New Rep to Present MARRY ME A LITTLE, 1/7-27

New Repertory Theatre has announced Stephen Sondheim's charming musical revue, MARRY ME A LITTLE, January 7 through 27, 2013, performing in the Charles Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Mass. Tickets range from $28-58 and may be purchased by calling 617.923.8487 or by visiting www.newrep.org. The press performance is Monday, January 7, at 7:30pm.

"We're proud," says Managing Director Harriet Sheets, "to present the first Sondheim-sanctioned gender-blind production of this romantic musical. Our audiences will get an updated, new take."

"Through it," Artistic Director Jim Petosa continues, "we look at all the possibilities of courtship through three couples: a man/woman, a woman/woman, and a man/man."

"What intrigued me the most," says Director/Choreographer Ilyse Robbins, "is the idea that the possibility to love in more than one way can live inside each one of us."

MARRY ME A LITTLE is a treasure trove of songs from Sondheim's vault," Petosa continues. "There are cut-outs and never-produced songs from Follies, A Little Night Music, Company, and others."

The MARRY ME A LITTLE cast features Aimee Doherty, Brad Daniel Peloquin, Erica Spyres, and Phil Thayer.

Marry Me A Little weaves songs from Sondheim's vault of unproduced shows and cutouts from his known musicals. Through bittersweet soliloquies and song, lonely New York singles fantasize romantic adventures, join in emotional conflict, and question the commitment of marriage-all the while never actually meeting. Marry Me A Little touts "a treasure trove of rare musical delights," (San Francisco Chronicle) including songs originally written for Follies, A Little Night Music, Company, and other Sondheim favorites.

New Repertory Theatre produces plays that speak powerfully to the essential ideas of our time. Through the passion and electricity of live theater performed to the highest standards of excellence, New Rep expands and challenges the human spirit of both artists and audience. New Rep presents world premieres, contemporary and classic works in several intimate settings. We are committed to education and outreach, including special dedication to the creation of innovative in-school programming and providing access to underserved audiences. New Rep is an active advocate for the arts and a major voice in the national dialogue defining the role of theater in our culture.

Aimee Doherty (Woman 2) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Rent, World Goes 'Round, Last Five Years, Hot Mikado, Speed the Plow, Cabaret, tick, tick...BOOM!, Wild Party, Ragtime, and Into the Woods. Other area credits include Shear Madness (Charles Street Playhouse); Animal Crackers, Grey Gardens, Follies, See What I Wanna See, and Adrift in Macao (The Lyric Stage Company); Nine, The Women, Bubbly Black Girl..., and Company (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Double Indemnity and Romeo & Juliet (Stoneham Theatre); Annie and Honk! (Wheelock Family Theatre); Pain and the Itch (Company One); and A Chorus Line (Reagle Players). Television and radio credits include The Makeover (Hallmark) and Whitey Bugler documentary (Discovery) as well as radio spots for D'angelos, Papa Gino's, and the Museum of Science. Ms. Doherty's acting has earned both the I.R.N.E. Award and the BroadwayWorld Boston Best Actress Award. Originally from Bellingham, she resides in Walpole.

Brad Daniel Peloquin (Man 2) returns to New Repertory Theatre after last performing in Moby Dick: An American Opera. Other area credits include Die Fledermaus (New England Light Opera); A Christmas Carol (Hanover Theatre), Follies (Overture Productions); and The Mikado (Huntington Theatre Company/North Shore Music Theatre). Regional appearances include Closer Than Ever (Bristol VAlley Theatre); Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (Pops), Big River, Chess, and Lies & Legends (Blackfriars Theatre). International appearances include a recital tour (Nagasaki, Japan); featured soloist at the Britten-Pears Festival (Snape, England); and soloist with the Orchestra of St. Andrews and John (Montreal, Canada). He has recorded music with Telarc International (earning three Grammy Award nominations) and Harmonia. Mr. Peloquin earned his MM at the College of Fine Arts at Boston University. Originally from Wisconsin, he resides in Watertown.

Erica Spyres (Woman 1) makes her New Repertory Theatre debut. She most recently appeared in Of Mice And Men (Moonbox Productions); The Mikado, Avenue Q, Time Stands Still (Elliot Norton Award nomination, Best Supporting Actress), Big River, and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (The Lyric Stage Company); The Light in the Piazza and Sweeney Todd (Springfield Contemporary Theatre, IRNE Award); Sense and Sensibility: The Musical (Wellesley Summer Theater); Pirates! and Unknown Soldier (The Huntington Theatre Company). Erica will appear in the upcoming film Labor Day and is an active jingle singer, corporate spokesman, and radio/TV announcer. Originally from Mansfield, Missouri, she resides in Allston. She will next perform in New Rep's Master Class.

Phil Tayler (Man 1) makes his New Repertory Theatre debut. Recent credits include Of Mice And Men (Moonbox Productions); Hair (New London Barn Playhouse); Ragtime (Marblehead Little Theatre/Salem Theatre Company); and Avenue Q (The Lyric Stage Company). In the Boston area, he's also worked with Whistler In the Dark, Stoneham Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Wheelock Family Theatre, Nora Theatre Company, Fiddlehead Theatre, Turtle Lane Playhouse, The Orfeo Group, and The Boston Conservatory. His directing credits include Killer Joe and Dirty Story (The Boston Conservatory). Television credits include MTV 2's High School Stories: Sticky Situation and a TV commercial for Hooker Beer. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Boston Conservatory. Originally from Overland Park, KS he resides in Dorchester, MA.

Stephen Sondheim (composer) wrote the music and lyrics for Bounce, Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures, The Frogs, A Little Night Music, Follies, Company, Anyone Can Whistle, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, as well as lyrics for West Side Story, Gypsy, Do I Hear A Waltz?, and additional lyrics for Candide. Anthologies of his work include Side by Side by Sondheim, Marry Me A Little, You're Gonna Love Tomorrow, and Putting It Together. For films, he composed the scores of Stavisky and Reds and songs for Dick Tracy, for which he won an Academy Award. He also wrote songs for the television production Evening Primrose, co- authored the film The Last of Sheila and the play Getting Away With Murder, and provided incidental music for the plays The Girls of Summer, Invitation to a March, and Twigs. He won Tony Awards for Best Score for a Musical for Passion, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Follies, and Company. All of these also won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, as did Pacific Overtures and Sunday in the Park with George, the latter also receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Ilyse Robbins (Director/Choreographer) returns to New Repertory Theatre after directing/choreographing World Goes 'Round; choreographing A Christmas Carol, Moby Dick, and Das Barbecue; and performing in A Christmas Carol and The Wild Party. Other recent area directing/choreography credits include 42nd Street (Stoneham Theatre); Unforgettable (UpStage Lung Cancer); and Dear Edwina, Jr. (Wheelock Family Theatre Summer Intensive). Choreography credits include A Christmas Carol (Hanover Theater); Dear Miss Garland and Full Monty (Stoneham Theatre); and Avenue Q (The Lyric Stage Company). Performance credits include Love, Faith and Other Dirty Words (Modern Theatre); Full Monty (Stoneham Theatre); and Phantom Tollbooth (Wheelock Family Theatre). Ms. Robbins earned her BS in Theater from Northwestern University; certification from the British American Drama Academy; and an Ed.M. from Harvard University. She holds four I.R.N.E. awards, the most recent for her choreography for 42nd Street (Stoneham Theatre). Originally from Worcester, she resides in Belmont.

Charles Mosesian Theater Arsenal Center for the Arts is located at 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Mass. Tickets are $28-58; Discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more Call the Box Office at 617-923-8487. Wheelchair Accessible, Assisted Listening System Box office with TTY. For TTY only, dial 617.923.2067. Large-Print and Braille Programs Available.

Public Transportation: #70 or #70A bus to the School Street stop from Central Square Station, Red Line. Parking: Free, six-level parking garage next to the Arsenal Center for the Arts.

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