A GREAT COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR EPAC ALUMS!

EPAC alumnus Jonathan Groff taps his way through "Anything Goes" at the
 MCC Theater "Miscast" gala in New York 

(photos courtesy of Broadwayworld.com).

EPAC alumnus Eliseo Roman, far right, rehearses with fellow cast members of Broadway's "Leap of Faith" (photo courtesy of Playbill.com).

JONATHAN GROFF TAPS TOES FOR A CAUSE

EPAC alumnus Jonathan Groff (“Honk,” “Bat Boy”) channeled his inner Sutton Foster/Reno Sweeney and his inner Barbra Streisand/Fanny Brice Monday night, as part of the cast of the MCC Theater’s “Miscast” fundraising gala in New York.

Wait until you see his fancy hoofin’!!

Annually, "Miscast" allows Broadway stars to perform numbers they'd normally never be cast to sing. Jonathan, who has long been obsessed with Sutton Foster, performed "Anything Goes" from the show of the same name (which the Ephrata Performing Arts Center at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre will be presenting in December).

You can see the eight-minute video of his high-energy performance here. 

 Jonathan also performed "The Music That Makes Me Dance" from "Funny Girl."

The gala raises money for the MCC Theater (where Jonathan recently performed in the play "Submission"), its Youth Company and its work with New York City public high school students and emerging playwrights.

Jonathan's mom, Julie Groff, was in attendance, and said the show was very elaborate, filled with talented performers, and a lot of fun to watch. Julie said Jonathan worked very hard on his tap-dance number for weeks, while flying back and forth among Los Angeles, New York and Chicago for his varied TV work.

Other Broadway stars performing at "Miscast" included "Smash" star Megan Hilty; "Follies" star Jan Maxwell; Norm Lewis of "Porgy and Bess," and Josh Gad of "Book of Mormon."

You can read more about the gala, and see more pix of its performers, here.

ELISEO ROMAN BACK ON BROADWAY

In more EPAC alumnus news: Lancaster native Eliseo Roman, who performed in “The Fantasticks” and “Jesus Christ, Superstar” at EPAC, and as the “Piragua Guy” in “In the Heights” on Broadway, portrays an Angel of Mercy in the new Broadway musical, “Leap of Faith,” which opens April 3 at the St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44^th St.

 The show, which stars Raul Esparza and Jessica Phillips and has a score by multi-Oscar-winner Alan Menken, is about a flim-flam preacher trying to hustle a small town (till he meets a small-town girl who may just give him something real to believe in, that is!)

Yay, Eliseo! Break a leg!

You can read more about the show here.

"NEXT TO NORMAL" STUNNED; "XANADU" WILL DELIVER THE FUN

All of us who sat in the audience slack-jawed, sobbing and emotionally overcome by the recent run of "Next to Normal" at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre would like to thank everyone who had anything to do with the show -- the director, musical director and choreographer; the cast, the crew, the pit orchestra, the design team ... EVERYONE! You created a true, moving work of art no one will forget. The theater received so many complimentary e-mails and Facebook posts and heard so many effusive comments about that show. KUDOS!


And now, on to "Xanadu," April 26 - May 12!! This musical comedy (based on the campy 1980 movie of the same name) concerns a Greek muse and her efforts to inspire a struggling California artist to create a roller disco.


The show has a book by Douglas Carter Beane (who wrote the wonderful "The Little Dog Laughed" that was a recent "EPAC on the Edge" offering) and music and lyrics by Jeff (Electric Light Orchestra) Lynne and John Farrar (who wrote hit songs for Olivia Newton-John).


Call (717) 433-7966, or visit the Sharadin Bigler Theatre website for tickets or more information.


          -- Mary Ellen ("Merv") Wright

'NEXT TO NORMAL' WILL MOVE YOU

For years, Diana, her family and her doctors have been wandering through a thicket – trying to treat and cope with her bipolar disorder.

We follow them all as Diana tries to make herself whole, gathering pieces of her life and trying to integrate them within her mind and her soul. What important thing can’t she remember? Is her illness in her brain or in her soul?

This is the premise of a powerful rock musical, “Next to Normal,” which is receiving its regional premiere right here at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre (March 8-24).

I watched a recent rehearsal of the show, and I can attest that this Tony Award-winning musical is profound, funny and extremely moving, and that the cast is simply stellar. Wait until you hear this cast wrap its very talented vocal cords around this rock score. They will knock your socks off!

This is a very intense show; it will move you, make you think, make you cry and make you laugh. It will get under your skin, and stay with you for days. Make sure you bring tissues or a handkerchief to the show with you; you will need them!

The show explores themes of memory, love, loyalty, grief, the nature of mental illness and even ethics in psychiatry.

The book is beautifully written and structured, and the music that propels the story forward is powerful. I love the way we, as audience members, are thrown off-kilter by the order in which we learn certain pieces of information about Diana’s psychiatric journey; we gather these pieces as she’s gathering them, and we wonder about so much until mysteries are solved in the final scenes.

The catharsis you’ll experience will be palpable.

It’s no accident that the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010. It’s one of only eight musicals to ever have won that prize.

The show is beautifully cast with marvelous actors and voices:

         

Diana - Roberta (Bobbie) Bear

Dan - Bryon Smith

       

Natalie - Kathryn Williams

         Gabe - Corey Buller

         Henry - Matt Whalen

         Doctor Fine - Bob Breen

The Sharadin Bigler Theatre will present a special performance of “Next to Normal,” part of the proceeds from which will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That show is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14; all seats are $20 apiece.

To order tickets online for that benefit show – a small facility and handling fee will be added – visit this page. You can also call the box office at (717) 733-7966.

For more information about “Next to Normal” – and to see a video and some photos – visit the Sharadin Bigler Theatre website and click on the purple “Next to Normal” logo.

The Sharadin Bigler Theatre would like to extend its deep gratitude for our sponsors for this show:  Philhaven; Green MountainCyclery and BlueRidge Communications.

-- Merv Wright

           

"NEXT TO NORMAL" OPENS MARCH 8

The cast of "Next to Normal," opening March 8 at theSharadin Bigler Theatre

*** I recently saw a rehearsal of "Next to Normal," the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that's opening March 8 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. I'll be posting more information about the show and the cast -- and how FABULOUS and moving this show is going to be -- later today. Above are a couple of photos from the production.

*** Other regional premieres at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre this season include  "Xanadu," "The Who's Tommy" and a recent Tony-winning rock musical, the title of which we'll be able to announce soon. I wrote about the full season here on the blog back in November.

For information on the season, or to order tickets, visit the theater's website, or call (717) 733-7966.

*** "Beauty and the Beast Jr." was a big hit at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre earlier this month. Sell-outs every night! Kudos to director Irving Gonzalez and the whole cast! We have some very talented young people sharing their gifts on this Ephrata stage!

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

THE PAWS THAT REFRESHES!

Katelyn Mullen as Grizabella and Matt Rush as Old Deuteronomy

in the Sharadin Bigler Theatre's production of "Cats"

Jellicle Cats are Talented Cats

I’ve seen productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Cats” before, usually in large theaters, on a proscenium stage. Sure, the dancing was heavenly, but I was always, somehow, held at a remove from the action. I couldn’t quite connect with the stories of this varied group of cats vying for a chance to be reborn.

But the delightful production now prowling the Sharadin Bigler Theatre stage made a “Cats” believer out of me. Because this intimate theater space allows the cat characters to have more direct interaction with the audience, I was immediately drawn into their feline world. They brought the poetry of T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" – the source material for the show – to life at Wednesday night's preview performance.

You’ll see some fantastic dancing in the show – by turns mesmerizing, energetic, eye-popping and sexy. But it the acting and singing talent of this cast that made me see this show as so much more than a dance-based entertainment.

I heard some terrific singing coming out of those feline faces during Wednesday night’s preview performance. And the cat characters were clearly connecting with each other, and with all the audience members with whom they were making up-close-and-personal cat’s-eye contact all evening long.

With everyone in a feline costume, under that kitty makeup, it takes a special troupe of tomcats to make that kind of individual connection with the audience. And this SBT production is blessed with just such a special group of performers.

Kudos to them; this is truly an ensemble show, in which many of the feline characters get their own moment to shine in the spotlight. Their characterizations will surely amuse you, thrill you and move you.

Kudos to director/choreographer Kristin Pontz for a beautifully staged and choreographed production. Kudos to acting coach Rich Repkoe and musical director Derek Martin for helping this talented cast add depth to the production. The pit orchestra sounded great, as well!

A salute, too, to the designers, technical professionals, costume, makeup and props teams, who’ve enhanced the action of this show with an interesting set and great effects. Future audience members: Keep your eyes peeled while you’re watching this show. You never know when a cat will be prowling on a platform right above your head, ready to cozy up to the side of your theater seat.

My advice: Get your tickets to the Sharadin Bigler Theatre production of “Cats” now. Once the word spreads about the quality of this production, you don’t want to be left out in the cold this holiday season!

The show opens tonight (Dec. 8), and runs till Dec. 23.

Visit www.ephrataperformingartscenter.com, or call 733-7966, for tickets. And check out the Blue Ridge Communications preview video for the show!

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

2012 brings variety, mirth, music and drama at EPAC

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT EPAC IN 2012!

Wow. Just … wow!

The Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s marvelous 2011 season is still in full swing, and yet there’s already a whole new slate of fabulous shows to look forward to at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre in 2012!

You’ll be hearing a lot more about all these shows soon. But, for now, here’s the varied and exciting rundown:

Feb. 3-12, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast, Jr.”

The lovely and bookish Belle wants to escape her provincial life. The Beast wants to break a curse and return to his former self. Each has something to teach the other. All that … and the teapot and the candlesticks come to singing, dancing life for your entertainment. The whole family will love this heartwarming Family-Series musical at EPAC.

March 8-24, “Next to Normal”

I’ve heard wonderful things about this musical, which concerns how a family copes with a woman’s mental illness in the aftermath of tragedy. Friends who saw it on Broadway couldn’t stop talking about this show; they said it was amazing, intense, overwhelming … the effusive adjectives went on and on. I can’t wait to see what they’ve been talking about. This show won both the 2010 Pulitizer Prize for drama – only the eighth musical ever to get the honor – and Tony Awards including Best Score, so you know it’s firing on all cylinders!

April 25-May 12, “Xanadu”

You know you’re hearing Olivia Newton-John sing “Xanadu” in your mind right now, amid visions of leg warmers, roller skates and disco glory. This big, beautiful, campy show, about a Mount Olympus muse who inspires an artist to create a roller disco – with the muse’s jealous sisters causing trouble along the way – is filled with happy music and disco delights. And, bonus!: Its book is by Pennsylvania native Douglas Carter Beane, who wrote that EPAC on the Edge sensation, “The Little Dog Laughed.”

June 7-23, “Blithe Spirit”

I saw this classic comedy play by Noel Coward years ago in my hometown, and was completely captivated by the story of a married novelist; the eccentric medium he hires to perform a séance, and the vexing ghost of the novelist’s annoying late first wife, who suddenly begins appearing only to him. Marital mayhem and general zaniness ensue in this ghostly romp. Once you’ve met the medium, Madame Arcati (played in the recent Broadway revival by Angela Lansbury), you’ll never forget her!

July 19-August 4, “The Who’s Tommy”

Rock out with EPAC as The Who’s famed fable of the traumatized Tommy and his “Pinball Wizard” arcade superstardom comes to life on the Sharadin Bigler stage. You’ve seen how well EPAC handles such rock fare as “Rent,” so you won’t want to miss the chance to see what the troupe does with “Tommy.” This show will take Boomers like me back to their youth, and grab a whole new generation of theatergoers – taking us all on a thrilling, theatrical ride.

Sept. 6-22, “The Night of the Iguana”

Tennessee Williams wrote masterful plays that demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, his deep understanding of all aspects of human nature. In this work, set in a seedy Mexican hotel, an agitated defrocked minister tries to function as a tour guide while dealing with the attentions of three very different women. Ed Fernandez has been longing to sink his directorial teeth into this drama for a long time; we can’t wait to see the results.

Oct. 25-Nov. 10, To Be Announced: A Tony Award-winning, contemporary pop/rock musical

The folks at EPAC can’t yet tell you the title of this show yet. But you’ll be thrilled when they ARE able to announce it. More on this show later!!

Dec. 6-22, “Anything Goes”

Cole Porter’s classic musical about the shipboard antics of a wide variety of characters – from stowaway Billy Crocker to heiress Hope Harcourt to nightclub singer Reno Sweeney – is as popular today as it ever was. It’s no accident that this musical has had so many recent revivals; it’s a real crowd-pleaser, filled with Porter standards (and meaty roles for the actors!).

For information about subscribing to the new season, visit the EPAC website. Current subscribers can renew here.

"Beauty and the Beast, Jr." auditions, for those ages 5-16, are Saturday, Nov. 12; see the website for details, and click here to register.

Auditions for the rest of the new season will be held Jan. 7-11. Check the website for details soon.

The annual party for subscribers will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28.

And, don’t forget … it’s still 2011, and there’s plenty of entertainment yet in store on the Sharadin Bigler stage! “Evil Dead: The Musical” runs through Nov. 6. If you missed EPAC’s fantastic production of “The Vagina Monologues” last year, you won’t want to miss your chance again. Sharon Mellinger is again directing this funny, heartwarming play, with new monologues and a new cast. It runs Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12.

And you can celebrate the holidays in style with those singing, dancing felines of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” running Dec. 8-23.

And, P.S., don't forget to check the website for information on EPAC's online auction. There are some great prizes to bid on, including a stay at a resort in Rehoboth Beach and golf and fitness packages.

-- Mary Ellen ("Merv") Wright

BE A "DEAD"-HEAD, AT EPAC!

The cast of "Evil Dead: The Musical" provides an evening of gory-good fun at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

TRY TO DISMEMBER ...

The chainsaw, the blood and the laughs will be flying around the stage of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre beginning Thursday night, as the Ephrata Performing Arts Center presents “Evil Dead: The Musical” as its Halloween offering for the 2011 season.

The musical embraces – and winks at – the classic-horror tropes of those campy, gore-filled, Sam Raimi-directed “Evil Dead” movies of the 1980s.

Five teenagers travel to a cabin in the woods – if you’ve ever seen a slasher film in your life, you know THAT scenario isn’t going to end well – where most of them wind up being possessed by demons.

And, as everyone, no doubt, knows, the only way a housewares employee like Ash (played at EPAC by Brian Virea) can deal with flesh-possessing demons is to dismember his zombified friends.

If all that isn’t in-your-face enough, you might want to purchase special $30 tickets in the “Splatter Zone” – front-row, on-stage seating that's closest to the mock-macabre action! You’ll be given a plastic poncho – and you’ll need it, when the gore starts flying.

With songs like “I’m Not a Killer,” “It Won’t Let Us Leave” and “What the F@#% Was That?”, “Evil Dead” will fill your evening with crazy, over-the-top Halloween fun.

Edward R. Fernandez directs. Here’s the rest of the cast list for the show.

NOTE: THIS SHOW IS BEST ENJOYED BY THOSE AGES 17 AND UP; it contains ADULT language and situations.

The show runs through Saturday, Nov. 5., with a midnight show on Saturday, Oct. 29, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 5. Other showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Prices for the midnight show only are $35 for regular seating and $40 for the “Splatter Zone.” Those tickets include light refreshments and adult beverages before the show.

Visit the EPAC website to order tickets online, or call 733-7966, Ext. 1, for the box office.

We’d like to salute Bob and Doreen Hershey and all the scaremasters at Jason’s Woods, that granddaddy of Lancaster County haunted attractions, for consulting on the special effects and for helping EPAC promote the show.

EPAC board vice president Jim Ruth and I recently braved the dark halls, trails and hayride of Jason’s Woods, and had a marvelous time having frightening creatures jump out at us in the dark. One of those creatures, it turned out, was Jim’s nephew!

After you check out “Evil Dead: The Musical,” go check out Jason’s Woods. It, too, is for grownups who like a good scare!

From Blood to Beer

Your ticket to opening night of “Evil Dead: The Musical” entitles you to attend the opening-night party at the Olde Lincoln House, 1398 W. Main St., Ephrata. The EPAC family would like to thank the proprietors there, along with party sponsor Green Mountain Cyclery, for giving the cast and patrons a place to chillax after a bloody-good evening at the theater.

Be our guest … and audition!

Calling all kids and teens, ages 5-16, who’d like to be involved in the theater!

Come out and audition for “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” from 1-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Click here to fill out an audition form.

Callbacks are at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14. Performances are Feb. 2-12, with a school-day performance on Feb. 9.

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

OCT. 8 BUS TRIP TO SEE JONATHAN GROFF IN NYC

ON OCT. 8, SEE AN NYC PLAY

ABOUT THEATER

WITH FELLOW THEATER BUFFS!

(... and EPAC veteran Jonathan Groff is the star!)

(... and those going on the bus trip get a talk-back with Groff and the cast after the show!!)

According to Associated Press Drama Writer Mark Kennedy, “… MCC Theater's ‘The Submission’ is a raw, unsentimental play about race and gender that exposes the quiet prejudice and intolerance among even our most progressive thinkers. It is both uncomfortable and impossible to not watch. Discussions are certain to be sparked after the curtain has fallen, on the way out of the theater. …”

One of the stars of that play is Ephrata Performing Arts Center alumnus Jonathan Groff, of “Spring Awakening” and “Glee” fame. And, for a great price, you can go see Jonathan, along with “True Blood” star Rutina Wesley, in “The Submission” at New York’s Lucille Lortel Theater – on Christopher Street in the West Village! – on Saturday, Oct. 8.

For just $95, you’ll get motorcoach transportation to and from New York and your ticket to the show, AND you’ll be helping support EPAC with a $20 donation (included in that price). You’ll be going to see a play about theater, with a bunch of real theater fans; the bus ride to and from NYC will, no doubt, be a wonderful trip.

AND A SPECIAL BONUS ... those going on the trip will get to participate in a talk-back with Jonathan Groff and the cast after the show!!

The bus will leave the parking lot of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre at 7 a.m. and return around 10 p.m. That means you’ll have a bit of time in New York before the show starts (did I mention you’ll be in the WEST VILLAGE?!); see the 2 p.m. matinee of “The Submission,” and have a chance to grab a bite to eat before you get back on the bus for the trip home!

Call the box office of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre, (717) 733-7966, Ext. 1, for tickets or more information. You can also order online here.

In closing, here’s a bit more from the AP’s Mark Kennedy:

“… (Jonathan) Groff (‘Spring Awakening, ‘Glee’), does well in a complex role, one in which he is both likable and later despicable, a lefty who assumes he is politically evolved but still has a way to go. He plays Danny with an earnest guilelessness, unaware of the damage his words can make. Emilie is wonderfully realized by (Rutina) Wesley (‘True Blood’); she veers from sex kitten in one scene to savagely screaming invectives a few moments later. …”

Click here for the full review.

-- Mary Ellen (“Merv”) Wright