Cabrillo Musical Theatre Presents WHITE CHRISTMAS, Opens 12/26

Happy Holidays, Southern California! You are cordially invited to the theatre event of the holiday season when Cabrillo Music Theatre presents IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS featuring some of Cabrillo and Southern California's best loved talent. The classic Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye movie comes to life on the stage, with its delightful score enhanced by several more Irving Berlin classics and starring David Engel, Randy Rogel, Jennifer Mathews and Cassie Silva. Cabrillo's production of IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, created exclusively for the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, will open on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 and run for only seven performances, through Tuesday, December 29th, for Cabrillo Music Theatre in the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Filled with Irving Berlin's songs, and featuring a new book by David Ives and Paul Blake, WHITE CHRISTMAS tells the story of two World War II veterans-turned-entertainers, who meet up with a talented pair of sisters. Together, they plot to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general. The score features a whopping 17 Irving Berlin hits. Favorites from the movie include "Sisters," "Counting My Blessings," "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," and "Snow." Additions to the stage production include "I Love a Piano," "Blue Skies," and "How Deep is the Ocean." Topping it all off, of course, is the award-winning title tune.

"WHITE CHRISTMAS is yet another Cabrillo exclusive to appear concurrently with a Broadway production," says Carole W. Nussbaum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cabrillo Music Theatre. "Our audience is in for a holiday treat!" Continues Nussbaum about the December 26-29th run, "Bring the kids and the grandkids to the biggest holiday party of the season... IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS. We've even got Santa Claus and his helpers in the lobby! Here at Cabrillo Music Theatre, Christmas isn't over until December 29th!"

In keeping with holiday tradition, Cabrillo Music Theatre's WHITE CHRISTMAS will bring together some of the biggest stars of recent CMT shows. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN stars David Engel and Randy Rogel (2008 Ovation Award winner, Best Supporting Actor) reunite in the roles made famous by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Joining them will be Jennifer Mathews, of Cabrillo's CAROUSEL, and Cassie Silva, star of last season's 42ND STREET. With a cast of thirty, a 22-piece orchestra, lavish costumes, and a towering 12'-tall Christmas tree, WHITE CHRISTMAS promises to be a dazzling holiday entertainment. Tickets to WHITE CHRISTMAS make the perfect holiday gift. R.S.V.P. now to IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS. WHITE CHRISTMAS is perfect for families, and is recommended for audiences of all ages.

ABOUT THE STAFF

TODD NIELSEN (Director) is happy to be joining the CMT family this holiday season and bringing this Christmas classic to the Cabrillo stage. Previously, Todd had the pleasure of directing CMT's hit production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Since that time he has been directing up and down the West Coast as well as acting as Resident Director for the Cheetah National Tour of Disney's The Lion King. Recent projects have included Lend Me a Tenor for Chapman University, Phantom for Moonlight Stage Productions in Vista, Squabbles for the Norris Theatre, Ben Franklin in Paris for the 42nd Street Moon Theatre in San Francisco, which received three Bay Area Critics Circle nominations, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune and Tom, Dick and Harry at International City Theatre, both honored as Critic's Choice by the LA Times, Plaid Tidings for the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Welk Resort and Disney's Beauty and the Beast for the historic Croswell Opera House in Michigan. He also acted as Associate Director for the first annual Mystery Writer's Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky. A multi-award winning Director/Choreographer, his productions of On the Twentieth Century (Colony Theatre), City of Angels, Rags, The Diviners, Working, A New Brain (West Coast Ensemble), You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, King of Hearts, The Robber Bridegroom, The Skin of Our Teeth and The Matchmaker (Colony Theatre) have all been honored. Other favorites include Honk! (International City Theatre), The Secret Garden (Glendale Centre Theatre), How to Succeed in Business, Guys and Dolls (Britt Music Festival), Nunsense (Candlelight Pavilion), Execution of Justice, See How They Run (Brea Theatre) and A Little Night Music. Todd has also directed and choreographed shows for the Musical Theatre Guild including Seesaw, Out of This World, Merrily We Roll Along, The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd, Where's Charley?, Plain and Fancy and Rags. He also works with a wonderful children's theatre group, the Nine O'Clock Players. Most recently Beauty and the Beast and The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood. Also a performer, Todd's recent appearances include the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz for Musical Theatre West and Leading Ladies at the Norris Theatre. Past productions include Side Show, An Ideal Husband, Our Country's Good, Putting It Together, How to Succeed in Business, City of Angels, Incident at Vichy and Me and My Girl. Upcoming directing projects will be the classic British farce, No Sex Please, We're British for the Norris Theatre and Charlotte's Web for the Nine O'Clock Players.

MELISSA GIATTINO (Choreographer) was the Dance Captain for the LA production of White Christmas at the Pantages Theater. This production continued her working relationship with Randy Skinner, for whom she was the Dance Captain for the Tony Award winning Broadway Revival of 42nd Street. Her choreography credits also include the upcoming IFC feature film "Made For Each Other." Along with her dance partner, she co-created the long running Song and Dance show Two On Tap, which has been performed in numerous countries around the world, including the famed Town Hall in New York City.

DARRYL ARCHIBALD (Musical Director/Conductor). Tours include: Disney's The Lion King (vocal coach/assistant conductor), A Grand Night for Singing, The All Night Strut, and Jerry's Girls. Other shows include: Wicked at the Pantages Theater (substitute conductor), Smokey Joe's Cafe (El Portal Theater), Ragtime (Musical Theatre West); Swing! (Sacramento Music Circus); A Chorus Line directed by Kay Cole, and The King and I with Deborah Gibson (Cabrillo Music Theatre); Swing! (McCoy/Rigby Ent.); Merry Me A Little - revised version (Celebration Theater); The Fantasticks with Eric McCormack, Once On This Island, Li'l Abner with Cathy Rigby and Fred Willard; Merrily We Roll Along with Teri Hatcher; I Do! I Do! with Diana Canova and Harry Groener (Reprise); My Fair Lady, 1776, Little Shop Of Horrors, Camelot, and Forever Plaid (Utah Shakespearean Festival); Ain't Misbehavin' directed by Ken Page (CLOSBC); The Threepenny Opera, Raisin and A Christmas Carol (ICT); The Fix, Kiss Of The Spider Woman, Lady In the Dark, and Sail Away (Musical Theatre Guild). Arrangement and orchestration credits include: the prime-time television special A Hollywood Holiday Celebration (ABC), The Fountain Show and Christmas Trolley Show (The Grove Los Angeles). Upcoming productions include: How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (CMT), Carousel, Two By Two, How To Succeed... (Reprise), Great Expectations (USF).

ABOUT THE CAST

DAVID ENGEL (Bob). A six-time LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award winner, David starred as Don Lockwood in CMT's 2008 and 1999 productions of Singin' in the Rain. David will make a quick return to the Cabrillo stage for their next production, The Andrews Brothers. He appeared on Broadway in Putting It Together, Seussical: The Musical, La Cage Aux Folles and both stage and film versions of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. He is most noted for creating the role of Smudge in the original off-Broadway production of Forever Plaid and its holiday sequel Plaid Tidings. Other stage credits include starring roles in Crazy For you, White Christmas, Kiss Me Kate, Children of Eden, The Full Monty, Dames at Sea, Never Gonna Dance, and Pasadena Playhouse's newly re-envisioned Can-Can. He also shares an on-screen romance with RuPaul in the musical short film "Zombie Prom." In addition to his acting career, Mr. Engel has directed and choreographed major productions of Seussical, Forever Plaid, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and collaborated with Singin' In The Rain director Larry Raben on Toronto's original production Motown at the Twilight.. David has directed the original commercials for Forever Plaid, The World Goes ‘Round, and created and directed the MGM/UA Home Video "Logo-Fanfare". He produced and directed a documentary as a companion to the video release of "That's Entertainment III," and served as the Film Sequence Director for "Judy Garland, A Tribute" at Carnegie Hall, "The Busby Berkeley Suite" with The Boston Pops, and "Carnegie Hall Celebrates the Glorious MGM Musicals."

RANDY ROGEL (Phil) has won three Emmy awards (ten nominations), a Peabody award, and two Annie awards for his work as a television writer, composer, and producer. He spent nine years on staff at Warner Bros before moving to the Disney studios. He helped create television shows such as Steven Spielberg's Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Batman, and Histeria, and at Disney he wrote on Tarzan, House of Mouse, The Three Caballeros, Cinderella, Peter Pan- Return to Neverland, 101 Dalmatians II, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Winnie the Pooh. He is currently show runner for a new show entitled 1001 Nights. Randy's new musical, Gypsy King, premiers this March in Seattle for a ten week, two city tour. Last year Randy won the 2008 Ovation Award for Singin' in the Rain here at Cabrillo.
As an actor and director, Randy has won five Dramalogue awards and the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a musical for his portrayal of Eddie in Very Good Eddie. He has played leading roles in major theaters around the country, including the Papermill Playhouse, The Goodspeed, Seattle's 5th Ave Theater, Houston's Theater Under the Stars, the St. Louis Muni, The Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, the Seattle Repertory Theater, ACT, the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, and the Sacramento Music Theater. Randy is a West Point graduate with ten years service as a military officer in the combat arms. Seeing as White Christmas concerns an army general, you might be interested to note that Randy's classmates include Ray Odierno, the Four-Star General now commanding US forces in Iraq, and Stan McChrystal, the Four-Star General commanding US forces in Afghanistan. Randy received his Engineering Degree from the Academy and a Masters Degree in International Relations from Boston University.

JENNIFER MATHEWS (Betty) returns to Cabrillo Music Theatre in White Christmas after playing Nettie Fowler in Carousel at Cabrillo several seasons ago. Roles include Betty Haynes in the recent FCLO Music Theatre production of White Christmas, Marian Paroo in The Music Man (FCLO), Kathy Seldon in Singin' in The Rain (Saddleback Music Theatre), Martha Mills, I Can...Wholesale (Musical Theatre Guild), Guinevere in Camelot, and Elsa Shraeder in The Sound of Music (FCLO and Saddleback). Other Southern California productions: Parade, Ragtime, Allegro, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Jekyll and Hyde. Jennifer received degrees in vocal performance and creative writing from the University of California, Irvine and is originally from Fresno, California.

CASSIE SILVA (Judy) is thrilled to be back at Cabrillo for White Christmas, having been in CMT's recent productions of 42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Ruth). White Christmas is very dear to Cassie as it is the first show she shared with her mother, who favors it over any other holiday show. Credits include: Meet Me in St. Louis (Esther/MTW), 42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer/Moonlight Amphitheatre), Jingle Bell Rock. Film and TV projects such as "Valentine", "Dexter", "Legally Blonde", Walk Hard", and Brenda in "Hairspray". She also takes great pride training dancers at Dance Dimensions PAC in Woodland Hills, CA.

ABOUT THE PRICING AND SCHEDULE

IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS will open on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 and run through Tuesday, December 29th. Performances are as follows: Saturday, December 26th, at 2:00PM and 8:00PM; Sunday, December 27th at 2:00PM and 7:00PM; Monday, December 28th, at 2:00PM; and Tuesday, December 29th, at 2:00PM and 7:00PM. Members of the U.S. Military will be honored at the Tuesday, 7:00PM performance.
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Box Office located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks or through any Ticketmaster location or by phone (805) 583-8700. For groups of 12 or more, please call Group Sales, Cabrillo Music Theatre at (805) 497-8615. Ticket prices range from $25-$55. For ticket and theatre information, call (805) 449-ARTS (2787).

CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE's 2009-2010 season continues with THE ANDREWS BROTHERS (February 2010), HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (April 2010), and RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA (July 2010). Tickets for WHITE CHRISTMAS can be purchased as part of a season-ticket subscription, at big savings.

CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE performs exclusively at the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Don't Miss a Los Angeles News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...