CINDY & THE DISCO BALL Starring Saylor Bell Curda Will Open at The Garry Marshall Theatre Next Month

Garry Marshall Theatre and Turk H. Burton Prods. have revealed a brand-new Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical opening October 7, 2023. This retro retelling of the Cinderella story whisks us back to the sun-kissed days and lava lamp lit nights of 1976 with an original musical score that blends the sounds of disco rhythms and Broadway musical magic.
 
Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical tells the story of Cindy Fontaine (Saylor Bell Curda - High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), a teenager determined to be heard in the high school scene after being left to deal with a messed-up family life when her father is away in Vietnam. Cindy’s cosmic guide through this coming-of-age musical is a fabulously magical Soul Sister (Cloie Wyatt Taylor - Partners In Rhyme) who gives new meaning to making an entrance. When the LA County school district threatens to cut arts funding, Cindy and the students at Pacific Palisades High have to beat the clock (that’s about to strike midnight) to save the arts.
 
“We are thrilled to be bringing a fully realized production of “Cindy” to the Garry Marshall Theatre this October. The 1970s was a defining time in art and fashion and change, and 1976 allows for our characters to really re-invent this Cinderella story. Rachael, Lori and I all grew up with different California beach experiences. And a high school near the beach is the perfect backdrop for the action, activism, humor, captivating musical moments that make Cindy & The Disco Ball really jump off the stage,” said Bwarie, about the return of the all-new production with expanded cast, additional songs and a full production re-design. “It’s all very exciting.”
 
Full casting includes: Karis Brizendine, Audrey Lyn Crabaño, Saylor Bell Curda. Bobby Hogan, Jorchual Gregory Vargas, Thomas Whitcomb, and Cloie Wyatt Taylor.
 
For this production, Garry Marshall Theatre will transform its lobby into a curated museum of vintage 1970s lifestyle featuring artifacts from a decade long before the digital age.
 
The limited engagement is Friday-Sunday, OCT 7 – OCT 29, with Preview performances OCT 5, 6, and 7 (matinee).  Tickets are on sale NOW at the link below.
 
Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical is directed by GMT’s Producing Artistic Director Joseph Leo Bwarie (Jersey Boys) and Christine Lakin (ABC’s The Goldbergs and Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical), with an original score by Rachael Lawrence (Glee), book and lyrics by Joseph Leo Bwarie and Lori Marshall (My Happy Days in Hollywood), music direction and arrangements by Ryan Whyman (Fantasies & Memories), and choreography by Anna Aimee White (Disney Princess: The Concert).

Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical features scenic design by Tom Wagman (ABC’s Abbott Elementary), costume design by Ovation-nominee Jessica Champagne Hansen (The Root Beer Bandits), lighting design by JM Montecalvo (Stranger Things: The Experience), sound design by Ovation-nominee Robert Arturo Ramirez (Arrow on The CW), hair and wig design by Laura Caponera (LA Opera), and stage management by Giselle N. Vega. GMT Technical Director is Vince Davey, Managing Director is Kurt J. Swanson, with assistant producer Malynda Hale and special event producer Heather Hall.
 
Cindy & The Disco Ball: The Musical is supported, in part, by The Louis L. Borick Foundation and by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors of the Department of Arts and Culture.

Joseph Leo Bwarie (Co-Director/Book & Lyrics)

Joseph Leo Bwarie is a Sherman Oaks native, a recording artist popular on Siriusly Sinatra on SiriusXM Radio, and an Ovation-nominated director. A founding artistic director of the Garry Marshall Theatre, he is widely known for his record-breaking turn as Frankie Valli in the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys with over 2,000 performances and nine years as the falsetto voiced pop icon (Las Vegas, 1st National Tour and Broadway). As a recording artist, Bwarie has released three solo albums, “Nothin’ But Love,” which marked his first collaboration with legendary record producer and arranger Charles Calello, “The Good Stuff,” featuring Tito Puente, Jr. and Paulinho Da Costa, and “A Little Christmas.” Bwarie’s professional career began at age nine, first appearing on the television series “Highway to Heaven,” “Mama’s Family,” and “The Young And The Restless.” He is a longtime member of The Troubadour Theater Company. Recent concerts include The Doo Wop Project with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Calello’s “The Legend Behind The Hits!” Associate director alongside Garry Marshall for the world premiere stage play Billy & Ray at the former Falcon Theatre and its New York engagement at the Vineyard Theatre. For the Garry Marshall Theatre: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum, starring Joey McIntyre, and The Root Beer Bandits. He has directed for film Holidaze Harmony starring Terron Brooks and Kamilah Marshall. Little Drummer Bowie for Troubadour Theater Company. Miracle On 34th Street: A Musical Radio Play for the Actors Co-op. He is a co-producer with Impro Theatre on GMT’s experiential, outdoor Jane Austen Unscripted. Most recently he produced Natalie Lander’s Legally Brunette, and with Kamilah Marshall, he is producer of GMT’s Summer Concert Series featuring Crystal Lewis, Ty Taylor, Alisan Porter and Don Most.
 

LORI MARSHALL (Book & Lyrics)

Lori Marshall is a columnist, fairytale playwright and ghostwriter. She has published four books: Wake Me When It Is Funny and My Happy Days in Hollywood, both co-authored with her father, film director Garry Marshall. She also co-wrote Cue The Bunny on The Rainbow, written with television director Alan Rafkin; and "One-Way Ticket to L.A" with her mother, Barbara Marshall. Seven years ago, Lori launched an on-line column called Lori's Library Party, http://www.lorislibraryparty.com, which offers weekly book reviews to a loyal following of readers. As a playwright, Lori has written ten produced plays at the Garry Marshall Theatre, most with her long-time collaborator Joseph Leo Bwarie. Lori also works for By The Bay Health, the first hospice established in California and the second oldest in the United States. Lori has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School. She is the mother of twins Lily and Charlotte, stepmother to Ellie and Violet, and lives in Marin County with her husband Jeff Morris.       
 

Rachael Lawrence (Music)

For the past 20 years, Rachael Lawrence has been a sought-after vocal coach, musical director, and songwriter in Los Angeles. Her projects range from being the in-house vocal coach for Fox's Glee and ABC's Grey's Anatomy (The Music Event) to being the acting on-camera vocal coach for Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Rebel Wilson's personal vocal coach for the Pitch Perfect film franchise. She has musically directed shows in Los Angeles, at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and for the University of Southern California, and The Troubadour Theater Company. As a composer and songwriter, Rachael has written the musicals Thumbelina, The Root Beer Bandits, The Empress and Her New Clothes, and Cindy & The Disco Ball for the Garry Marshall Theatre and is co-founder of PTP Music, a songwriting and production company with many original song placements in film and television.
 

Christine Lakin (Co-Director)

Atlanta native, Christine Lakin spent most of her formative years on a set, having been a professional actor in over 200 episodes of television. In the three decades since, she has expanded her resume, transitioning her career titles to include director, writer and producer. She is thrilled to be back co-directing Cindy & The Disco Ball as the title role is close to her heart, having played ‘Cindy’ in the 2005 and 2007 productions.
 
Christine had her Network directing debut on ABC’s The Goldbergs in the fall of 2018 and has since directed over 20 episodes of television for ABC, Apple+ and Disney, including such shows as Schooled and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She served as Co-Executive Producer on the partially scripted comedy Hollywood Darlings for the Pop Network, (2 seasons). Before that, she sold her own digital short form show Lovin’ Lakin to Hulu, after winning best web series pilot at NYTVF, which she also wrote, starred and directed several episodes. As a director, she was given Honorable Mention at the 2017 LA Film awards for her work on the short Dancer By Trade. She has shot for Funny or Die, as well as the music video M-O-T-H-E-R for Jersey Boys star Joseph Leo Bwarie, whose song was featured in Garry Marshall’s Mother’s Day. She recently wrapped Season 2 of the digital series Poolside, and the short films Best Friend Type and Who Am I?, which stars Grammy Nominated Petey Pablo and premiered at the Hip Hop Film Festival in 2023. She recently won Best Musical Short for the ad spoof Interracial Couple in a Cheerios Ad at Dances With Films and 300 Second Film Festival. Christine is a nominated choreographer, having served as the resident choreographer for all 10 seasons of The Goldbergs. Additional choreography credits include Unstable (Netflix), Westworld (HBO), Schooled (ABC), We Are Men (CBS), Liv and Maddie (Disney),True Blood (HBO), Breaking In (FOX), 90210 (FOX), Parental Guidance (Disney) and You Again (Disney), among others. She has choreographed such talent as Sigourney Weaver, Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner and Bette Midler.

Christine is the creator of the hit storytelling show, Worst Ever, which ran to sold-out crowds around Los Angeles and New York before being developed and sold as a series with Thank You Brain Productions. It was turned into a successful podcast found on Apple and iTunes.  Additionally, she has sold scripted content to MTV, Hulu, and has developed with Whoopi, Inc., Campanario and Warner Horizon. Lakin is represented by Haven Entertainment and Verve.
 

Anna Aimee White (Choreographer)

Choreographer: “Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert” at The Hollywood Bowl. Associate Director/Choreographer: Blue’s Clues & You Live. Staging Supervisor: Disney Princess: The Concert. Choreographer: ABC’s The Goldbergs, Netflix’s On My Block, Cindy And The Disco Ball at the GMT; Actor CoOp’s Miracle on 34th St. Associate Choreo: Stephen Schwartz’s The Secret Silk for PCL; Mamma Mia at Bucks County Playhouse; Joseph at 3DT. Performer on Broadway: White Christmas, Grease (original 2007 company). NYC Encores!: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Bells Are Ringing; No No Nanette; Of Thee I Sing; Face The Music. Premiered Backwards In High Heels: The Ginger Musical as ‘Ginger Rogers’. Has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Hollywood Bowl, The Muny, Papermill Playhouse, Garry Marshall’s Happy Days. Film/Tv: New Year’s Eve; You Again; Valentine’s Day; Princess Diaries 2; Raising Helen; Georgia Rule; The Goldbergs; and HBO’s Tracey Ullman Live & Exposed.
 

RYAN WHYMAN (Musical Director/Arrangements)

Ryan Whyman has had a unique gift since beginning his musical journey at age six. Performing his first composition for his second grade classmates, Ryan continues to touch people’s hearts with original music inspired by diverse styles and traditions. Whyman’s imaginative and emotionally compelling compositions and orchestrations left one audience member so moved that he said listening to them “makes me want to be a better nurse.” Whyman’s award-winning musical projects range from Fantasies & Memories, his debut album of neoclassical instrumental music, to session work for blockbuster films and video games, and a collaboration with internationally renowned rapper, poet, and spoken-word artist Watsky. These varied ensembles reveal the influences that make Whyman’s art so special. Though it blends many genres, his musical voice is the common thread that weaves his repertoire into a connected whole.
 

Garry Marshall THEATRE

Garry Marshall Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing innovative performances, educational opportunities, and storytelling activities for all ages, year-round. Located in the heart of Burbank and Toluca Lake’s media district, the critically acclaimed and Ovation Award-winning 130-seat theater was founded in 1997 as the Falcon Theatre by Hollywood legend Garry Marshall. Reestablished as the nonprofit Garry Marshall Theatre in 2017, the theater continues to cultivate new artists and experiences that spark ideas and build community.

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