Center’s Concert series is generously provided by the E. Nakamichi Foundation.

Emerson String Quartet

October 25, 2007 - Samueli Theater

“… with musicians like this, there must be some hope for humanity,” said The Times (London). With unequivocal artistry and technical mastery, the seven-time Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet returns to The Center for their highly anticipated annual visit. The ensemble is lauded globally as a string quartet that approaches classical and contemporary repertoire with equal mastery and enthusiasm.

Shostakovich : String Quartet #4 in D, Op. 83

Janáĉek :String Quartet #1 “Kreutzer”

Saariaho : Terra Memoria

Bartók : String Quartet #3

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center | Center Debut

November 13, 2007 - Samueli Theater

In the early 1900s, the music world shifted its attention to the British Isles as a group of young English composers began writing in a language all their own. Joining the renowned Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in its Orange County Performing Arts Center debut is celebrated pianist and co-artistic director of the Society, Wu Han. The ensemble performs a fascinating musical journey in England 1900-1930: A Musical Renaissance. The Society’s annual concerts, tours, recordings and television and radio broadcasts have made them make them one of the most acclaimed and recognized ensembles in the music world.

Ireland : The Land of Lost Content for Tenor and Piano

Walton :Piano Quartet in D Minor

Various : English Songs

Elgar : Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84

Belcea Quartet

January 26, 2008 - Samueli Theater

Returning to the Concert Series by popular demand, the intense and edgy Belcea Quartet has taken the international music scene by storm, gaining a reputation as one of the leading quartets of the new generation. Their first of many discs received the Gramophone Award for best debut recording. “Dichotomous sound images – at once emotionally captivating and technically astounding – are the essence of great musical art and the main business of the stunning, unheralded British ensemble the Belcea String Quartet, which made its Southern California concert debut … at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, said the Los Angeles Times.

Haydn : Quartet in G, Op. 77 #1

Webern : Five Pieces, Op. 5

Schubert : Quartet in G, D. 887

Joshua Bell

February 23, 2008 - Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell performs with a skill and elegance that captivates audiences beyond classical music aficionados. In accepting the Oscar for best film score for The Red Violin, composer John Corigliano proclaimed: “Joshua plays like a god.” One of the world’s reigning classical superstars, Bell has been named Billboard’s Classical Artist of the Year and won the magazine’s Classical Album of the Year award, and was presented with the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize. Program to be announced.

Andrew Manze and the Helsingborg Symphony: The Eroica Effect

April 2, 2008/Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

This performance is more than just a concert: In words and live musical excerpts, Manze will put this great masterpiece into musical, historic and political context. Manze is one of the world’s leading violinists and conductors, and his remarkable gift for engaging audiences will help to reveal the secrets and unravel the myths of Beethoven’s greatest symphony. Then, he puts it all together as you’ll hear the complete Eroica with fresh ears and a new perspective on the genius behind it. As Manze notes, “… a whole world of music will be conjured up in the concert hall, as if we all, you and I, had become time travelers back to Beethoven’s Vienna in 1805.”

Mozart : Overture to The Magic Flute

Beethoven : Symphony #3 in Eb Major, Op.55 Sinfonia Eroica

eighth blackbird | Center Debut

The Only Moving Thing

April 15, 2008 - Samueli Theater

World premiere co-commissioned by The Center

The adventurous artists of eighth blackbird -- a sextet of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion -- are as acclaimed for the brilliance of their playing as they are for their underlying sense of fun and ability to take audiences to unexpected places. eighth blackbird's kinetic program, The Only Moving Thing, is the ensemble at its most vivid and theatrical as it dives full-tilt into the agile and muscular worlds of five of today's most prominent names in music and dance. Steve Reich's “Double Sextet” represents a return to the rhythmic intensity and drive that is synonymous with his most venerable works such as “Music for 18 Musicians and Drumming”. Pulsing with energy and life, the work will feature eighth blackbird performing simultaneously live and pre-recorded. Inspired by eighth blackbird's distinctive predilection for memorization and the embodiment of their music through movement, “singing in the dead of night” is a continuous weave of music and motion; an intrepid collaboration between maverick composers David Lang, Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe and seminal New York choreographer Susan Marshall.

Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon and David Lang : singing in the dead of night

Reich : Double Sextet

World premiere co-commissioned by the Orange County Performing Arts Center

Season tickets to The Center’s Concert Series are $297 for the complete series.

FAMILY SERIES

Trout Fishing in America • Tales & Scales • ¡Sofrito! •

Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company • Matthias Kuchta

The Center’s popular Family Series engages, enchants and inspires youngsters with the magic of live performance. International artists combine music, dance and theater that can be enjoyed by the entire family, creating experiences that instill an appreciation for the arts and create lifelong memories. All performances are in Samueli Theater.

Trout Fishing in America

October 19-21, 2007

More than just for kids, Trout Fishing in America is a favorite among Family Series audiences of all ages. “Some of the most lyrically creative, musically sophisticated, vocally muscular music makers in the family music business,” says the Los Angeles Times. Award-winning, Grammy-nominated Trout Fishing in America is both witty and intelligent, completely original and seriously fun.

Tales & Scales: Pied Piper

November 30-December 2, 2007

An all-new show from Tales & Scales, and what better story for a company where flutes fly, trombones tango and drums dance as the story goes into motion. Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops, says Tales & Scales is “one of the most imaginative, musically creative, and professionally executed approaches to music education that I have ever encountered.” All ages can discover the true power of music through these original tales, filled with delightful music, ingenious choreography and creative movement.

¡Sofrito!

February 1-3, 2008

Take one energetic storyteller, blend in several world-renowned Latin musicians, and you get an unforgettable, unbeatable mambo mélange called ¡Sofrito! It’s a lively concoction of spicy music and myths from Latin American and Caribbean cultures. The stories include the Puerto Rican legend of the healer Milomaki, a Dominican tale of a girl who befriends a betwitched goldfish and a Cuban fable about a messenger who trades the power to see the future for the power to make music.

Big Wooden Horse Theatre Co.: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

April 4-6, 2008

Though the bus driver warned them, the jaunty blue pigeon uses every trick in the book, from whining to temper tantrums, to convince the audience to let him drive the bus. Caldecott Honor recipient and five-time Emmy Award winner Mo Willems has created this story, brought to life by the Big Wooden Horse Theatre Co. of the United Kingdom for children three years and up. Full of fun, feathers, laughter and excitement – and a little audience participation along the way.

Matthias Kuchta: Snow White

May 2-4, 2008

With the enchanting use of almost lifelike puppets with magnificent faces, Matthias Kuchta interprets the Grimms’ fairy tale of the queen, the dwarfs, a huntsman the prince and Snow White. Kuchta uses the vital charm of fairy tales and involves the children again and again into the play. He is a master storyteller whose infectious style leads the story and captivates his audience.

Season tickets to the Center’s Family Series are $55-$80. Performances on Friday evenings at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m.

These performances join the already announced Broadway and Curtain Call series for the 2007-2008 season at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

2007-2008 BROADWAY SERIES

Jersey Boys

November 13-December 1, 2007

Des McAnuff, director - Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, book - Bob Gaudio, music - Bob Crewe, lyrics

The 2006 Tony Award winner for Best Musical! “It’s just too good to be true,” raved Clive Barnes of the New York Post. Broadway’s biggest success story takes you behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – and as The New York Times said, “The crowd goes wild!” Follow the rags-to-rock-to-riches tale of four blue-collar kids working their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of stardom.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

December 13 – 30, 2007

Starring the Radio City Rockettes

Southern Californians will kick up their heels when the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, makes its only West Coast appearance this year at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Direct from New York, nearly 100 people will deliver the goods in the Christmas Spectacular, creating holiday memories to last a lifetime. The show includes the famed dance number “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and “The Living Nativity.” It’s nonstop excitement from curtain up until the curtain falls.

Twelve Angry Men

February 26 – March 9, 2008

Scott Ellis, director - Reginald Rose, playwright – Roundabout Theatre Company production

Twelve jurors. Twelve walks of life. And only two ways to rule: guilty or not guilty. What seems like an open-and-shut murder case becomes a twisted puzzle of prejudice and intrigue. Twelve jurors in a murder trial are corralled in a room for the duration of their deliberation. As prejudices are tested and evidence weighed, the entire jury is forced to look past the show of the courtroom to unearth the shocking truth. Faced with playing the hangmen, these dozen men must first face themselves. Starring Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas, the national tour of Twelve Angry Men is produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, one of the country’s leading not-for-profit theaters.

My Fair Lady

June 4-15, 2008

Alan Jay Lerner, book and lyrics - Frederick Loewe, music – NETworks Presentations, David Ian for Live Nation and Cameron Mackintosh, producers

Trevor Nunn, director - Matthew Bourne, choreography and musical staging – Anthony Ward, production design

Cameron Mackintosh and the National Theatre of Great Britain’s award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady was hailed by the Daily Mail (London) as “The revival against which all others will be measured.” The work itself has been called “probably the greatest musical of all time” by the Daily Telegraph (London). This production stars Christopher Cazenove, best known to U.S. audiences as Ben Carrington on television’s Dynasty, as Henry Higgins and Lisa O’Hare as his protégé, Eliza Doolittle. My Fair Lady boasts some of musical theatre’s most memorable songs, including “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain” and “Get Me to the Church on Time.”

A Chorus Line

August 26 – September 7, 2008

Michael Bennett, conception and original director/choreographer

Bob Avian, director and original co-choreographer – Baayork Lee, choreography re-staging

James Kirkwood/Nicholas Dante, book

Marvin Hamlisch, music - Edward Kleban, lyrics

In an empty theater, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime: the one opportunity to do what they’ve always dreamed – to have the chance to dance. A Chorus Line reclaimed its place in the heart of Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where it opened to critical acclaim on October 5, 2006. Ben Brantley of The New York Times hailed it “heaven on Broadway.” Jeffrey Lyons of WNBC-TV called it “An American masterpiece. A show for the ages. The show thrills from the opening number to the glittering finale.” A Chorus Line is directed by its original Tony Award-winning co-choreographer Bob Avian.

2007-2008 CURTAIN CALL SERIES

Blast!

February 5 – 10, 2008

James Mason, creator

Blast!, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event and the 2001 Emmy Award for Best Choreography, is comprised of 35 brass, percussion and visual performers brought together in a unique explosion of music and theater. Born on athletic fields across the nation, Blast! is a novel art form evolved from the showmanship of outdoor pageantry. According to Bruce McCabe of the Boston Globe, “Blast! is an exuberant, 15-number show that doesn’t falter while bridging the categories of classical, blues, jazz, rock ‘n roll and techno-pop music. Blast! stands, blows, pounds, marches, and whirls with panache. It sent a full house into repeated bursts of cheering and applause.”

The Phantom of the Opera

March 26-April 19, 2008

Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer, book, co-orchestrator - Harold Prince, director

Cameron Mackintosh/The Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc., producers

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s international award-winning phenomenon directed by Harold Prince has woven its magical spell over standing-room audiences in more than 100 cities worldwide. The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, returns to the Orange County Performing Arts Center to take your breath away. It’s a timeless story of seduction and despair and the one show The Sunday Times (London) called “God’s gift to the musical theatre.”

All dates, programs and artists are subject to change.

ORANGE COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The Center is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through an array of inspiring programs.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center opened in 1986 with its 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall. In 2006, The Center expanded its venues to include the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and 500-seat multi-functional Samueli Theater. The Center’s new facility, which also includes an education theater and lab, joins with the adjoining Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site for a future visual arts complex to create Segerstrom Center for the Arts. A 46,000-square-foot outdoor community plaza unites all of the venues to create one of the largest performing arts centers in the U.S.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center presents a broad range of programming each season, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming and many other special events.

The Center offers many programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach more than 500,000 students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.

The Center is proud to serve as the artistic home to the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Opera Pacific and the Pacific Chorale.

For more information, visit www.ocpac.org.

Reprise! Broadway’s Best
Special Event

“The Odd Couple”
by Neil Simon
A staged reading starring

Martin Short Jason Alexander

Two Performances Only!
Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26
Wadsworth Theatre

Martin Short and Jason Alexander will star in a staged reading of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” for two performances only, January 25 and 26, at the Wadsworth Theatre. Short and Alexander are reunited for the first time since they appeared in the Los Angeles production of the hit musical “The Producers” and their appearance in what is perhaps Broadway’s best known comedy, marks one of the few times that two well known stars have appeared on a Los Angeles stage in the show.

Short and Alexander both have great experience playing Neil Simon - Short starred the Broadway musical of "The Goodbye Girl" and the Roundabout Theatre revival of "Little Me" while Alexander appeared on Broadway in Simon's "Broadway Bound," and in the very first Reprise! show "Promises, Promises."

“The Odd Couple” is a special event of the 2007-2008 season from Reprise! Broadway’s Best, which is headed by Mr. Alexander who is its artistic director.

“The Odd Couple” originally opened on March 10, 1965. While that season began with “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Odd Couple” seemed like a breath of fresh air compared to other plays of the time. Otis Guernsey in Best Plays wrote, “…. there are no dark, twisting emotional meanings … in a season of sick jokes and sick problem plays, ‘The Odd Couple’ brought a rosy flush of laughter to Broadway … [the play is] about the male animal torn between his urge for freedom and his need for domestic conformity.” This is the show that introduced the very neat and tidy news writer Felix Ungar, who thrown out by his wife, has become roommates with his poker buddy, the very slovenly, messy and also divorced sports writer Oscar Madison.

It was always thought that Neil Simon, who had previously scored a Broadway triumph the season before with “Barefoot in the Park,” took his inspiration from his comedy-writer brother Danny Simon, who became roommates with theatrical agent Roy Gerber after recent divorces.

James Robert Parish in his Mel Brooks biography “It’s Good to Be the King” noted that Simon also could have also observed at close range the three months that writer Speed Vogel lived as roommates with Mel Brooks, who was separated from his first wife. Later of course Simon took his brother Danny and his own family as the inspiration for “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Broadway Bound.”

During its original Broadway run of 966 performances, “The Odd Couple” won the Tony Awards for Best Play (1965), Best Director Mike Nichols and Best Actor Walter Matthau, who playing opposite Art Carney, fully established his career as a major American actor. The very successful film was made with Matthau repeating his stage triumph opposite Jack Lemmon, followed by an even more successful television series with Jack Klugman, who had originally replaced Matthau on Broadway, and Tony Randall. Immediately following the last season of the primetime series, two animated dogs – Spiffy, voiced by Frank Nelson and Fleabag, voiced by Paul Winchell -- were “The Oddball Couple,” seen on Saturday mornings for two years. Later a second TV series that paired Ron Glass and Desmond Wilson ran for 13 episodes.

In the mid-eighties and two seasons ago “The Odd Couple” went back to Broadway - first with Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno in the leads, and more recently with Nathan Lane and his “The Producers” co-star Matthew Broderick for eight completely sold out months.

The next to the last opening of the 1964-1965 season was “Flora, the Red Menace,” producer-director Harold Prince’s third Broadway musical of the season (he also produced “Fiddler on the Roof” and directed “Baker Street,” a short lived musical about Sherlock Holmes). “Flora” is the final attraction of the 2007-2007 Reprise! Broadway’s Best season May 6 to 18 (press opening May 7), which also includes “Li’l Abner” February 5 to 17, 2008 (press opening February 5).

“The Odd Couple” will have two readings Friday, January 25 at 8 pm and Saturday, January 26 at 8 pm at the Wadsworth Theatre, 11301 Wilshire Blvd. on the Veterans Administration Grounds. Prices are $40 to $95; premium seats are also available. Tickets may be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, or by visiting a Ticketmaster outlets, and at the Wadsworth Box Office, Located on Wilshire Blvd, just west of the 405 freeway on the Veterans Administration grounds in West L.A.

About The Cast

Martin Short, born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is a veteran of theatre in Canada and on Broadway. Short appeared in the Broadway productions of Neil Simon and Cy Coleman’s Little Me (Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl (Tony Award nomination, Theater World Award, Outer Critics Circle

Award), in the Encores! Series in Neil Simon’s Promises, Promises and in Fame Becomes Me. In Los Angeles, he appeared in Lawrence Kasdan’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s Four Dogs and a Bone and Mel Brooks’ The Producers. Short began his theatrical career in the Toronto production of Godspell.

In 1982, he joined the “SCTV Comedy Network” where his work garnered an Emmy Award. Short's ability as a comedic chameleon brought him to "Saturday Night Live,” where his standout performances included Ed Grimley, Jackie Rogers Jr., legendary songwriter Irving Cohen and lawyer Nathan Thurm. He co-wrote, produced and starred in three highly acclaimed television comedy specials: "Martin Short's Concert for the North Americas" (Ace Award); "I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood" (Ace Award); and "The Show Formerly Known As The Martin Short Show” (Emmy Award). He co-starred in the miniseries “Merlin” (Emmy nomination) and “Alice in Wonderland” as the Mad Hatter. In the fall of 1999 he hosted the daily “The Martin Short Show” (nine Emmy nominations). From 2001-2003, Short co-wrote, produced and starred as star-interviewer extraordinaire Jiminy Glick in “Primetime Glick” (Emmy nomination).

Short made the jump to the big screen in 1986 with Three Amigos and Innerspace. Among his other films are Three Fugitives, The Big Picture, Clifford, Father of the Bride (1 & 2), Mars Attacks and Jiminy Glick in La La Wood. In 1994, Short was awarded Canada’s highest civilian honor, The Order of Canada for his contribution to Canadian culture and was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in June 2000. Mr. Short worships and adores his wife Nancy and their children Katherine, Oliver and Henry.

Jason Alexander is probably best known for his 9 year, award–winning stint as George Costanza on the hit TV series, “Seinfeld”. However, those who know him only as George will be surprised to learn of his extensive background as an actor, director, producer and writer. Besides “Seinfeld” his television credits include: Bob Patterson (prod./co-creator); Listen Up (prod.); the TV films of Bye Bye Birdie, The Man Who Saved Christmas, Cinderella, and A Christmas Carol; guest appearances on “Newhart,” “Friends,” “Monk,” “Star Trek-Voyager,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and multiple episodes of the animated series “Duckman,” “Aladdin,” “Dilbert” and “Dinosaurs.”

His film credits include: Pretty Woman; White Palace; North; Dunston Checks In; Love, Valor, Compassion; Rocky and Bullwinkle and Ira and Abby. Jason has starred on Broadway in the original companies of Merrily We Roll Along; The Rink; Broadway Bound; Accomplice; and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway for which he won the Tony, Outer Critics, and Drama Desk Awards as Best Actor in a Musical. He also authored the libretto of the show which received the Tony Award for Best Musical.

On the L.A. stage, Jason has starred in Give ‘Em Hell; Harry; Defiled; the long-running hit of The Producers with Martin Short and the very first Reprise! production, Promises, Promises. Jason has directed in every medium: Television (“Seinfeld,” “Remember WENN,” “Campus Ladies,” “Everybody Hates Chris”); Film (For Better or Worse and Just Looking) and Stage (The God of Hell at the Geffen; Sunday In the Park With George at Reprise! and countless benefits). Jason produced the films, Agent Cody Banks and its sequel as well as the TV special “Ultimate Trek.” Recently, Jason took over the role of Artistic Director of Reprise! He has also authored the children’s book, Dad, Are You the Tooth Fairy? He has won the title of Parlour Magician of the Year at the prestigious Magic Castle and he is a noted player in the celebrity poker circuit. Jason resides in L.A. with his wife Daena and their children, Gabriel and Noah.

For further information on Reprise! Broadway’s Best, please visit www.reprise.org

Tickets go on sale November 26 and may be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, or by visiting a Ticketmaster outlets, and at the Wadsworth Box Office, Located on Wilshire Blvd, just west of the 405 freeway on the Veterans Administration grounds in West L.A. For more information visit reprise.org.

Orange County Performing Artscenter presents...
January 31, 2008

Wynton Marsalis & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

A very special night of pure jazz is it store. From swinging to supple and sophisticated to deep and spirited, it’ll be sheer perfection fronted by the jazz world’s reigning icon, Wynton Marsalis. Marsalis will be leading what the Chicago Tribune calls “the greatest large jazz ensemble working today.” And according to Down Beat, the orchestra is “not just a band…but a religious congregation spreading the word of Jazz.”
Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Jesus Christ Superstar
January 11 -13, 2008
Orange County Performing Artscenter

Jesus Christ Superstar, the first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber, exploded onto the scene in 1971, changing the world of musical theatre forever. With a score of amazing songs, including “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Hosanna,” “Everything’s Alright,” and “What’s the Buzz,” this groundbreaking production starring Ted Neeley in the title role and Living Colour’s Corey Glover as Judas is as relevant and timeless as ever.
Segerstrom Hall

Pacific Symphony Presents Classics
January 10 – 12, 2008 ∙ Thursday – Saturday at 8 p.m.
Pacific Symphony Presents Classics

Bobby McFerrin

A 10-time Grammy Award winner considered one of the natural wonders of the music world, Bobby McFerrin is best known for his vocals and as a classical conductor. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Correa, the Vienna Philharmonic and Herbie Hancock and is considered an ambassador of both jazz and classical music. The Symphony’s program will include Prokofiev’s Symphony No.1, “Classical,”

Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian.”
Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

The Listener
January 12, 2008 ∙ Saturday at 10 & 11:30 a.m.
Pacific Symphony presents Family Musical Mornings

The Magic Circle Mime Company is back by popular demand. The company will join the symphony for a program of music that is complicated by two unruly audience members. Musical challenges and tap dancing to ballet music are just part of the action as the young audience learns about the orchestra, the music and how to “listen."
Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Lorenzo Lamas

January 17 – 20, 2008 ∙ Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m.
Orange County Performing Artscenter presents Cabaret

According to The New York Times, Lorenzo Lamas is “a crooning baritone who at time echoes Dean Martin.” Perhaps best know for his work on TV’s “Falcon Crest,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “Renegade, ” Lamas, made his cabaret debut at Feinsteins’ in New York. He has also made several action movies and most recently played the King of Siam in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of The King and I.
Samueli Theater

The Crusaders

January 19, 2008 ∙ Saturday at 8 p.m.
Orange County Performing Artscenter presents Jazz

All about Jazz said “The Jazz Crusaders created jazz anthems that epitomize everything important about jazz.” On the Performing Artscenter’s jazz program for this season are the original superstars of jazz-funk, The Crusaders, offering a generous helping of hard swing that’s a rich blend of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Count Basie. “Fusion” wasn’t in the jazz vocabulary until this multifaceted, influential twosome helped to pave the way.
Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

The Magic Flute

January 23 (7:30 p.m.), 27 (2 p.m.), 31 (7:30 p.m.) and February 2 (7:30 p.m.), 2008 Opera Pacific presents

Fantasy and enchantment reign supreme in this delightful, colorful production of Mozart’s masterpiece. Magic Flute leads the audience on a thrilling journey through the darkest night – illuminated by sparkling stars – into a dawn of daylight and love. Wonderful arias highlight the production to be sung in German with English translations projected above the stage. Cast includes Nicole Cabell and Rod Gilfry.
Segerstrom Hall

Belcea Quartet

January 26, 2008 ∙ Saturday at 8 p.m.
Orange County Performing Artscenter presents Concert

The intense and edgy Belcea Quartet has taken the international music scene by storm, earning an enviable reputation among the new generation of quartets. According to The Independent (London), “Their command of expression and texture of dynamics and colour, and their sheer power of projections are overwhelmingly vivid.” They plan to present a program that will include compositions by Haydn, Webern and Schubert.Samueli Theater

Royal Philharmonic

January 26, 2008 ∙ Saturday at 8 p.m.
Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents

With violinist Pinchas Zukerman conducting the Royal Philharmonic will present a program to include Overture to Oberon by Weber and Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 by Beethoven. Also on the program will be another Beethoven piece Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61.
Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Fun with Exercise

January 26, 2008 ∙ Saturday at 10 and 11:30 a.m.
Pacific Symphony presents Musical Story Time

Youngsters ages 4-7 will exercise to a series of songs, focusing on working together to music as a group. The experience creates an exciting exercise sequence and lots of fun in a sing-along that also includes playing instruments.
Education Theater in Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Orange County Performing Artscenter

Orange County Performing Artscenter is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through an array of inspiring programs.

Orange County Performing Artscenter owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater and the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center. These state-of-the-art facilities are united by a community arts plaza and outdoor performance venue.

he Center’s Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, along with facilities of the adjacent Tony® Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site for a future visual arts museum, are located within Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Orange County Performing Artscenter presents a broad range of programming each season, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings and dancing on the Plaza to many other special events.

Many programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach more than 500,000 students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.

The Center is proud to serve as the artistic home to the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Opera Pacific and the Pacific Chorale.

For more information, visit www.OCPAC.org.

Free Public Tours
The Performing Artscenter offers tours of Southern California's award-winning home for the performing arts and its expanded facilities. The tours take visitors through the three venues, making this a perfect outing for groups or anyone who wants to know more about the performing arts. The tour is conducted by Performing Artscenter Docents. Public tours are conducted Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. Private group tours are by reservation only.

Please note: Private and public tours of all Center halls are now available.
Please call 714.556.2122, ext. 4259 for more information on either the private or the public tours.

Performing Artscenter applauds the following for their support:
Clos du Bois KKJZ
Delta Air Lines KUSC
Kingston Technology Long Beach Press-Telegram
Mercedes-Benz, Presenting Sponsor of Performing Artscenter

For more information about individual programs and ticket prices, call:
Performing Artscenter - 714.556.2787 Opera Pacific - 800.346.7372
Pacific Symphony – 714.755.5799 Pacific Chorale - 714.662.2345
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County – 949.553.2422
All programs, artists and dates subject to change.

MARVELOUS DREAMS LLC, DAVID ELZER & PETER SCHNEIDER
PRESENT THE MUST-SEE 60’S HOLIDAY MUSICAL CELEBRATION…

The West Coast Premiere of
WINTER WONDERETTES
Written and Directed by Roger Bean

Limited Engagement opens Saturday, November 24
at the El Portal Forum Theatre in North Hollywood!

It’s Hairspray meets White Christmas!

Marvelous Dreams, LLC, David Elzer and Peter Schneider present the sequel to the smash-hit, award-winning musical sensation, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, with the West Coast premiere of the 1960’s Holiday musical celebration, WINTER WONDERETTES, written and directed by Roger Bean, with choreography by Janet Miller and musical direction by Brian Baker.

WINTER WONDERETTES will star Misty Cotton (Colony’s Side Show, Little Egypt), Julie Dixon Jackson (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Colony's Side Show), Bets Malone (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Musical Theatre West's Guys and Dolls), and Jill Van Velzer (1776).

The Marvelous Wonderettes create a ‘60s Holiday party as only the Wonderettes can!

This sequel, set six months after the end of The Marvelous Wonderettes, find our girls returning to their hometown for a Holiday celebration with their family and friends, complete with great Wonderette renditions of ‘60s holiday tunes! This lively mix of rockin’ holiday hits and standards will have new fans and old dancing in the aisles with the perfect show to celebrate this most wonderful time of the year!

As a longtime employee of Harper’s Hardware, Betty Jean is in charge of the company Christmas party, and naturally, the Wonderettes are the logical choice for the entertainment. But when Santa turns up missing, the girls must use their talent and creative ingenuity, with the support of some great holiday tunes, to rectify their holiday party without the jolly big guy in red. The result is a MARVELOUS show that will have you dancing in the aisles and celebrating in Winter Wonderettes style

ABOUT THE CAST

MISTY COTTON (Missy) is excited to be performing the role of Missy in the Los Angeles premiere of WINTER WONDERETTES which she originated in the very first production ever produced. She most recently was seen in South Coast Rep’s production of A Little Night Music in the role of Petra. Other credits include: Broadway/National Tours - (Ellen) Miss Saigon, (Eponine) Les Miserables and the Narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opposite Donny Osmond. She has performed roles at many regional theatres across the country including The Utah Shakespearean Festival, Old Globe Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and The Kennedy Center. Some favorites roles and shows are- Violet- Side Show (Los Angeles Premiere/Colony Theatre- Ovation, Garland and Robby Awards with Julie Dixon-Jackson ), Percy- The Spitfire Grill (West Coast Premiere) Cathy- The Last Five Years (Pasadena Playhouse), Soubrette - Sophisticated Ladies (Best Actress Ovation Nomination) Annie- Annie Get Your Gun (South Bay CLO), Princess Leonide -Triumph Of Love, Faye - Anyone Can Whistle, Nancy in Oliver, Marta in Company, Nellie Ewell - Summer And Smoke (w/Jo Beth Williams), Macbeth and Johnny Guitar (Utah Shakespearean Festival) Lucille in Parade (West Coast Premiere), Eve/Mama Noah in Children Of Eden (Utah Musical Theatre) Lucy in Jekyll And Hyde and Kate in Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party (Musical Theatre Guild) to name a few. She is also proud to have originated the role of Katy Lane in Honky Tonk Laundry also written by Roger Bean. Misty has performed for two Presidents, done concert work with symphonies as well as worked with such greats as Burt Bachrach. Misty is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts a member of the LA based Musical Theatre Guild and a proud member of Actors Equity.

JULIE DIXON JACKSON (Betty Jean) originated the role of Betty Jean in the Los Angeles production of The Marvelous Wonderettes and was co-recipient of the Ovation and Garland Award for her performance as Daisy Hilton in the LA premiere of Side Show. She spent a year on the National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and was most recently seen as Agnes in I Do, I Do at the Pasadena Playhouse where she also starred in Side by Side by Sondheim. Within this last year she was seen as Sadie in I Love a Piano (Musical Theatre West) and Mae in LaChiusa's The Wild Party (Blank Theatre). Other favorite roles: Eva in Evita, Sally in Cabaret, Marta in Company, Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, Lucy in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Lizzie in Baby and Anne in La Cage Aux Folles. Recent TV: “E.R.,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.

BETS MALONE (Suzy) originated the role of Suzy in the Los Angeles production of The Marvelous Wonderettes. She also originated the role of Suzy Simpson in the sequel Winter Wonderettes. Bets was recently seen in On The Town (Hildy), for which she received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Guys and Dolls ( Miss Adelaide-Ovation Nomination), the world premiere of Pilgrim (Marta), Grease (Rizzo), Evita (Eva) and most recently Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel) at the Sacramento Music Circus. Some other favorites include Once Upon A Mattress (Princess Winnifred), The Will Rogers Follies (Betty Blake), Ragtime (Mother), Me and My Girl (Sally), Children of Eden (Eve/Mama Noah), Honky Tonk Laundry (Lana Mae), Company (Amy), Triumph of Love (Leonide), Cabaret (Sally), Crazy for You (Polly), Romance/Romance (Josefine/Monica), A Little Night Music (Petra), 1776 (Martha), The Secret Garden (Martha), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Babes In Arms (Susie), and the spectacle musical The Ten Commandments with Val Kilmer. She is a proud member of the Musical Theatre Guild and Actors Equity.

JILL VAN VELZER (Cindy Lou) recently returned to Los Angeles after a season at the Tony-Award winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, originating the role of Diana Bateman in the world premiere of the Broadway-bound musical, Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical, also directed by Roger Bean. While at USF, Jill also won acclaim for her work in The Matchmaker (Irene Molloy) and the premiere workshop production of Early Poe (Fanny Allan). Jill was the recipient of the 2004 Ovation Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as Abigail Adams in 1776 at Performance Riverside. National tours: The King and I (Anna Leonowens). Southern California: Harvey at the Laguna Playhouse, directed by Charles Nelson Reilly (Myrtle Mae), Robby nominated performances in She Loves Me (Amalia), Camelot (Guenevere), and Into the Woods (Witch and Baker’s Wife), The Music Man (Marian), Oklahoma! (Laurey), Hello, Dolly! (Irene Molloy), 1940s Radio Hour (Ann Collier), Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), and Mozart’s The Magic Flute (The Queen of the Night), to name a few.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

ROGER BEAN (Writer/Director) has written ten musicals commissioned and produced by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Among his theatrical hits are Route 66, The Marvelous Wonderettes, That’s Amoré, Don’t Touch That Dial!, Honky Tonk Laundry, The Andrews Brothers and Why Do Fools Fall In Love?. Productions of his musicals have subsequently been produced in hundreds of theaters across the country, from the largest of regional theaters to the smallest of community theaters. An accomplished stage director, Mr. Bean has worked with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Utah Musical Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Madison Repertory Theatre, Skylight Opera Theatre and the Utah Shakespearean Festival, among many others. He is the Executive Director of Steele Spring Productions, a theatrical licensing company, and a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and The Dramatists Guild.

JANET MILLER (Choreographer) has been directing, choreographing and teaching theater for twenty eight years. She is currently the Artistic Director for the Torrance Theatre Company where she has directed fifteen productions in her six year tenure. She is also a founding artist for the newly formed Manhattan Beach Players. She has worked on both the East and West coasts on such shows as Side By Side By Sondheim, South Pacific, Kiss Me Kate, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Fantasticks, Annie Get Your Gun, Dames At Sea, The Odd Couple, Taming of the Shrew, Of Mice and Men, The Man Who Came To Dinner and The Crucible to name a few. Her talents have taken her all over the world, working in diverse settings such as Choate Rosemary Hall in CT and grand theme parks in Bangkok, Thailand. She was staff choreographer and director for Golden State Theatre for seventeen years and formerly at the historic Variety Arts Center in Los Angeles for six years. Janet is also resident director/choreographer for Brain Brew Inc., an interactive entertainment company. Ms. Miller is a sought after as a musical theater tap instructor and is known in both LA and New York for her inspired coaching of actors for musical theater.

WINTER WONDERETTES features an award-winning design team. The scenic design is by Victoria Profitt (Trying, Master Harold and the Boys). The lighting design is by Ovation Award-winner Jeremy Pivnick (Much Adoobie Brothers About Nothing, Man of La Mancha). The Costume Design is by Ann Closs Farley (Gorey Stories, 99 Cent Shows). The Sound Design is by Cricket S. Myers (Back of the Throat, Clutter).

Performances for WINTER WONDERETTES are Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm and 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm at the El Portal Forum Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.

www.marvelouswonderettes.com or www.TIX.com.