ME AND MY GIRL Opens Tonight at Reagle

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston will present Me and My Girl from today, July 10-20, 2014 as part of its 46th Annual Summer Season at the Robinson Theatre (617 Lexington St. Waltham, MA).

Me and My Girl is the joyously funny story of an unrefined cockney gent who must choose between love or money. The mixture of cockney and nobility results in a rollicking, hilarious Downton Abbey with engaging song and dance. Me and My Girl Director Cynthia Thole is a Broadway veteran and choreographer who was an original cast member in the Tony Award-Winning Broadway revival of Me and My Girl. Reagle Music Theatre is the long-running regional theater company known for casting Broadway stars alongside regional talent. Reagle's summer season will close with a deluge on stage in Singin' In the Rain (August 7-17). Individual tickets range from $35 to $63; season subscriptions and group tickets are available at a discount. Tickets can be purchased at www.reaglemusictheatre.com, by calling 781-891-5600, or at the theater box office.

Me and My Girl tells the story of a Bill Snibson, a cockney gent who learns that he is the 14th heir to the Earl of Hareford and must pass a test to inherit his new fortune. When he learns that he must also give up his streetwise girlfriend in order to be accepted by the gentry, Bill faces a timeless choice between love and money. Masterpiece Theatre fans will rock with laughter as Bill brings a cockney invasion to the great Hareford Hall, a Downton Abbey-like estate peopled with the upper-crust of English society. Me and My Girl had a successful original run in England in 1937 and became a huge Broadway hit in revival in 1986, nominated for 11 Tony Awards. The musical comedy features the classic hits "Doin' The Lambeth Walk," "Leaning on a Lamp-Post" and "Love Makes the World Go 'Round." Book and Lyrics by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber. Music by Noel Gay. Book Revised by Stephen Fry, with contributions by Mike Ockrent. Me and My Girl is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

About the Cast:

Joshua Holden (Bill Snibson) Joshua is an award winning puppeteer actor and based in NYC. He was seen on the Broadway national tour of AVENUE Q, and was the Lead Puppeteer in Peter Pan 360, the world's first production to use brand new 360-CGI technology from London-Based ThreeSixty Entertainment. Most recently, Joshua worked with international artist Banksy on his controversial piece Sirens of the Lambs. In August 2013, Joshua was one of 24 puppeteers representing American puppetry at The Puppeteers of America's National Festival, with a show he created called The Joshua Show. It was awarded "Best Performance" and was voted "Audience Favorite." This proud Peabody, MA native is an alumni of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and has a B.F.A. in Acting from The Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University.

Jamie Buxton* (Sally Smith) Jamie makes her Reagle debut in Me and My Girl. Jamie was seen in national and international tours of A Chorus Line (Val), Click Clack Moo (Darlene), Hair ("Black Boys," Jeanie u/s), and Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Singer, Mrs. Claus u/s). Regional credits include 42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer, West Virginia Public Theatre), 9 to 5 (Doralee), Hairspray (North Shore Music Theatre),Gypsy (June, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma), Some Enchanted Evening (Nellie), Oklahoma! (Ado Annie), and Cruella DeVil for Disney Cruise Line. UCO Music Theatre grad. *Denotes member of Actors Equity Association.

Carole Healey* (Maria, Duchess of Dene) Carole makes her Reagle debut in Me and My Girl. She has acted and directed at many major regional theatres in the country including The Mint Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Southwest Shakespeare, Great Lakes Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory, Theatreworks (CA), Kingshead Theatre (London), Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Olney, Cape Playhouse, Pittsburgh Public and many others. She received her MFA from The Professional Theatre Training Program at The University of Delaware. *Denotes member of Actors Equity Association.

Shonna Cirone (Lady Jacqueline Carstone) Shonna returns to Reagle Music Theatre where she has been seen as Gloria Rasputin (Bye, Bye Birdie, IRNE Nomination) and Fruma Sarah (Fiddler on the Roof). Most recently, she played Miss Gardener in Speakeasy's Carrie the Musical. Boston area credits include Company, and A New Brain (Moonbox), Camelot (New Rep), Ragtime (Fiddlehead, IRNE Award), Full Monty (Stoneham Theater), Joseph... (Turtle Lane), The Last Five Years (T&F Theatre), Into the Woods (Salem Summer Theatre), Spelling Bee and I love you... Now Change (Arts After Hours), The Phantom Tollbooth (Wheelock Family Theatre), and Candide (Huntington Theater). A graduate of AMDA, Shonna sings with cover band Close Enough.

Devon Stone* (The Hon. Gerald Bolingbroke) Devon makes his Reagle Music Theater debut in Me and My Girl. Devon currently resides in NYC but is a MA local from Natick with a BFA from The Boston Conservatory. Past credits include National Tour: Spring Awakening(Hanschen). Regional: Life Could be a Dream (Skip) Oregon Cabaret Theater. NYC Festivals/Workshops Alice! A new Musical (Cheshire Cat/Tweedle Dee) Castle Walk and Hip Hop High. *Denotes member of Actors Equity Association.

The cast of Me and My Girl also features Rishi Basu (Sir John Tremayne); Chris Charron (Herbert Parchester); Daniel Forest Sullivan (Charles Hethersett); Harold Jerry Walker (Lord Battersby) and Catherine Lee Christie (Lady Battersby).

Artistic Bios:

Robert J. Eagle (Producing Artistic Director) Robert J. Eagle founded the Reagle Music Theatre in 1969. Eagle has produced and directed over three hundred productions during his career. He is a pioneer in blending talents of professional and amateur performers, creating a unique performing and learning environment for both, while increasing pleasure for Reagle audiences. Eagle, a Waltham Public School teacher and administrator, received a grant from the Waltham City Council to support a summer theatre. Bob established a unique relationship between the Waltham Schools and Reagle over forty years ago. Eagle recently received a citation from the American Theatre Wing for his dedication to the promotion of education and the arts, for founding and operating the then "Reagle Players," and for being the catalyst for the 1.2 million dollar addition and improvements to the Fine Arts Center at Waltham High School. Eagle has been recognized for outstanding achievement in the arts and education by his alma maters, Boston College (Boston, MA) and The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC). Eagle is very proud of the educational programs originated by Reagle at Waltham High, as well as the record-breaking number of IRNE (Independent Reviewers of New England) Awards bestowed on Reagle Music Theatre.

Cynthia Thole (Director/Choreographer): Cynthia Thole (Director/Choreographer) is thrilled to return to Reagle Players to direct this 2014 version of Me and My Girl. She appeared in the original Broadway cast of the award winning production and enjoys the privilege of restaging it here this summer with the wonderful support of her cast, crew, and staff. Cynthia is a veteran of the Broadway stage, having worked with such theatre legends as; Agnes de Mille, Twyla Tharp, Susan Stroman, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Lawrence, Ernie Flatt, and Mike Ockrent. Broadway performance credits include: Me and My Girl, Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street, My Fair Lady, Nick & Nora, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. National tour credits: 42nd Street, Oklahoma!, and Sugar Babies. Movie credits include: The Producers, All the World's a Stage and Alice. Cynthia has directed and choreographed professionally in the NYC area for City College, Theatreworks/USA, Two Beans Productions, the AMDA Dance Workshop, City Center Encores Education, TADA!, and Camp Broadway. Regional choreography and director/choreographer credits include Theatre Under the Stars, Allenberry Playhouse, Mill Mountain Theatre, Montclair Operetta Club, and Penn State University. Currently Cynthia is a Senior Lecturer of Musical Theatre at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, she holds a B.A. in Dance, from Butler University, is a certified Teaching Artist through City Center Certificate Program K-12. Cynthia has 20 years of teaching experience including AMDA in New York City and Montclair State University in NJ. Cynthia is a member of AEA, SDC, AFTRA and SAG.

Tickets

Single adult tickets for each production in Reagle Music Theatre's 46th Summer Season are $35-$63. Seniors 55 or older receive $3 off adult prices. Tickets for youths 5-18 are $25, any section. Patrons may see all three shows for under $100 by purchasing a full-season subscription at 25% off; packages start as low as $78. Student rush seats at 50% off are available one hour before curtain with a valid college ID. Group rate tickets are available by calling group sales at 781-891-5600, ext. 1201, or emailing groups@reaglemusictheatre.org.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.reaglemusictheatre.com, call 781-891-5600, or visit the theater box office at 617 Lexington St, Waltham, MA, 02452. Box office is open 7 days a week: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m., Sundays 12-4 pm; with extended hours from 9:00 am to curtain on performance days.

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