Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Scenes From the Vault—Soft Power

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:48:00 -0700

In 2014, Artistic Director Michael Ritchie approached Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright David Henry Hwang to commission a new work for Center Theatre Group’s 50th Anniversary. After collaborating with Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Shrek the Musical; Caroline, or Change; Fun Home), Tony Award-nominated director Leigh Silverman (Yellow Face; Chinglish; Violet), and Tony Award-winning choreographer Sam Pinkleton (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Amélie; Significant Other), Soft Power—a 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist—had its World premiere at the Ahmanson in 2018 as a co-production with The Public Theater. Soft Power was the latest in David Henry Hwang’s long-running relationship with Center Theatre Group, which includes the World premieres of Flower Drum Song in 2001 and Yellow Face in 2007 at the Mark Taper Forum.

Soft Power turns the classic East-meets-West musical on its head by putting the traditional American musical through the Chinese perspective. Like much of Hwang’s work, Soft Power explores identity and cultural appropriation. Inspired by the racism imbued in The King and I, where a white woman travels to Siam to teach the king how to be civilized, Soft Power inverts that power relationship by creating a world approximately 100 years in the future in which China has superseded the U.S. as a cultural power. Not only is this achieved through the storytelling, but also through the music. Tesori’s score pays homage to the sounds of classic Broadway in order to depict how China has appropriated the American musical form. Inspired by the events of the 2016 election, Soft Power also explores the ideas of independence and democracy—the songs "Democracy" and “Election Night” are our featured Scenes from the Vault selections.

Did you know that you can visit The Music Center to drop off your ballot? Registered Los Angeles County voters can cast their ballots in-person or drop off their mail-in ballots. The Vote Center will be open for the extended voting period from October 24 through November 2, and on Election Day, November 3, 2020. The Vote Center is located in Stern Grand Hall on the second level of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Enter through the main lobby doors, accessible from Jerry Moss Plaza. Restrooms will be available to voters. Learn more about voting in Los Angeles here.

Scenes From the Vault—Parade

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 11:24:00 -0700

In 2009, Center Theatre Group produced Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s Parade at the Mark Taper Forum in partnership The Donmar Warehouse. This celebrated revival marked a return to the Taper for both artists, with the World premiere of Brown’s 13 and Uhry’s Without Walls having played there just a few years before. Brown later returned to Center Theatre Group to conduct the orchestra for our 2015 production of The Bridges of Madison County at the Ahmanson.

With a cast including T.R. Knight, Lara Pulver, Charlotte d’Amboise, and Davis Gaines, the 2009 revival of Parade featured two new songs by Brown as well as several revisions in the script by Uhry, and was directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford. The production was described in the Los Angeles Times as “a potent antidote to the jukebox mindlessness running rampant today and an urgent reminder of what contemporary composers are still capable of achieving.” The original Broadway production in 1999, which was also Brown’s first Broadway show, was nominated for nine Tony Awards and won two, while the Donmar Warehouse’s London production in 2008 received seven Laurence Olivier Award nominations.

The musical is based on the story of the 1915 mob lynching of Jewish factory supervisor Leo Frank, who was falsely accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl named Mary Phagan who worked at the same factory in 1913. The event became a national news story that was sensationalized in the press, which kindled antisemitism in the greater Atlanta area and the state of Georgia at large. In fact, the Anti-Defamation League was established in 1913 as a response to the wave of anti-Jewish sentiment spurred by this event. After being unjustly convicted of murder despite there being two other suspects, as well as a series of rejected appeals, Governor John M. Slaton of Georgia reduced Frank’s sentence from capital punishment to life imprisonment. Frank was sent to prison where a group of men angered by Slaton’s decision kidnapped him, brought him to Marietta, Georgia—Mary Phagan’s hometown—and lynched him.

The musical deals with the complex themes of antisemitism and racism—or as noted in The Hollywood Reporter, “government-supported bigotry against blacks and Jews (shockingly pitted against each other) and the terrifying power of mob rule.” Parade is set in Georgia, where Confederate values and Jim Crow laws were still upheld. And despite how the political landscape has evolved since 1913, as composer Jason Robert Brown described, “In the time we are currently living in, the story of Leo Frank is entirely relevant and sort of sadly obvious. This is a story of America. We can all pontificate about how we want this to change and how things have gotten worse or things have gotten better, but there is something about the American story that is embedded into Parade, and I think we have to own that part of who we are.”

2020 Emmy Nominees: Stage to Screen

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:08:00 -0700

Uzo Aduba, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Mrs. America)

Venice at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (2010)

J.D. Goldblatt and Uzo Aduba with the cast of “Venice” at The Kirk Douglas Theatre. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Venice is a dystopian hip-hop musical that was created as a co-production with Kansas City Rep at the Douglas. Uzo Aduba originated the role of Anna Monroe, the ghost of the protagonist’s mother. In addition to being a member of the original cast, she also played the role when the show went to The Public Theater in New York.

Wayne Brady, Outstanding Game Show Host (Let’s Make a Deal)

Blade to the Heat at the Mark Taper Forum (1996)

(L–R) George Villas, Ray Oriel, and Wayne Brady in “Blade to the Heat” at the Mark Taper Forum. Photo by Craig Schwartz/Jay Thompson.

Before rising to fame on Whose Line Is It Anyway, Wayne Brady performed in the West Coast premiere of Blade to the Heat at the Taper in 1996 opposite a cast including Raymond Cruz, Dominic Hoffman, and Justina Machado.

Sterling K. Brown, Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series (This Is Us)

Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) at the Mark Taper Forum (2016)

Sterling K. Brown in “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 and 3)” at the Mark Taper Forum. Photo by Craig Schwartz

In 2016, Sterling K. Brown reprised his role as Hero in Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) at the Taper. Hero is a slave living through the Civil War that is offered his freedom if he joins his master to fight for the Confederacy and is faced with the difficult decision to leave the people he loves for what could be an empty promise.

Brian Cox, Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series (Succession)

Skylight at the Mark Taper Forum (1997)

(L–R) Laila Robins and Brian Cox in “Skylight” at the Mark Taper Forum. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

In 1997, Brian Cox starred as Tom Sergeant in the British play Skylight opposite Laila Robins and Michael Hall. The play centers around a school teacher who is suddenly confronted by her former lover, Tom, with whom she had an affair with several years prior.

Laurence Fishburne, Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series (#FreeRayshawn)

Two Trains Running at the Ahmanson at the UCLA James A. Doolittle Theatre (1992)
Without Walls at the Mark Taper Forum (2006)

(L–R) Matt Lanter and Laurence Fishburne in a scene from “Without Walls.” Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Laurence Fishburne starred as Sterling, a young Turk freshly out of prison in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. He also appeared in Alfred Uhry’s Without Walls, which made its World premiere at the Taper in 2006. Fishburne plays Morocco, a gay high school drama teacher that produces The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for his class, which becomes a mirror to the story that unravels in Uhry’s play.

Jeff Goldblum, Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special (The World According to Jeff Goldblum)

Seminar at the Ahmanson Theatre (2012)

(L–R) Lucas Near-Verbrugghe and Jeff Goldblum in "Seminar." Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Jeff Goldblum reprised his Broadway turn in Seminar for the West Coast premiere in 2012 at the Ahmanson. Goldblum played Leonard, a professor who leads a seminar for four young writers in New York City.

Louis Gossett Jr., Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Watchmen)

And Where She Stops Nobody Knows at the Mark Taper Forum (1976)
Three Sisters at the Mark Taper Forum (1976)
Center Theatre Group’s 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Ahmanson Theatre (2017)

Louis Gossett Jr. in “Three Sisters” at the Mark Taper Forum.

Louis Gossett Jr. was a member of the Taper’s repertory program in 1976, starring in plays including And Where She Stops Nobody Knows and Three Sisters at the Taper. He later returned to Center Theatre Group in 2017 to help celebrate Center Theatre Group’s 50th Anniversary.

Hugh Jackman, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Bad Education)

Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (2019)

Anne Douglas, Deborra-lee Furness, Kirk Douglas and Hugh Jackman backstage after a benefit reading of “Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood” at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-lee Furness joined Center Theatre Group for a reading of Kirk and Anne: Letter of Love Laughter and a Lifetime in Hollywood at the Douglas in 2019 for a special one-night fundraiser.

Cherry Jones, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Succession)

The Heiress at the Mark Taper Forum (1996)
Tongue of a Bird at the Ahmanson Theatre (1999)
Doubt at the Ahmanson Theatre (2006)

(L–R) Lisa Joyce and Cherry Jones in “Doubt” at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Cherry Jones has starred in numerous productions with Center Theatre Group. She appeared in The Heiress as Catherine Sloper, an unassuming girl who is the heiress to a great fortune. In Tongue of a Bird, Jones portrays Maxine, a search and rescue pilot looking for a lost girl in Maine. She returned to our stage in 2006he Ahmanson in Doubt as Sister Aloysius, a nun who suspects a priest of improper conduct against a student.

Leslie Odom, Jr., Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Central Park)

Leap of Faith at the Ahmanson Theatre (2010)

Leslie Odom, Jr. and the cast of “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Leslie Odom, Jr. originated the role of Isaiah Sturdivant in Leap of Faith, a musical adaptation based on the 1992 movie of the same name. In addition to his performance in the World premiere at the Ahmanson, he was part of the original Broadway cast.

Sandra Oh, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Killing Eve)

The House of Bernarda Alba at the Mark Taper Forum (2002)

Sandra Oh in “The House of Bernarda Alba” at the Mark Taper Forum. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

In 2002, playwright Chay Yew’s adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba was produced at the Taper. The show centers around the newly-widowed Bernarda Alba who sentences her five daughters to remain in mourning for eight years—ultimately resulting in another death. Sandra Oh portrayed Adela, the youngest of the title character’s five daughters.

Dolly Parton, Outstanding Television Movie (Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: These Old Bones)

9 to 5: The Musical at the Ahmanson Theatre (2008)

Dolly Parton receives flowers during the curtain call for the world premiere of “9 to 5: The Musical” at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.

9 to 5: The Musical, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, had its World premiere at the Ahmanson in 2008. The show, which is based on the hit 1980 movie of the same name, opened with a star-studded cast which included Stephanie J. Block, Alison Janney, and Megan Hilty.

Jeremy Pope, Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Hollywood)

Ain’t Too Proud at the Ahmanson Theatre (2018)

Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Jawan M. Jackson, James Harkness and Derrick Baskin in “Ain’t Too Proud” at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Before heading to Broadway and receiving 11 Tony nominations and one win, Ain’t Too Proud, a musical featuring the songs of The Temptations, came to the Ahmanson. Jeremy Pope performed as Eddie Kendricks and was nominated for a Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.

Phylicia Rashad, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (This Is Us)

Gem of the Ocean at the Mark Taper Forum (2003)
A Raisin in the Sun at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (2012)
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Mark Taper Forum (2013)
Immediate Family at the Mark Taper Forum (2015)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Mark Taper Forum (2016)
Head of Passes at the Mark Taper Forum (2017)

Phylicia Rashad in “Head of Passes” at the Mark Taper Forum. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad has been a part of Center Theatre Group for over 15 years, including as the director of four productions across our stages: A Raisin in the Sun in 2011, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in 2013, Immediate Family in 2015, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in 2016. She’s also starred in two of our productions: Gem of the Ocean in 2003 and Head of Passes in 2016. Rashad created the role of Aunt Ester, a character mentioned in several of August Wilson’s Plays but not featured until Gem of the Ocean. In 2017, she reprised her role as Shelah—a dying mother living in hurricane-prone Louisiana—in Head of Passes at the Taper

Cicely Tyson, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (How to Get Away With Murder)

The Trip to Bountiful at the Ahmanson Theatre (2014)

Cicely Tyson and Jurnee Smollett-Bell in "The Trip to Bountiful" at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Cicely Tyson reprised her Tony Award-winning role as Mrs. Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful at the Ahmanson in 2014 opposite a starry cast including Vanessa Williams and Blair Underwood. The play follows Mrs. Watts, who lives in her Houston apartment with her unhappy son and daughter-in-law, and eventually runs away to her hometown of Bountiful.

Special Mention

Alan Menken, Best Original Song in a Children’s, Young Adult or Animated Program (Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure *won at previously held Daytime Emmy Awards Ceremony)

Little Shop of Horrors at the Ahmanson Theatre (2004)
Leap of Faith at the Ahmanson Theatre (2010)

Composer Alan Menken (seated) and lyricist Glenn Slater in rehearsal for “Leap of Faith” at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Center Theatre Group has staged two shows featuring now EGOT-winner Alan Menken’s music, including Little Shop of Horrors in 2004 at the Ahmanson and the pre-Broadway World premiere of Leap of Faith, a musical based on the 1992 movie starring Steve Martin.