Courtney Symes - Page 11

In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda's love letter to the New York neighborhood in which he grew up, is finally at Broadway at Music Circus after a summer of anticipation. The first draft was written in 1999, when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan University. After being accepted by the student theatre company, it was seen by four people who decided it was worth a further look-one of them being Thomas Kail, who went on to direct both In the Heights and Hamilton. After opening on Broadway in 2008, In the Heights took home four Tony Awards out of thirteen nominations and solidified Miranda's place on Broadway.

In the Heights-it's the show that brought Lin-Manuel Miranda fame, before Hamilton catapulted him into the stratosphere of Broadway legends. In 2008, In the Heights was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards and won four, including Best Musical. Broadway at Music Circus has gathered a cast that combines years of experience in this show, from Broadway to Westport to the national tour. Doreen Montalvo, who is playing Camila in this production, was with the show from 2002-2011 in a variety of roles. As an indisputable Washington Heights expert, she was the natural choice to interview about the show that Sacramento has been waiting to see.

Wizard of Oz lovers can rejoice, for The Wiz has arrived! Take the original, add soul and catchy dance numbers, pepper it with one-liners, and you have a version that makes the whole family happy. The Wiz was created to give a voice to the urban African-American and the song styles reflect that with nods to R&B, gospel, and jazz. The effort was so successful that, in its opening year, it won 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

The classics are my favorite, and Broadway at Music Circus' fresh take on Guys and Dolls is no exception. When it opened on Broadway in 1950, it won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. With three more Broadway revivals, it has cemented itself as a staple of American musicals. It is based on the short stories of Damon Runyon, an American author and reporter who favored tales about the seedier happenings of Broadway.

When it opened on Broadway in 2006, The Drowsy Chaperone boasted an all-star cast and garnered five Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. You can expect that same quality in Broadway at Music Circus' third production of the summer, with Lynne Wintersteller returning to Sacramento in the title role. Lynne was last seen here in 2017 as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! and as Mother Superior in Sister Act, where she solidified her place as Music Circus royalty and left audiences anticipating her return. We are now lucky enough to witness that event and Lynne was generous enough to speak with Broadway World Sacramento about her newest role and what we can expect from her in the future.

Move over, Sweeney Todd. There's a new serial killer in town by the name of Monty Navarro. Yet, you need not fear if you aren't a D'Ysquith (yes, that's pronounced die-squith). A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is based on the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman. It opened on Broadway in 2013 and won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Now, the Davis Shakespeare Festival (DSF) has delivered it to us as a thrilling, hilarious, and captivating summer treat.

Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration, is a cornerstone of American theatre. According to The New York Times, it 'changed the course of the Broadway musical.' Groundbreaking in its day of conception, it continues to resonate with audiences of all ages for its timeless music, strong characters, and sharp humor.

The much-anticipated run of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! at Broadway at Music Circus is finally here and brings with it some serious star power. Ryan Vasquez is taking a short break from starring in Hamilton on Broadway to join us in Sacramento as Curly. He is the only person to have played five of the principal roles in Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, George Washington, Marquis de LafayetteThomas Jefferson, and Hercules MulliganJames Madison). Vasquez spoke to Broadway World Sacramento about his roles on Broadway, his new single, and more.

As parents, we try to instill in our children the idea that it is what's inside a person that counts. Shrek the Musical is certainly an apropos vessel in which to deliver this message when its green, bulbous-nosed, full-of-gas star is a sensitive and clever romantic wrapped up in a gloriously hideous package. Shrek is one of the musicals that have made the successful transition from film to stage. Its Broadway opening in 2008 garnered both Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Its themes of inclusivity, pride, and resilience resonate across all ages and backgrounds, making it a story that withstands the test of time.

Summer can officially begin in Sacramento! Broadway at Music Circus kicks off its new season on June 11 with Shrek the Musical. Shrek brings something for the entire family to enjoy and is the perfect accompaniment to PRIDE month with its message of inclusion. As one of the Fairytale Creatures says, 'It's time to stop the hiding. It's time to stand up tall.' Jennifer Leigh Warren, who plays Dragon, wholeheartedly agrees. She was last seen in multiple roles on television in 'Rent Live!' in January. She spoke to Broadway World Sacramento about the importance of the show, her role as a lonely puppet, and her impressive career.

When David Taylor Gomes and Kyle Holmes set out to write an original musical for their students at Granite Bay High School, they never could have foreseen the impact their work would have on high schools across the nation. Students are reacting to having their voices heard, and the effect is monumental. People are clamoring to see and produce Ranked: A New Musical, which deals with the pressures that teenagers face today in maintaining grades, social status, and their fight to get into the college of their choice. Due to the popularity of Ranked, they decided to bring the original cast together for one more night to perform the show in concert style at The Crest Theatre. Broadway World Sacramento spoke to Holmes and Gomes about the making of Ranked and what we can expect in the future.

According to Genie, 'Agrabah has more glitz and glamour than any other fictional city in the world.' He's not lying. Aladdin is a veritable dreamscape of color, light, and shimmering costumes. The animated movie has been brought to life on the stage by six-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz and two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes. Familiar songs from Tony and Grammy-award winners Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and Chad Beguelin feed the nostalgia from the highest grossing film of 1992 while adding new material to complement the transition to a live audience.

The anxiously-anticipated arrival of Aladdin is finally here! The national tour stops in Sacramento through June 2 and brings with it the songs that you know and love from the 1992 animated movie, along with new numbers written specifically for the stage musical. After its debut on Broadway in 2014, it was nominated for 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Broadway World Sacramento was able to speak with Reggie DeLeon, who originated the role of Iago on the national tour and has returned after a brief hiatus. Reggie is well-known for his recurring role as Shep in the Pup Star films. He can also be seen on 'MOM' (Paul), 'Superior Donuts' (Zale), and 'Melissa & Joey' (Wyatt).

Sacramento Theatre Company is ending their 74th season of Love, Loss, & Laughter with an homage to the popular 'disaster' movies of the '70s. Disaster! follows closely along the lines of The Poseidon Adventure, with some Jaws and The Towering Inferno sprinkled in. After enjoying two runs Off-Broadway and a brief stint at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway in 2016, Disaster! brings its wit and dance-in-your-seat soundtrack to Sacramento through May 12th.

Percy Jackson has come to life! Our favorite demigod from the best-selling Rick Riordan series hits the stage in Sacramento for his California premiere. The Lightning Thief was nominated for 3 Drama Desk Awards during its critically acclaimed New York run, including Outstanding Musical. It comes to Broadway Sacramento in a limited 5-performance engagement through this weekend only.

David Taylor-Gomes and Kyle Holmes have done it again. After collaborating on their 2017 musical comedy, Boxed Up: The Musical, they have joined forces at Granite Bay High School to present to you another original work. This time, in a shockingly serendipitous twist, Ranked, A New Musical debuted just weeks after news of the college admissions scandal broke. Ranked highlights the pressures that students today face to succeed.

CATS, the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history, has arrived in Sacramento on its fresh, new national tour. When it first opened on Broadway in 1982, it won 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. Now it features exciting, updated choreography as well as new sound design and direction for a more modern take on a timeless treasure.

On the heels of Black History Month comes When We Were Colored: A Mother's Story, a play by Sacramento's own Ginger Rutland that is adapted from a memoir that her mother, Eva Rutland, wrote. The memoir was originally titled 'The Trouble With Being a Mama' and was first published in 1964. It highlighted the fact that all mothers are the same when it comes to their children-indeed, Eva wrote it to show white mothers that her children were 'just as precious and fragile' as theirs. What was not the same were the injustices that families like Eva's had to go through.

'Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!' Sir Walter Scott said it best, 170 years before Michael Jacobs' Cheaters was first produced on Broadway in 1978. Cheaters is an amusing look at three couples whose lives intertwine in the most awkward and unbelievable way. EMH Productions brings new life to this oft-criticized work in a fresh, entertaining take.

Two spectacular performers will be in Sacramento for one night only on March 19. Thomas Lauderdale, founder and bandleader of the Portland, Oregon-based Pink Martini and the vivacious cabaret songstress, Meow Meow, have combined their talents on one much-anticipated album. Sacramento will get to witness their special energy on Hotel Amour, which comes out on March 22. The duo was gracious enough to speak with BroadwayWorld Sacarmento about the album, new projects, and what we can expect to enjoy this week.