Saturday Night
September 23 and October 20, 2002
at the Pasadena Playhouse (9/23) and Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza (10/20)

Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Julius J. Epstein

Based on the play "Front Porch in Flatbush" by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein

Stephen Sondheim's debut as a Broadway composer, SATURDAY NIGHT was written in 1954 and substantially revised for an acclaimed 2000 off-Broadway production. SATURDAY NIGHT has been called Sondheim's "most charming score... just as fresh and exciting today and when it was written." Taking place on three consecutive Saturday nights, it's a delicious "boy-meets-girl" love story with songs (like "So Many People" and "Once Wonderful Day") that are "sophisticated, unexpected and - yes - melodic." LOS ANGELES PREMIERE!

Allegro
November 18, 2002
at the Alex Theatre in Glendale

Music by Richard Rodgers
Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Originally produced on Broadway by The Theatre Guild

Running 315 performances in 1947, ALLEGRO signaled the start of a powerful new genre: the concept musical. Telling the still timely story of a doctor at conflict with his family and community, ALLEGRO is the first of only two Roegers & Hammerstein musicals not adapted from another source. With songs like "The Gentleman is a Dope." "A Fellow Needs a Girl," and "So Far," discover why ALLEGRO was acclaimed as "A work of great beauty and purity" (Brooks Atkinson - NY Times). CELEBRATING THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF RICHARD RODGERS' BIRTH!

Grand Hotel
February 3 and March 9, 2003
at the Pasadena Playhouse (2/3) and Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza (3/9)

Songs by Robert Wright & George Forrest
Book by Luther Davis

Based on Vicki Baum's "Grand Hotel"
Originally Directed & Choreographed on Broadway by Tommy Tune

A monster 1989 smash and the winner of 5 Tony awards, GRAND HOTEL, THE MUSICAL tells the delicious stories of the staff and guests of Berlin's fictional Grand Hotel. Included are the canny typist who dreams of Hollywood and the loveable accountant who befriends her, the devilish cat burglar Baron, and the ballerina who covets her solitude. Freely adapted from the MGM classic, GRAND HOTEL's score moves freely from drama to comedy, torch song to Charleston, as it follows the schemes, plots, secrets, and fates of the indelible characters. FIRST MAJOR LOS ANGELES REVIVAL!

Lucky Stiff
April 7, 2003
at the Pasadena Playhouse

Book & Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty

Based on "The Man Who Broke The Bank at Monte Carlo" by Michael Butterworth

LUCKY STIFF is a non-stopm fast-paced - a truly unique musical marking of the debut of Ahrens and Flaherty (RATIME, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND) as a potent theatrical force. The wonderfully tuneful story centers on Harry, a shy shoe salesman who must cart his uncle's corpse around Monte Carlo in order to earn his 6 million dollar inheritance lest it go to the Dog Home of Brooklyn. And, Harry hated dogs. Funny and memorable? With songs like "Something Funny's Going On" and "Good to be Alive", you bet! WINNER - 1988 RICHARD RODGERS PRODUCTION AWARD for NEW MUSICALS!

Jubilee
May 19, 2003
at the Pasadena Playhouse

Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter
Libretto by Moss Hart

Nobody had more fun writing musicals than Cole Porter, and it shows in this newly rediscovered 1935 treasure. Centering on the monarchs of a mythical land celebrating their silver anniversary - just as the real King and Queen of England had recently celebrated theirs - the score is filled with Porter's best - "Just One of those Things", "Begin the Beguine" and "Why Shouldn't I" are just a few. With its rueful, ironic and sophisticated Moss Hart book, JUBILEE offers a jubilant conclusion to our 2002-2003 season celebrating America's finest composers.