Actors Co-op announces its first show in its 2014-2015 season (and 23rd year of producing theatrical excellence in Los Angeles!) with an immersive and environmental production of the five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Whodunit," THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, book, music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, choreography by Julie Hall, musical direction by Jake Anthony and directed by Stephen Van Dorn. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will begin previews on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 26 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
RUPERT HOLMES (Book, Music and Lyrics) is a mystery novelist-playwright-composer-arranger-screenwriter-conductor-singer-songwriter. Rupert Holmes is the first person in theatrical history to solely win Tony® awards as an author, a composer and a lyricist. Twice presented with the coveted "Edgar" award (the "Oscar" of the Mystery Writers of America), his first novel, Where the Truth Lies, was nominated for the Nero Wolfe award for Best American Mystery Novel, was a Booklist Top Ten Debut Novel and made into an Atom Egoyan motion picture starring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon. A London Times Book Group pick, it has been released in six languages and on two different audiobook recordings.
His script for Secondhand Lions premiered at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre and is slated for the east coast in 2015. He recently adapted John Grisham's classic A Time to Kill for Broadway and is completing the first book in a series for Simon and Schuster: The McMasters Guide to Homicide: Murder Your Employer. For TV, Holmes created, wrote and scored the critically hailed AMC series "Remember WENN." He has arranged, conducted and written platinum recordings for Barbra Streisand, including her classic Lazy Afternoon album and his songs for the Golden Globe-winning, quadruple Platinum Billboard #1 LP score of A Star is Born. As a pop tunesmith, his work has been recorded by the leading vocalists of our time, from opera star Renée Fleming to pop star Britney Spears, from balladeer Barry Manilow to rapper Wyclef. Yet despite all the above, Holmes is still best known to the public as the singer-songwriter of several Billboard Top Ten hits, including his #1 multi-platinum smash "Escape" aka "The Pina Colada Song"...?... heard in such recent films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,Grownups, Bewitched, Wanted with Angelina Jolie, The Sweetest Thing, Shrek, the TV shows "Las Vegas," "True Blood," and most recently performed by Jimmy Fallon and Blake Shelton with The Legendary Roots.
STEPHEN VAN DORN (Director) The Mystery Of Edwin Drood marks Stephen's debut main-stage production for Actors Co-op. Previous directing credits include, Much Ado About Nothing, The Freddy Wyatt Bixby Petroleum Variety Hour Christmas Spectacular Extravaganza Show, What Happened Was..., 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton, andThe Sweetest Swing In Baseball. Stephen has been a member of Actors Co-op since 1998, and has appeared in numerous productions, including Edith Stein, The Hasty Heart, The Foreigner, Bullshot Crummond, As You Like It, 1776, Tales Of Tinseltown, The Glass Menagerie, Sherlock's Last Case, The Philadelphia Story, The Learned Ladies, Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, and most recently as the Bellhop, in Lend Me A Tenor. In 2012, Stephen played serial killer Buffalo Bill, in Silence! The Musical, directed by Tony Award Winner Christopher Gatelli, at The Hayworth Theatre. Stephen is an LA Weekly Award-winner, as well as receiving several other awards and honors, including Stage Scene LA awards, and the Inland Valley Theatre League Award for Best Performance in a Musical.THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will preview on Wednesday, September 17 & Thursday, September 18 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 26 at the Actors Co-op Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:30pm (with two Saturday Matinees scheduled for Saturday, September 27 and Saturday, October 25 at 2:30pm). Ticket prices are $34.00 for all Performances. Seniors - $30 and Students - $25.00. Previews are Free to the Public. Group rates are available for parties of 6 or more. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (323) 462-8460 or visit www.ActorsCo-op.org.
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