Photo Flash: Groener, McGrath, Scalera & More In PUTTING IT TOGETHER At SCR

South Coast Repertory kicks off the 2009-10 Season with Putting It Together, a compilation of Stephen Sondheim songs, that the composer put together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, creating a narrative set at a cocktail party in an elegant Manhattan condo. The non-traditional musical, led by Broadway and television star Harry Groener, has a cast of five (a glamorous but slightly jaded couple, a starry-eyed younger couple and a savvy observer) who sing more than 30 songs that reflect their lives, lifestyles and moods of the moment. Some of the songs will be familiar, some less so, a few were even cut from their original musical scores, but they are all sophisticated, smart and drop-dead droll. All, in other words, Sondheim.

Nick DeGruccio directs and Dennis Castellano is musical director of Putting It Together, which will run from Sept. 11 through Oct. 11 on the Segerstrom Stage. Low-priced previews are available from Sept. 11 through Sept. 17. Opening night is Sept. 18. Tickets to Putting It Together may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

Sondheim is arguably America's preeminent composer/lyricist, and certainly its most erudite, winner of six Tony Awards, an Academy Award and the Pulitizer Prize for drama. DeGruccio is a multi-award-winning Los Angeles director.

Groener and Mary GorDon Murray play the host couple, exuding glamour and success as well as world weariness and hints of infidelity. Groener was last seen at SCR as George in Sunday in the Park With George and last seen on Broadway as King Arthur in Spamalot. Murray is new to SCR, as are Dan Callaway and Niki Scalera, who play the younger man and woman. Matt McGrath is the fifth member of the cast, playing an observer in guises including a handyman and a nurse. He was seen at SCR in Raised in Captivity and Ridiculous Fraud.

The creative team for Putting It Together is composed of Thomas Buderwitz (Set Design), Soojin Lee (Costume Design), Steven Young (Lighting Design), Drew Dalzell (Sound Design), Linda Sullivan Baity (Dramaturg) and Jamie A. Tucker (Stage Manager).

Dr. S.L. and Mrs. Betty Eu Huang/Huang Family Foundation are the Honorary Producers and Haskell & White LLP is the Corporate Honorary Producer of Putting It Together. Segerstrom Stage Season Media Partner is KOCE-TV. KPCC 89.3 and Coast Magazine are Media Partners of Putting It Together.

Inside the Season is a series of interactive classes that provide a comprehensive inside look at the theatrical production process. Each two-hour class is led by Literary and Education Associate Linda Sullivan Baity and features creative personnel from South Coast Repertory's current production. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased online at scr.org or by calling the Box Office at (714) 708-5555. (Tickets to Putting It Together are sold separately.)

Tickets to Putting It Together can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances begin on Sept. 11 and continue through Oct. 11. Ticket prices range from $23 to $70. Low-priced preview performances are available from Sept. 11 to Sept. 17. Performance times: Previews: Friday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 12 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 13, Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Sept. 17 at 8:00 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.; and Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 15 or more. There will be a "Pay-What-You-Will" performance on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. ($10 minimum) and an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m.

 South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.

Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 400 productions, 103 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.

Photos by Henry DiRocco.

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