Krystina Alabado, Gianna Yanelli, Kyra Kennedy & More to Star in MYSTIC PIZZA at La Mirada Theatre

The full cast for the West Coast premiere of the brand new musical, MYSTIC PIZZA, based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture, with story and characters by Amy Holden Jones, book by Sandy Rustin (Clue, The Cottage), arrangements and orchestrations by Carmel Dean (Funny Girl, American Idiot), choreography by Connor Gallagher (Beetlejuice, Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today?), musical direction by Kristin Stowell (Songbird), and direction by Casey Hushion (Mean Girls, Clue).  MYSTIC PIZZA will preview on Friday, January 19 at 8 pm & Saturday, January 20 at 2 pm; will open on Saturday, January 20 at 8 pm (Press Opening), and will run through Sunday, February 11, 2024 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

A new musical you’ll love at first slice!  Based on the classic 1988 Julia Roberts rom-com, MYSTIC PIZZA is a new musical about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love, and family in a small-town pizza joint.  The infectious score features mega-hits of the ’80s and ’90s, from “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and “Addicted to Love,” to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “Take My Breath Away,” and many, many more! 

ABOUT THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

The Cast of MYSTIC PIZZA features: Gianna Yanelli as “Josephina (JoJo) Barboza,” Kyra Kennedy as “Katherine (Kat) Arujo,” Krystina Alabado as “Daisy Arujo,” Rayanne Gonzales as “Leona Silvia,” Jordan Friend as “Bill Montijo,” Michael Thomas Grant as “Charles Gordon Windsor, Jr.,” and Chris Cardozo as “Tim Travers.”  The Ensemble features Domo D’dante, Michael James, April Josephine, Louis Pardo, Monika Peña, Alyssa M. Simmons, Jeff Skowron, Jake Swain, and Rachel Wirtz.  Swings are Chachi Delgado and Tayler Mettra.

Sandy Rustin (Book) is an actress and award-winning playwright.  Named as one of Broadway Women's Fund’s “50 Women to Watch,” she is also the writer of the stage adaptation of the hit film Clue, a new musical revue for Disney Theatricals, an upcoming show for Disney Cruises, and the National Tour of American Girl Live!(Mattel).  Her original comedy, The Cottage, played Broadway with Jason Alexander directing.  With Sarah Saltzberg, she adapted I Married An Angel for New York City Center’s Encores!.  Original works include Rated P for Parenthood (Off- Broadway/ABC), Struck, Houston, Elijah, The Suffragist’s Murder, and Everything Seems Like Maybe.  Sandy is the Founding Co-Artistic Director of Midtown Direct Rep, an advocate for The Meredith A. Cowden Foundation, a member of ASCAP, SAG, AEA, and the Dramatists Guild, and a Northwestern University graduate.

Casey Hushion (Director) Broadway: Associate/Resident Director of Mean Girls, Aladdin, The Prom, In the Heights, Elf, The Drowsy Chaperone, To Be Or Not to Be, and Good Vibrations.  Other New York credits includeCall Me Madam (Encores!) and Fat Camp.  Casey recently directed the National Tour of The Cher Show and the National Tour of CLUE.  This spring, she will be directing Beautiful at Paper Mill Playhouse, where Casey has also directed Murder on the Orient Express, A Jolly Holiday, and Beehive.  Casey has worked at many regional theatres such as George Street Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Walnut Street Theatre, Riverside Theatre, and Philadelphia Theatre Company.  Artistic Director of North Carolina Theatre for ten years. Television: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “The Tonight Show,” “Good Morning America,” “The View,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and NBC’s Special “One Night Only: The Best of Broadway.”  She is thrilled to be back at La Mirada, where she had the pleasure of directing Clue. 

 

Connor Gallagher (Choreography) is a New York-based director and choreographer. Recent: Beetlejuice (Broadway, US Tour, Australia, NCL, South Korea).  Other: Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today? (La Mirada Theatre); The Robber Bridegroom (Roundabout, Astaire Award); Beauty and the Beast for Disney Live Entertainment (director, Brass Ring Award); Tangled (Disney, world premiere); 15 touring companies of Elf, Philadelphia Theatre, Goodspeed, Denver Center, Public Theatre, Theatreworks, Bucks County, Westport, ACT, Playhouse Square, Shakespeare DC, and the HIFA Festival in Zimbabwe Mr. Gallagher most recently choreographed the world premiere of Will Aronson and Hue Park’s Il Tenore in Seoul, South Korea. He is currently developing several musicals as director-choreographer: the world premiere stage adaption of Disney’s Moana, The Big Gay Jamboree (Off-Broadway, 2024); and Miss Step (MCC, 2025).  He graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory and was recently honored with the 2021 Young Alumni Award.  He is a former competitive gymnast and made his Broadway debut as a performer in the final company of Beauty and the Beast.

Kristin Stowell (Musical Director) is a music director, pianist, composer, and educator currently based in Washington DC.  Off-Broadway: Songbird (Associate Music Director, Copyist).  Regional: Two River Theater, Surflight Theatre, Guthrie Theater, PCPA Theaterfest.  Kristin has served as Music Supervisor for Norwegian Cruise Lines since 2013, and has held faculty positions teaching courses in musical theatre and music at New York University, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and the University of Mississippi.

Carmel Dean (Arrangements and Orchestrations) is a composer, lyricist, musical director, and arranger.  Her compositional debut, Renascence, won the 2018 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical.  Her song cycle, “Well-Behaved Women,” about badass, game-changing historical women, premiered at Joe’s Pub in January 2020, and received rave reviews for its production in Sydney, Australia.  Carmel has been commissioned to write a new musical with Mindi Dickstein (Little Women) for New Works Provincetown/Mark Cortale.  As a Broadway Musical Director, Supervisor, and Arranger, Carmel’s credits include If/Then (starring Idina Menzel), American Idiot, Hands on a Hardbody, and Spelling Bee.  She has also served as a vocal arranger for Phish and Trey Anastasio, performed with Green Day on the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, and was Musical Director for Broadway legend Chita Rivera.  Upcoming projects include The Notebook (with score by Ingrid Michaelson).  Carmel is a Fulbright Scholar and holds an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.

The Design Team for MYSTIC PIZZA is as follows: Set and Properties Design by Nate Bertone; Lighting Design by Ryan J. O’Gara; Sound Design by Josh Bessom; Costume Design by Jennifer Caprio; Hair/Wig/Make-up Design by Kaitlin Yagen; Properties Supervisor Kevin Williams. Tour Booking: Justine Spingler & Magaly Barone, Principals, Columbia Artists Theatricals.                                                                        

Associate Director is Natalie Malotke.  The Casting Director is Julia Flores.  The Production Stage Manager is Jill Gold.                                               

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING

MYSTIC PIZZA will preview on Friday, January 19, 2024 at 8 pm & Saturday, January 20 at 2 pm (with a Press Opening on Saturday, January 20 at 8 pm) and will run through Sunday, February 11, 2024 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm and Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm.  There is no performance on Sunday, January 21 at 

6:30 pm. 

There will be an Open-Captioned performance on Saturday, February 3 at 2 pm.  Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on Thursday, January 25 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 pm.                                                                                            

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue, where the 91 and 5 freeways meet.  Parking is free.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS COVID PROTOCOLS

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts continues to follow the County and State Public Health guidelines and will follow the protocols in place at the time of any given performance.  

                               

The Tony-nominated LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the best Broadway-style houses in Southern California."  This beautiful state-of-the-art theatre has been presenting quality productions since 1977.  The theatre has produced several national tours and is the recipient of numerous accolades, including Tony, Emmy, and Ovation Award nominations and the L.A. Stage Alliance OVATION AWARD for “Best Season of the Year.”  The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, California, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue.  Parking is theatre-adjacent and free. For further information call (562) 944-9801 or visit www.LaMiradaTheatre.com.

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary season at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT (MRE), is one of the world’s premier theatrical production companies and continues to be grateful to share a wildly successful collaboration with the City of La Mirada.  Headed by Executive Producers Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby, MRE has produced over one hundred musicals, plays, and concerts featuring some of the biggest stars in the industry today and garnering many Emmy Awards, Tony nominations, and LA Ovation Awards.  In addition, MRE has launched several Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated Broadway, international, and national touring productions including: ASIA- Dreamgirls (Japan), Miss Saigon (China), Peter Pan (China), SAUDI ARABIA - Peter Pan (this was the first Broadway Musical to ever play in Saudi Arabia), USA- Seussical the Musical, and Annie Get Your Gun, starring Cathy Rigby; Jesus Christ Superstar starring Carl Anderson and Sebastian Bach, Camelot starring Michael York and Lou Diamond Phillips, Happy Days written by Gary Marshall and Paul Williams, BROADWAY - ‪Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll and Hyde starring Grammy Award nominee Deborah Cox and “American Idol” and Tony Award nominee ‪Constantine Maroulis, and The Little Mermaid, the Musical.  Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby, has made four stops on Broadway and received four Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical.  The A&E TV network premiere of “Peter Pan” received one Emmy Award and four Emmy Award nominations.  La Mirada Theatre productions of A Night with Janis Joplin starring Mary Bridget Davies and Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby are now streaming on Broadway HD.                                 

Lively McCabe Entertainment is a theatrical development and acquisition company founded in 2017 by former Disney executive Michael Barra. The company is best known for its collection of theatrical properties including: CLUE (the most produced play in US Schools for 4 straight years) and it's UK sibling CLUEDO, the musical adaptation of MYSTIC PIZZA, country music musical MAY WE ALL (developed with Florida Georgia Line), and Joe Iconis' PUNK ROCK GIRL!. For more info please visit www.livelymccabe.com.

Riverside Theatricals, LLC (Allen D. Cornell / Producing Artistic Director/ CEO, Jon R. Moses / Managing Director/COO, Patti Rooney / CFO) is a division of Riverside Theatre, Inc. With over 50 years of experience producing Broadway shows for Vero Beach and the entire Treasure Coast of Florida, Riverside Theatricals is dedicated to creating original works from script to score and partnering with other creators of new works for development, producing, and touring opportunities.