My Favorite Year
September 20 & October 3, 2004
at the Alex Theatre, Glendale; Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks

Book by Joseph Dougherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

Based on the Motion Picture "My Favorite Year", Courtesy of Turner Entertainment Co. Screenplay by Norma Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo Story by Dennis Palumbo

Based on the hit film, MY FAVORITE YEAR is the sweet, snappy and altogether beguiling story of young Benjy Stone, a freshman writer on early TV’s “Kaiser Comedy Cavalcade”. Assigned the daunting task of baby-sitting a boozing Hollywood swashbuckler (played in the movie by Peter O’Toole), Benjy learns about human frailty, comedy, love – and what made 1954 his favorite year. Originally produced at Lincoln Center in 1992, the score by Ahrens & Flaherty (“Ragtime”, “Once On This Island”) makes for “bright, breezy, expert entertainment”  (New York Times). LOS ANGELES PREMIERE!

ALEX THEATRE: Monday, September 20 at 7:30 PM
SCHERR FORUM: Sunday, October 3 at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM

Redhead
November 22 & 29, 2004
at the Alex Theatre, Glendale; Carpenter Center, Long Beach

Book by David Shaw, Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields and Sidney Sheldon
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

Part Agatha Christie and part Keystone comedy, REDHEAD is a sexy murder mystery musical involving waxworks, music halls, cunning disguises, spine tingling chases, a killer on the loose and… yes… some really great songs by Albert Hague and the legendary Dorothy Fields. The show is rarely performed yet ran 452 performances and swept the 1959 TONY AWARDS, not only for its two stars Gwen Verdon and Richard Kiley, but also for Best Musical, Best Director & Choreographer (Bob Fosse) and Best Librettist and Best Composer. 45th ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION!

ALEX THEATRE: Monday, November 22 at 7:30 PM
CARPENTER CENTER: Monday, November 29 at 7:30 PM

Roberta
February 21 & 27 and March 7, 2005
at the Alex Theatre, Glendale; Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks; Carpenter Center, Long Beach

Book and Lyrics by Otto Harbach
Music by Jerome Kern

Adapted from the novel “Gowns by Roberta” by Alice Duer Miller

“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, “Lovely To Look At”, “You’re Devastating”, “I Won’t Dance”, “Yesterdays”… need we say more? ROBERTA has arguably the most romantic “Golden Age” score ever written. It tells the story of a red-blooded American football hero (originally played by Bob Hope) who inherits his Aunt’s Paris dress shop. Mistaken identities, culture clashes and romance ensues. California Senator George Murphy and Fred Mac Murray also made their Broadway debuts in ROBERTA.  A true Jerome Kern classic.

ALEX THEATRE: Monday, February 21 at 7:30 PM
SCHERR FORUM: Sunday, February 27 at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
CARPENTER CENTER: Monday, March 7 at 7:30 PM

Sail Away
April 11, 24 & 25, 2005
at the Alex Theatre, Glendale; Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks; Carpenter Center, Long Beach

Book, Music and Lyrics by Sir Noël Coward

Long recognized as the show that established Elaine Stritch’s reputation, SAIL AWAY was a hit on Broadway and in the West End in the 1960’s and a sensation at a 1999 Carnegie Hall concert reading, The satiric plot tells of an acerbic middle-aged cruise director who finds love and happiness in the arms of a younger passenger. The score is an evolution from “The Master’s” early operetta style, yet pure, charming Noël Coward.

ALEX THEATRE: Monday, April 11 at 7:30 PM
SCHERR FORUM: Sunday, April 24 at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
CARPENTER CENTER: Monday, April 25 at 7:30 PM

The Wild Party
June 6, 2005 - ONE NIGHT ONLY!
at the Alex Theatre, Glendale

Book, Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa

Based on a poem by Joseph Moncure March

Not to be confused with the Broadway show of the same name, Andrew Lippa’s WILD PARTY was developed at the Manhattan Theatre Club, winning the 2000 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best off-Broadway Musical and Drama Desk Award for Best Music. Set in the Roaring 20’s, it tells the story of one wild evening in the New York apartment shared by Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville dancer and her lover, as they set out to make each other jealous. Lippa’s score captures the sound of a bygone era and drives the tale of passions out of control. A thrilling conclusion to our season.  LOS ANGELES PREMIERE!

ALEX THEATRE: Monday, June 6 at 7:30 PM (ONE NIGHT ONLY!)