Big screen star is hard at work in rehearsals for the upcoming Hollywood Bowl production of beloved musical 'GUYS AND DOLLS' this summer. The young star talked to ABC7 News about her Hollywood Bowl stage debut in this special adaptation of the Tony-award winning musical.
Biel plays Sarah Brown in the Richard Jay-Alexander directed Los Angeles mounting of the classic Broadway tuner.
Biel joins Brian Stokes Mitchell, Beau Bridges, Scott Bakula, and Ellen Greene in Guys and Dolls in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. There will be three performances only, Friday and Saturday July 31 and August 1 at 8:30 pm and Sunday, August 2 at 7:30 pm. Bridges will play Arvide Abernathy, and sings "More I Cannot Wish You," an audience favorite from the Frank Loesser score, which includes some of the most popular songs of the era including "I'll Know," "A Bushel and Peck," "If I Were A Bell," "Guys and Dolls," and "Luck Be a Lady."
One of the musicals that defined the Golden Era of Broadway, Guys and Dolls, with music and lyrics by Loesser, and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, made its Broadway premiere in 1950, ran for 1200 performances, and won 15 Tony awards, including Best Musical. The show brought "Runyonland," the world of author Damon Runyon, to life - and did for those characters what Spamalot does for Monty Python or Hairspray does for the world of John Waters.
This original, fully-staged production of Guys and Dolls was especially adapted for the Hollywood Bowl stage, and is a one-of-a-kind production by the same creative team behind last summer's Les Misérables in Concert, led by director Richard Jay-Alexander and with musical direction by Kevin Stites, conducting the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Joining the team this year, as choreographer, is Tony Award-winner Donna McKechnie.
The cast also includes Ken Page (Nicely-Nicely), Ruth Williamson (Gen. Mathilde Cartwright) Herschel Sparber (Big Jule), Jason Graae (Benny Southstreet), Bill Lewis (Harry the Horse), Danny Stiles (Rusty Charlie), Amir Talai (Angie the Ox/Joey Biltmore), Jody Ashworth (Lt. Brannigan), Cindy Benson (Agatha) and Grace Wall (Martha). The Hot Box Girls will be Sandahl Bergman, Chelsea Field, Jane Lanier, Valarie Pettiford, Tracy Powell, and Kathryn Wright.
Tickets ($28- $116) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and is home to the best and brightest in all genres of music. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 42nd season. In January 2009, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fifth year in a row at the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.
