The Adobe Theater and ABQStages Co-Present Concert Version of ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY to Benefit The Matthew Naegeli Scholarship Program

The multiple Award-winning On the Twentieth Century, the Cy Coleman-Betty Comden-Adolph Green musical will be performed in a Staged Concert Version, directed and choreographed by Hal Simons.

Comden and Green based the musical on three works: the 1934 Howard Hawks film Twentieth Century; the original 1932 play of the same name by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur; and Hecht's and MacArthur's inspiration, Charles Bruce Millholland's unproduced play about his experiences working for theater producer David Belasco, Napoleon of Broadway.

About two years ago, a much beloved, incredibly talented, and far too young member of the Albuquerque theatre community, Matthew Naegeli, was killed in a car accident. Kari Reese and Hal Simons, Executive and Artistic Directors of ABQStages/The Growing Stage, respectively, decided to start The Matthew Naegeli Scholarship Program. The program provides qualified families with partial or full scholarships to Growing Stage classes that they might not otherwise be able to participate in, with the hopes of nurturing "future Matts." Their first concert production was Nine.

Based partly on the 1930s film and play of the same name, On The Twentieth Century is part operetta, part farce and part screwball comedy. The story involves the behind-the-scenes relationship between Lily Garland (played by Laurie Finnegan), a temperamental actress and Oscar Jaffee (played by Michael Finnegan), a bankrupt theatre producer. On a luxury train traveling from Chicago to New York in the 1930s, Oscar tries to cajole the glamorous Hollywood star into playing the lead in his new, but not-yet-written drama, and perhaps to rekindle their romance.

The principal performers include Beth Elliott, Tim MacAlpine, Erick Seelinger and Warren Asa Wilgus. Other characters will be performed by Larry Aguilar, Asher Allen, Zane Barker, James Daniels, Michael Matthew Finnegan, Jillian Foster, Mark Pino, Jonathan Ragsdale Kari Reese, PatRick Robinson, with Emma Elliott, Zoey Reese and Courtney Wilgus

There will be a 'Pay What You Will' PREVIEW performance on Thursday, August 11th, at 7.30pm. Four Performances Friday, August 12th - 14th. Friday, August 12th and Saturday August 13th at 7:30. PM, Saturday August 13th and Sunday August 14th at 2:00 PM. All tickets are $20. Reservations 505-898-9222 x 1 or online at www.adobetheater.org.