Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

"Endgame" Begins Rehearsals at the Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 22:39:00 -0700

REHEARSALS ARE UNDERWAY FOR BECKETT’S CLASSIC “ENDGAME” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

Performances for “Endgame” Will Begin April 24

Rehearsals have begun for Samuel Beckett’s classic “Endgame,” directed by one of Beckett’s most renowned interpreters Alan Mandell at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, April 24 through May 22, 2016. The opening is scheduled for May 1.

Mandell (“Waiting for Godot,” “The Price” and “The Cherry Orchard” all at the Mark Taper Forum) will also perform in this production at the Douglas alongside Barry McGovern (“I’ll Go On” at the Douglas; “Waiting for Godot” at the Mark Taper Forum), Anne Gee Byrd (“The Wood Demon” and “The First Picture Show” at the Taper), James Greene (“The Iceman Cometh” and over 20 other plays on Broadway) and Charlotte Rae (“Happy Days” at the Taper). Rae and Byrd will alternate in the role of Nell.

Scenic design is by John Iacovelli, costume design is by Maggie Morgan, lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg and sound design is by Cricket S. Myers. The production stage manager is Susie Walsh.

In the absurdist world of “Endgame,” somewhere between existence and death, four characters, Hamm (played by Mandell), Clov (McGovern), Nagg (Greene) and Nell (Rae and Byrd), cling to sanity while performing daily rituals, sometimes comically, as they wrestle some sort of order from the cyclical, repetitious, seeming nothingness of life.

Richard Watts, Jr. of the New York Post once said of Beckett and “Endgame,” “It is his remarkable ability to mix beauty, imagination, vitality, and wry humor that transforms Beckett from a mere dispenser of meaningless gloom into a dramatic poet.”

Tickets are available online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling CTG Audience Services at (213) 628-2772, in person at the Center Theatre Group box office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles) or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre box office two hours prior to performances.

The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232. Ample free parking and restaurants are adjacent.

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March 31, 2016

Rehearsals Underway for 'Father Comes Home'

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 01:11:00 -0700

REHEARSALS UNDERWAY FOR SUZAN-LORI PARKS’ AWARD-WINNING “FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3)”

WEST COAST PREMIERE PLAYS AT THE CTG/MARK TAPER FORUM APRIL 5 THROUGH MAY 15, 2016

"By turns philosophical and playful, lyrical and earthy, Suzan-Lori Parks’ new play swoops, leaps, dives and soars … reimagining a turbulent turning point in American history through a cockeyed contemporary lens." - Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

Rehearsals are underway for Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ acclaimed drama, “Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3),” opening April 17 and continuing through May 15, 2016, at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. Previews begin April 5.

Directed by Jo Bonney, the production features, in alphabetical order, Steven Bargonetti (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Hair,” Broadway), Sterling K. Brown (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” FX), Russell G. Jones (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Ruined,” Manhattan Theatre Company, Obie Award), Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris (“The Emperor Jones,” Irish Repertory Theatre; “Advantageous,” Sundance Special Jury Award), Michael McKean (“Better Call Saul,” AMC; “This is Spinal Tap;” “Harps and Angels,” Mark Taper Forum), Patrena Murray (“Father Comes Home…,” ART; “Julius Caesar,” Irondale Center), Tonye Patano (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Weeds,” Showtime), Larry Powell (“The Christians,” Mark Taper Forum; “The Mountaintop,” Actors Theatre of Louisville), Roger Robinson (“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” Tony Award; “Seven Guitars,” Tony nomination), Julian Rozzell Jr. (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Boardwalk Empire,” HBO) and Josh Wingate (“Justified,” FX; “General Hospital”).

Scenic design is by Neil Patel, costume design is by ESosa, lighting design is by Lap Chi Chu, sound design is by Dan Moses Schreier and Bargonetti is the music director. Casting is by Meg Fister and the production stage manager is Evangeline Rose Whitlock.

In this devastatingly beautiful new play set during the Civil War, a slave named Hero (played by Sterling K. Brown) is offered his freedom if he joins his master (Michael McKean) in the ranks of the Confederacy. The choice is to leave the woman and people he loves for what may be an empty promise. His decision brings him face to face not only with a nation at war with itself, but with what freedom truly means.

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said of the play’s 2014 world premiere at the Public Theater, “This haunting work is funny and tragic, whimsical and lacerating, poetic and poignant, navigating its radical tonal shifts with fluidity and grace. The trilogy also manages, with stylized language, wit and economy of design, to plug historical experience directly into the socket of contemporary life.”

A MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, Suzan-Lori Parks was the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize (in 2002) for “Topdog/Underdog.” She was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist with “Father Comes Home From the Wars,” for which she won the 2015 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama and the 2014 Horton Foote Prize. She received a Tony Award in 2012 for her work on “The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.” Her plays include “The Book of Grace,” “In the Blood” (2000 Pulitzer Prize finalist), “Venus” (1996 Obie Award), “365 Days/365 Plays” and “The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World,” among others. She’s written a novel, “Getting Mother’s Body” (Random House). Her first film was “Girl 6,” written for Spike Lee, and she has written screenplays for Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. Her adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” premiered on ABC’s Oprah Winfrey Presents. Parks is currently writing an adaptation of the film “The Harder They Come” for a live stage musical.

Tickets for “Father Comes Home From the Wars” are available by calling (213) 628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Tickets range from $25 - $85 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Mark Taper Forum is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

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March 18, 2016

'Grey Gardens' Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 19:39:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

July - August 2016

EVENT:

Rachel York and Betty Buckley in
“Grey Gardens”
Book by Doug Wright
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Michael Wilson.

DESCRIPTION:

Set in East Hampton, New York, “Grey Gardens” tells the story of Big Edie and Little Edie, the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and their journey from glamorous aristocrats in the 1940s to notorious recluses living in the 1970s in a crumbling house filled with memories and cats.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews begin July 6, 2016. Opens July 13. Through August 14.
Previews: (July 6 – 12) Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Exceptions: No Monday performance.
Opens Wednesday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
Regular Performances (July 14 – August 14): Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No Monday performances.
Exceptions: Added 2 p.m. performance on Thursday, August 11.
No 6:30 p.m. performance on Sunday, August 14.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $25 - $130 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)
Tickets are available online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Center Theatre Group Audience Services at (213) 972-4400, or in person at the Center Theatre Group box office. Hot Tix: $25 each may be purchased in advance by phone or, subject to availability, on the day of performance at the box office (no checks). Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: Information and charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ProjectDATE.

LOCATION:

Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre
At the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

Center Theatre Group Celebrates 50 Years at the Amanson Theatre

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 23:18:00 -0700

THE 2016-2017 GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY SEASON CONTINUES FIVE DECADES OF EXTRAORDINARY THEATRE AT THE MUSIC CENTER OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

THE NEW SEASON AT THE AHMANSON THEATRE BURSTS WITH SIX AWARD-WINNING NEW PLAYS, MUSICALS, BELOVED CLASSICS

2016-2017 Season Begins September 7, 2016, and Runs Through September 10, 2017

[For complete listing of plays and performance dates, please see PDF of release.]

It has been almost 50 years since Center Theatre Group presented its first production in the Ahmanson Theatre at the shining new Music Center of Los Angeles County in downtown Los Angeles.

Eugene O’Neill’s “More Stately Mansions,” which premiered in 1967 with Ingrid Bergman and Colleen Dewhurst, was the inaugural production that launched decades of extraordinary theatrical experiences at the Ahmanson, where a wide range of superior dramas, musicals, comedies and classic revivals have been presented.

“We’ll celebrate this rich history with a stimulating roster of award-winning plays and musicals for the 2016-2017 season, our golden anniversary season, at the Ahmanson Theatre,” said Michael Ritchie, Center Theatre Group’s Artistic Director, “and we will set our sights for an equally stellar future.

“The season begins with an intensity and a singularity that marks much of the year ahead. We’re presenting Arthur Miller’s ‘A View From the Bridge’ in a striking interpretation by director Ivo van Hove. It’s both beautiful and gut-wrenching and no wonder it won the Olivier Award last year.”

“‘Amélie, A New Musical’ is next and it’s guaranteed to weave its magic with our audiences,” said Ritchie. “The creative team is Craig Lucas, Daniel Messé, Nathan Tysen, Sam Pinkleton and director Pam MacKinnon, and the musical is pure joy.

“I’m very happy that we will be bringing the 2015 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, ‘Fun Home,’ to Los Angeles. Created by Jeanine Tesori, Lisa Kron, Alison Bechdel and director Sam Gold, it is a particularly intimate and revealing coming of age story that is both funny, intelligent and crushing.”

“For pure entertainment,” said Ritchie, “we’re bringing back two Tony Award-winning musicals: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s ‘Into the Woods’ in the acclaimed Fiasco Theater’s streamlined production directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld and loaded with irreverence and wit and insight; and the ever popular ‘Jersey Boys,’ which tells the rags-to-riches story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and their infectious music, created by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, Bob Gaudio, Bob Crew, Sergio Trujillo and Des McAnuff.

“We close the season with the 2015 Tony Award winner for Best Play, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,’ written by Simon Stephens, adapted from Mark Haddon’s book and directed by Marianne Elliott. This new play is a compelling mix of mystery and self-discovery, and it has exactly what I love about theatre – it is inventive and it expands the boundaries of theatricality.”

“As you can see,” said Ritchie, “we have a 50th season that is bursting with works that make us laugh, bring tears to our eyes, gasp, ponder new ideas and experience a sense of wonder.

“It’s a great way to spend a year at the Ahmanson, and a great start to the next 50 years.”

“A View From the Bridge”

The 2015 Olivier Award-winning Young Vic production of Arthur Miller’s dark and passionate drama, ”A View From the Bridge,” will open the Ahmanson Theatre’s 50th anniversary season, September 7 through October 16, 2016. The opening is scheduled for September 14.

Directed by Ivo van Hove, who also won an Olivier Award for his work on the London production, “A View From the Bridge,” said Ben Brantley of The New York Times, “… must be what Greek tragedy once felt like, when people went to the theater in search of catharsis … You also feel ridiculously blessed to have been a witness. …”

In “A View From the Bridge,” Eddie Carbone is a Brooklyn longshoreman obsessed with his 17-year-old niece, Catherine. When Catherine falls in love with a newly arrived immigrant, Eddie’s jealousy erupts in a rage that consumes him, his family and his world.

“Breathe, everybody, breathe!” said Marilyn Stasio of Variety. “Audiences really need to be reminded of that at the end of Ivo van Hove’s magnificent production. …” “The tension never dips as the show heads toward the kind of mind-blowing climax that’s the stuff of Broadway legend,” said Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post.

This production of Miller’s classic was first presented at the Young Vic in 2014 and then transferred in 2015 to the West End where Lyn Gardner of The Guardian called “A View From the Bridge” “… a menacing, meticulously conceived production … It’s like watching a runaway train hurtle towards you. …” The production opened on Broadway in November 2015 for a limited run and closed this past February.

“Amélie, A New Musical”

The imaginative and captivating “Amélie, A New Musical,” with book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé and lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Messé, celebrates the holiday season at the Ahmanson Theatre, December 4, 2016, through January 15, 2017. Based on the five-time Academy Award-nominated 2001 film, “Amélie, A New Musical” opens December 16.

Directed by Pam MacKinnon, with musical direction by Kimberly Grigsby and musical staging and choreography by Sam Pinkleton, “Amélie, A New Musical” follows the mesmerizing journey of the inquisitive and charmingly shy Amélie who turns the streets of Montmartre into a world of her own imagining, while secretly orchestrating moments of joy for those around her. After discovering a mysterious photo album and meeting a handsome stranger, Amélie realizes that helping others is easier than participating in a romantic story of her own.

In 2015, “Amélie, A New Musical” had its critically acclaimed world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and topped “Best Theater of 2015” lists in the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times called it “… a sparkling musical comedy,” that “… slyly revels in the infinite possibilities of theatrical merrymaking … The score … flowers with originality.” Robert Hurwitt of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “A dreamy movie becomes a dream of a stage musical … wit crackles and charms fill the house. …” Lou Fancher of the SF Weekly said it is a “…sheer delight … a magical, timeless plunge into love, art. …”

“Fun Home”

The groundbreaking, uplifting and exquisite new musical “Fun Home,” winner of five 2015 Tony Awards including Best Musical, will be presented in the Ahmanson’s new season, February 21 through April 1, 2017. The opening is set for February 22.

“Fun Home,” the “… extraordinary musical, which pumps oxygenating fresh air …” (Ben Brantley, The New York Times), has music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, and is based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Sam Gold is the director and Danny Mefford is the choreographer.

“Fun Home” introduces Alison at three different ages in her life, as she explores and unravels the mysteries of her childhood. A refreshingly honest musical, Alison eventually sees her parents through the eyes of a grown-up.

Joe Dziemianowicz of New York Daily News said that “Fun Home” is a “… musical drama of rare intensity, honesty and beauty through melodically rich songs that summon yearning, heartache and joy. A bright musical flourish that repeatedly sounds is like a fanfare for an uncommon family.” This is a “… Broadway musical of enormous intelligence and sensitivity…,” said Adam Feldman of Time Out. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune called the musical “… gorgeously wrought and emotionally overwhelming … the audience sprang as one from its seats at the ending. …”

In addition to the Tony Award for Best Musical, “Fun Home” also won for Book, Score and Director of a Musical.

“Fun Home” had its world premiere at The Public Theater in New York in October 2013, and opened on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre in April 2015. It was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

“Into the Woods”

Fiasco Theater’s witty and wildly theatrical re-invention of the Tony Award-winning musical “Into the Woods,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, will be presented at the Ahmanson Theatre, April 4 through May 14, 2017. The opening is scheduled for April 5.

This thrillingly clever and acclaimed new version of “Into the Woods” is co-directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld and performed with boundless imagination.

The musical intertwines fairy tale characters, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella and others, with two new characters – a childless couple – the Baker and his wife. Each character has a dream, and journeys into the woods to fulfill that dream. With songs such as “Children Will Listen” and “No One is Alone,” this extraordinary musical reveals the power of wishes and what really happens after those wishes come true.

"Truly enchanting…,” said Ben Brantley of The New York Times. “These are the woods that you want to get lost in, a place you'll find buried treasures that you didn't even know existed." Alexis Soloski of The Guardian said of the production, “… a tender and intimate revival … emotionally rich.” Jennifer Farrar of the Associated Press called the musical “…refreshingly irreverent … with clever choreography and plenty of zaniness, performing the cautionary bedtime story with heartfelt emotion.”

The “Into the Woods” national tour is produced by the Dodgers (“Jersey Boys,” “Matilda”) and Networks (“The Phantom of the Opera,” “War Horse,” “South Pacific”).

The Fiasco Theater production that became New York’s surprise hit of the 2015 season was unanimously acclaimed and it was extended twice at the Roundabout Theatre Company. The production was originally presented by The McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, in May 2013, and then at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. It received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival. Fiasco Theater is an ensemble theatre company created by graduates of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA acting program.

The original production of “Into the Woods” was first presented at the Ahmanson Theatre in 1989. “Into the Woods” received 10 Tony Award nominations in 1988, winning for Book and Score, among others, and in its 2002 return to Broadway, it won the Tony Award for Best Revival (Musical).

“Jersey Boys”

The megahit 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, “Jersey Boys,” will be presented May 16 through June 24, 2017. Opening is scheduled for May 18.

Directed by Des McAnuff and written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo, “Jersey Boys” is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, and how this group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sound and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were 30.

The show features all their hits including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Oh What A Night,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Working My Way Back To You.”

When “Jersey Boys” first opened on Broadway in 2005, Ben Brantley of The New York Times said, “The crowd went wild … And everything that leads up to the curtain call feels as real and vivid as the sting of your hands clapping.” Clive Barnes of the New York Post said the show was “… terrific – a show dynamically alive in music, while as a drama, it catches the very texture, almost the actual smell of its time.”

In addition to the Tony Award, “Jersey Boys” is the winner of 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the 2010 Helpmann Award for Best Musical (Australia).

“Jersey Boys” is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

“Jersey Boys” was presented at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2007.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

The National Theatre production of the dazzlingly inventive new play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” winner of five 2015 Tony Awards including Best Play, will be presented at the Ahmanson Theatre, August 2 through September 10, 2017. Opening is scheduled for August 3.

A new play by Simon Stephens, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is adapted from Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, and directed by Tony winner Marianne Elliott (“War Horse”).

In “… this highly original, deeply engaging play” (Elysa Gardner, USA Today), 15-year old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.

Ben Brantley of The New York Times said this play is “… one of the most fully immersive works ever to wallop Broadway. Be prepared to have all your emotional and sensory buttons pushed, including a few you may have not known existed.” Richard Zoglin of Time Magazine said that “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is “… a play that works on every level — crowd-pleasing, eye-opening, life-affirming and unmissable.”

Following a sold-out run at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre, the play transferred to London’s West End, where it received a record seven 2013 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play.

On Broadway, the play received five Tony awards, six Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Play, five Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Play, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play. It is currently in its second smash year.

CTG’s 2016-2017 Ahmanson Theatre Season is Available on Subscription Only

Tickets for the Ahmanson Theatre’s 50th season are currently available by subscription only. For information and to charge season tickets by phone, call the Exclusive Season Ticket Hotline at (213) 972-4444.

To purchase subscriptions online, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Season. For information regarding Project D.A.T.E. (ASL interpretation, open captioning and audio description performances), please call (213) 972-4444 or visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/tickets/Project-Date/.

Center Theatre Group

Center Theatre Group, a non-profit organization, is one of the largest and most active theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and the 1,600 to 2,103-seat Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to providing theatre of the highest caliber to the diverse communities of Southern California and beyond, CTG supports a significant number of play development and arts education initiatives.

March 23, 2016

'A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder' Begins Performances at the Ahmanson

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 23:05:00 -0700

TONY-WINNING MUSICAL “A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER” BEGINS PERFORMANCES IN LOS ANGELES ON TUESDAY, MARCH 22 AT THE CENTER THEATRE GROUP/AHMANSON THEATRE

Opening Night is Wednesday, March 23 Performances Continue Through May 1, 2016

Tony Award-winning Best Musical “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” begins performances at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre on March 22 and continues through May 1, 2016. (The opening is set for March 23.)

John Rapson (“Les Misérables” on Broadway) plays the role of the eight D’Ysquith heirs and Kevin Massey (“Gentleman’s Guide” and “Memphis” on Broadway) portrays Monty Navarro.

“Gentleman’s Guide” also features Kristen Beth Williams (Sibella Hallward), Adrienne Eller (Phoebe D’Ysquith) and Mary VanArsdel (Miss Shingle). The tour also includes Christopher Behmke, Sarah Ellis, Matt Leisy, Megan Loomis, Dani Marcus, Lesley McKinnell, Kristen Mengelkoch, David Scott Purdy, Chuck Ragsdale and Ben Roseberry.

“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” features a book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak. Direction is by Darko Tresnjak, with choreography by Peggy Hickey. The design team includes Alexander Dodge (scenic design), Linda Cho (costume design), Philip S. Rosenberg (lighting design), Dan Moses Schreier (sound design), Aaron Rhyne (projection design), Charles G. LaPointe (wig design) and Brian Strumwasser (makeup design). Orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick and vocal arrangements are by Dianne Adams McDowell and Lutvak. Paul Staroba serves as music supervisor and Lawrence Goldberg serves as music director.

“Gentleman’s Guide” tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession, by any means necessary. All the while, he’s got to juggle his mistress (she’s after more than just love), his fiancée (she’s his cousin but who’s keeping track?) and the constant threat of landing behind bars! Of course, it will all be worth it if he can slay his way to his inheritance… and be done in time for tea.

The most celebrated musical of the 2013-14 Broadway season, “Gentleman’s Guide” received ten 2014 Tony Award nominations, eventually winning four awards: Best Musical, Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Costume Design. In addition, it won the Best Musical prizes from the Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle, and received a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Show Album.

“Gentleman's Guide” opened at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre to overwhelming critical acclaim in November 2013 where The New York Times raved “‘Gentleman’s Guide’ will lift the hearts of all those who’ve been pining for what sometimes seems a lost art form.” The Hollywood Reporter enthused “‘Gentleman’s Guide’ restores our faith in musical comedy!” And Time Magazine said “Just as I was about to give up on musicals, along comes ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder’!” rand Avenue in Dow

Tickets for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” are available by calling (213) 972-4400 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or by visiting the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre. Ticket prices start at $25. The Ahmanson Theatre is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave. Downtown Los Angeles, 90012.

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March 18, 2016

National Tour Press Representative Anne Waisanen, Allied Live E: awaisanen@alliedim.com O: 202-742-8769

Los Angeles Press Representatives Nancy Hereford, Jason Martin and Arielle Laub E: nhereford@centertheatregroup.org, jmartin@centertheatregroup.org, alaub@centertheatregroup.org O: 213-972-7376

2016/17 Ahmanson Season Announcement

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 01:30:00 -0700

"Disgraced" Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 23:03:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June - July 2016

EVENT:

“Disgraced”

by Ayad Akhtar Directed by Kimberly Senior.

DESCRIPTION:

In a riveting, contemporary exploration of identity and religion, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Disgraced” follows a married couple living in Upper East Side Manhattan. Amir is a corporate lawyer and Emily an artist, and though Amir was born in Pakistan and raised Muslim, he has left that faith behind. The couple hosts a small dinner party and soon, before anyone can stop it, polite protocol is abandoned and the talk turns to religion, politics and sex.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews begin June 8, 2016. Opens June 19. Through July 17.

Previews (June 8 – June 18): Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No performance on Monday or Tuesday.

Exception: Added Saturday matinee at 2:30 p.m. on June 18.

Opens Sunday, June 19 at 7 p.m.

Regular Performances (June 21 – July 17): Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No performance on Mondays.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $25 - $85 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)

Tickets are available online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Center Theatre Group Audience Services at (213) 628-2772, or in person at the Center Theatre Group box office. Hot Tix: $25 each may be purchased in advance or, subject to availability, on the day of performance at the box office (no checks). Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: Information & charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ProjectDATE.

LOCATION:

Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum

At the Music Center 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

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March 15, 2016

'Women Laughing Alone...' Opens at Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 22:13:00 -0800

THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF “WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD” OPENS SUNDAY, MARCH 13 AT CTG’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

Performances Continue Through April 3, 2016

The West Coast premiere of Sheila Callaghan’s madcap new play “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” opens Sunday, March 13, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre. Directed by Neel Keller, with musical staging by Ken Roht, performances for “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” continue through April 3. (Previews began on March 6.)

The cast includes Lisa Banes (“Gone Girl,” the film; “Present Laughter,” Broadway) Nora Kirkpatrick (founding member of the Grammy-winning band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros; “Pink Grapefruit,” the film), David Clayton Rogers (“Revenge of the Bridesmaids,” ABC Family; guest roles on “Mixology” and “Nashville”) and Dinora Z. Walcott (“Scandal”; guest roles on “Rizzoli & Isles,” “The Mentalist”).

The story in “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” swirls around a man named Guy and three very different women in his life whose feral drives, distorted priorities and passionate love affairs with salad are driving Guy over the edge. Tossed with Callaghan's signature bite, humor and rambunctious theatricality, “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” explores our image-obsessed culture in a world saturated by social media and seductive marketing.

“No matter the topic at hand,” said Alexis Soloski of The New York Times, “Ms. Callaghan’s writing, whether in plays like ‘Roadkill Confidential’ and ‘That Pretty Pretty’ or the cable series ‘Shameless’ and ‘The United States of Tara,’ is florid and highly inflammable … Themes and fixations crash together like vehicles in a multi-car pileup.”

Callaghan’s plays include “Scab,” “Crawl Fade to White,” “Crumble,” “(Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake),” “We Are Not These Hands,” “Dead City,” “Lascivious Something,” Kate Crackernuts,” “The Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play,” “Fever/Dream,” “Everything You Touch” and “Roadkill Confidential." She is an affiliated artist with Clubbed Thumb, a member of the playwrights’ organization 13P and a resident of New Dramatists. She is a writer/producer on Showtime’s “Shameless.”

“Women Laughing Alone With Salad” was developed in the 2012-2013 CTG Writers’ Workshop.

Scenic design for “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” is by Keith Mitchell, costume design is by Ann Closs-Farley, lighting is by Elizabeth Harper, sound design by John Zalewski, projection design is by Keith Skretch and fight direction is by Ahmed Best. Casting is by Meg Fister and the production stage manager is Brooke Baldwin.

The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232. Ample free parking and restaurants are adjacent.

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March 9, 2016

'Women Laughing Alone With Salad' Press Kit

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 01:02:00 -0800