The 1993 AIDS-themed musical ALL THAT HE WAS that opened on August 12, earning rave reviews and a Jeff recommendation, will extend its run by one week and will now close on Sunday, September 15.
Included in that extension will be an understudy performance on Monday September 9 at 8 pm, in which Understudies Grace Bobber (The Doctor), Haylie Kinsler (The Girlfriend), Ben Broughton (The Brother), Mary Laura Godby (The Sister) and Mike Pesoli (The Lover) and Bob Sanders (The Father) will join members of the original cast that night for "one night only."
The 1993 AIDS-themed musical ALL THAT HE WAS opened on August 12 at the Pride Arts Center. The writers have crafted a special version of the show specifically for the Pride venue, with new music and a newly revised script. With music by Cindy O'Connor and book and lyrics by Larry Todd (Johnson) Cousineau, this winner of the National Playwright's Award and the ACTF Musical Theatre Award is a moving and surprisingly funny account of one man's struggle with AIDS and the reverberations of his death. The deceased functions as host and narrator, invisible among the friends and family assembled to pay him final respects. Hoping for a day when the shattered pieces of his life can come together, he leads them on a journey of shared reminiscences.
Cousineau directs the musical. The cast includes
Matthew Huston as "The Man," the central character who has recently succumbed to AIDS. Huston was a Jeff Award nominee for Performer in a Leading Role - Musical for his performance in YANK! A WWII LOVE STORY with Pride Films and Plays in 2018. Appearing as the lover, friends and family of "The Man" is
Joe Giovannetti (THE MOST HAPPY FELLA and THE FULL MONTY with Theo Ubique) as "The Lover,"
Brittney Brown (HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH with Theo Ubique) as "The Girlfriend," Ethan Warren (SHREK at
Marriott Theatre) as "The Brother,"
Sarah Hayes (IT'S ONLY A PLAY with Pride Films and Plays) as "The Mother,"
Rick Rapp (ANYTHING GOES with Music Theater Works) as "The Father," Colleen Perry (WOMEN OF SOUL at Black Ensemble Theatre) as "The Counselor," Sarah Ruth Mikulski as "The Sister," and
Alanna Kalbfleisch as "The Doctor." Understudies include Grace Bobber, Ben Broughton, Mary Laura Godby, Haylie Kinsler ,
Bob Sanders and Michael Pesoli. Cody Michael Bradley will be Music Director, and the design team includes
Shawn Quinlan (Costume Designer), Jake Ganzer (Movement Director), and
Mike McShane (Lighting Designer). Rounding out the production team are Courtney Winkleman (Scenic Painter), and Bri Wolfe (Stage Manager).
ALL THAT HE WAS toured nationally in the 90's, was featured at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and represented the US at the Festival Vox Humana in Barcelona, Spain, before settling in to a critically-acclaimed run in Los Angeles, where it received a Robby award for Best New Musical. The Los Angeles Times said it "Arches from dysfunctionalism, jealousies and misunderstandings to unsteady truces and well-earned unities ...It carries on a bright, serious, witty and inclusive dialogue with anyone who may sit down in front of it." The hit song from ALL THAT HE WAS, "Our First Christmas", is featured on the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles' 2018 CD, JOYFUL AND TRIUMPHANT, now available on iTunes.
Cindy O'Connor (composer) and Larry Todd (Johnson) Cousineau (bookwriter/lyricist/director) have a long history together. Most recently, their musical comedy FLIES! THE MUSICAL!, a hit at Pride Arts Center in 2018, has been nominated for a Jeff Award for Best New Musical. Their other works include 40 IS THE NEW 15, which had a critically-acclaimed run at the NoHo Arts Center in Los Angeles, receiving Best New Musical award from Stagescene LA and a GLAAD Media Award Nomination for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre. Several of their songs have been featured in concerts by the Gay Men's Choruses of Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. O'Connor was nominated for a 2018 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score) for her work on ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC). Her other credits include CRASH (Starz), DOLPHIN TALE, and FORGIVING THE FRANKLINS (Sundance). Cousineau's writing has been featured in animated series including YIN, YANG, YO! (Disney), THE NEW CARE BEARS, and ANGELA ANACONDA. His SONGS FROM MY CLOSET cabaret series is an annual hit previously at Uptown Underground and now at Mary's Attic.
ALL THAT HE WAS is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
Photo by Nicholas Swatz
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