Tim Rice, Finger Lakes Festival to Bring Excerpts of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY to Honolulu for Pearl Harbor Commemoration

Multiple award-winning film and theatre lyricist Tim Rice is bringing excerpts of his latest musical, "From Here to Eternity," to Honolulu to participate in the commemoration events of the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Rice is best known for penning the lyrics to "The Lion King," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Aida," "Aladdin" and "Evita."

The show's creative team will also be in Honolulu to cast singers for this special theatrical event on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11. Scroll down for details on auditions!

The show will be performed at three different events during the week of remembrance: on Dec. 3 at the opening gala, "For Love of Country, Pass it on," on Dec. 5 at the "Movies on Waikiki Beach" showing of "From Here to Eternity," and at the "December 7th Remembered" veterans banquet on Dec. 6. For more information, visit PearlHarbor75thAnniversary.com.

The world premiere of "From Here to Eternity" opened on London's West End on Sept. 30, 2013, running at the Shaftesbury Theatre through March 29, 2014. The show made its North American premiere at the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival under the direction of producing artistic director, Brett Smock.

"I saw the show in London and was very taken with its power and message," said Smock. "The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival was honored to have Tim Rice and the UK creative team in residence this past June as we shaped and introduced this compelling new musical to American audiences. It is an incredible honor to participate in the remembrance of this event on the actual historic grounds. I am a Hawaiian producer, director and choreographer and to be able to bring this show 'home' is very meaningful."

The creative team is seeking between 20-30 excellent local Hawaiian singers to perform excerpts from the show at various events during the commemoration week. Auditions will be held in Honolulu on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 and are by appointment only. Please email FH2EHawaii@gmail.com for an audition appointment. Auditions are open to all performers residing in Hawaii as well as members of all branches of the military. Especially seeKing Strong male vocalists.

Based on James Jones' award-winning novel written in 1951 and, later, an eight-time Academy Award winning film (1953) of the same name, "From Here to Eternity" takes place in 1941 in Honolulu. The men of G Company are restless and disgruntled. One of their own, the rebellious but soulful Private Prewitt, falls for escort club girl Lorene, and his platoon sergeant embarks on a dangerous affair with his commander's wife. As the infamous date of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches, the claustrophobic world of the four lovers and the desperation of the soldiers of G Company splinter amidst an escalating war. The new musical is an epic, sweeping story of love, redemption and hope set against the backdrop of a beautiful but conflicted paradise.

Creative team members include co-librettists Donald Rice ("Traffic Warden," "I Am Bob," "Cheerful Weather for the Wedding") and Bill Oakes (music supervisor of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease" and producer of "The Little Rascals" and "Grease 2"), lyrics by Tim Rice and music by pop music singer/songwriter Stuart Brayson. The show is directed and choreographed by Brett Smock.

Tim Rice has been writing lyrics for musical theatre and related enterprises since 1965. Credits include "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita" with Andrew Lloyd Webber; "Aladdin," "King David" and "Beauty And The Beast" with Alan Menken; "Chess" with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson; and "The Lion King" and "Aida" with Elton John. He is currently working on a show about Machiavelli and this year has written three new songs with Alan Menken for the forthcoming live action film of "Beauty and the Beast." More can be found at www.timrice.co.uk.

Four hours from New York City and situated between Syracuse, Rochester and Ithaca, the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival is one of the largest producing musical theatre organizations in New York state, outside of New York City. The Festival is headquartered in the town of Auburn, NY - set in the picturesque Finger Lakes wine region of Central New York - and operates on multiple stages. Named NY Theatre Guide's "Best Professional Theatre, 2015," it has provided over forty years of top-notch entertainment to over 60,000 patrons each season and is routinely recognized by industry press for its artistry and execution. Find Merry Go Round Finger Lakes Music Theatre on Facebook, follow @FingerLakesMTF on Twitter and visit www.FingerLakesMTF.com.