Celebration Theatre Closes Season with CABARET

Celebration Theatre presents under the artistic direction of Michael Matthews & Michael A. Shepperd, present the third and final show in its 2017 2018 season, CABARET, book by Joe Masteroff (based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood), music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, choreography by Janet Roston, musical direction by Anthony Zediker and directed by Michael Matthews. CABARET will begin previews on Friday, May 25 at 8pm; will open on Friday, June 1 at 8pm, with tickets on sale through Sunday, July 15 at Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles.

Wilkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome. This is The Kit Kat Klub... the seediest, sexiest nightclub in Berlin. In here, life isn't just beautiful - it's downright dangerous. If you're not careful, you could lose your perspective on the world outside. Fight that urge. RESIST. Celebration Theatre presents Kander & Ebb's dark, eerily relevant masterpiece like you've never seen it before

ABOUT THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

The Cast of CABARETwill feature Alex Nee starring as the Emcee, after appearing as Johnny in the American Idiot UK/US tour and in the first National Tour of Once. The cast also includes Talisa Friedman (Hamlet at The Old Globe, The Dodgers, We Are The Tigers, The Last Goodbye at The Old Globe, directed by Alex Timbers) as Sally Bowles, Christopher Maikish (Celebration's Dream Boy) as Cliff, John Colella (12 Angry Men at Laguna Playhouse) as Ernst, Matthew Henerson (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Phylicia Rashad) as Herr Schultz, June Carryl (Failure: A Love Story at the Kirk Douglas) as Fraulein Schneider, Katherine Tokarz (Rock of Ages, A Chorus Line, White Christmas, and Wicked on Broadway) as Fraulein Kost, Tanner Rampton (Guys and Dolls at Musical Theatre West) as Bobby, Tristan McIntyre (Celebration's The Boy From Oz) as Victor, Nicole Stouffer as Texas, Jasmine Ejan (Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan National Tour) as Rosie and Mary Ann Welshans (Celebration's Wolves) as Helga. Swings include Brielle Batino, Robyn S. Clark, Tom Detrinis, Laura Hartley, Zachary Kanner, Ian Littleworth, Trevor H. Olsen, Kenneth Stirbl, Jessica Troiani, Sophie Vanier, and Justin W. Yu.

CABARET has assembled an award-winning design team; Scenic Design by Stephen Gifford (Carrie: The Musical downtown LA and La Mirada), Lighting Design by Matthew Brian Denman (Failure: A Love Story at the Kirk Douglas), Costume Design by Michael Mullen (Ovation Award winner for The Boy From Oz), Sound Design by Cricket Myers (Tony nominated for Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo), Properties Design by Michael O'Hara (Failure: A Love Story), Wig/Hair Design by Byron Batista (Hair, Chicago, Hairspray, The Producers at the Hollywood Bowl) and Dialect Coaching by Tuffet Schmelzle (Rotterdam at The Skylight). Estey DeMerchant is the Production Stage Manager and Brooke Seguin is the Assistant Director. Associate Producers are Mark Giberson, Constance Jewell Lopez, Parnell Damone Marcano, David Tran, and Alan Wethern. CABARET is produced by Jay Marcus and Michael O'Hara.

Michael Matthews (Director) Los Angeles:The Graduate (Laguna Playhouse), End of the Rainbow (McCoy-Rigby/La Mirada),12 Angry Men (Laguna Playhouse), Failure; a Love Story (CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre), Billy and Ray (Laguna Playhouse), Dream Boy (LA Premiere), Bootycandy (LA Premiere; LADCC Nomination, Production, Failure; a Love Story (Ovation Award Best Director) (LA Premiere), Sons of the Prophet (LA Premiere), Psyche; a Modern Rock Opera (World Premiere), Rabbit Hole (McCoy- Rigby/La Mirada), Funny Girl (3D Theatricals, Ovation Nomination Best Director), Peter Pan; The Boy Who Hated Mothers (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; LA Premiere), Very Still and Hard To See (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; World Premiere), The Color Purple, The Musical (Ovation and LA Weekly Awards Best Director and Best Production, Musical), What's Wrong With Angry? (Ovation Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play), Take Me Out! (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director), The Women of Brewster Place, the Musical (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director, Ovation Award Best Production, Musical; West Coast Premiere), Stupid Kids (LA Premiere), Beautiful Thing (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production,Play), The Bacchae (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production,Play), Broadway: Butley (Assistant Director). Chicago: What's Wrong With Angry? (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), In The Blood (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), Porcelain (Jeff Nomination, Best Director), The Judas Kiss (Chicago Premiere), Being 11 (World Premiere), and...for colored girls who have considered suicide.... International: The Bacchae (Edinburgh Theatre Festival, 2010). Michael is the recipient of the 2015 LADCC Award for Career Achievement in Direction.

Janet Roston (Choreographer) created choreography for the hit production, The Boy From Oz (Celebration Theatre) receiving her second Ovation Award and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award (LADCC). She was also choreographer for The Color Purple (Celebration Theatre; Ovation Award, NAACP and LADCC Awards.); Once On this Island (International City Theater, NAACP Nom.); Avenue X (Odyssey Theater, Ovation Award Nom.); Runaway Home (Fountain Theater); Failure, A Love Story (Kirk Douglas Theatre/Couerage Theater, Ovation Nom.) which was included in Center Theatre Group's "Block Party '17." Janet is also a Director Choreographer. Director/Choreographer/Co-Creator of Anaïs, A Dance Opera, which tells the story of famed diarist, Anaïs Nin, presented through her company Mixed eMotion Theatrix. Anaïs premiered at Greenway Court Theatre, performed at the Festival Off d'Avignon in France July '17 and just returned from performances in Paris and the International Theater Festival, Casablanca, Morocco. Other Director/Choreographer work includes Midsummer Night (Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Texas New Musical Festival); Striking 12 ( Laguna Playhouse); Tonya and Nancy, The Rock Opera (ART, Boston); CarnEvil (Sacred Fools Theater); shAme (King King Nightclub); So Now You Know (Highways, Wallis Annenberg) and The Wanting (Highways). Her contemporary choreography has been presented at London's Royal Academy of Music and Cannes, France. Winner Palm Desert Choreography Festival. Two American Choreography Awards, member SDC.

ANTHONY ZEDIKER (Musical Direction) a native of Nashville, TN, got his training in piano and collaborative arts from DePaul University and University of Southern California. Wearing many hats, Zediker works as a songwriter, film composer, music director, vocal coach, and recording artist, based out of Los Angeles and Chicago. He is currently on a faculty pianist and music director at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy LA and the Colburn School. Recent project highlights include- HBO's Big Little Lies (pianist/actor in 3 episodes), NBC's Rob Cantor: Shia LaBeouf Live (orchestra pianist), Musical Director of The Wizard of Oz (2018), cover pianist for Priscilla (2018 @ the Celebration Theater), as well as Spamilton( @ the Kirk Douglas Theater), and In Trump We Trust (@ the Second City LA), Associate Music Director of Sunday in the Park with George (2016), Urinetown (2016), The Drowsy Chaperone (2016), Little Shop of Horrors (2016), Annie Get Your Gun (2016), Fame: The Musical (2014), rehearsal pianist for the L.A. premiere of Heathers: the Musical (2014), pianist for LA Opera's inner-city outreach productions of The Marriage of Figaro (2015), and Turandot (2016), composer for web series's Basic (2018), and Actpartment (2015), video game composer for Hammertime for the iphone (2009), and feature films include Let it Bleed (2015), Better Criminal (2016), and Our Way (2016) (*audience choice award), each of which was recently featured in the Burbank International Film Festival in 2017.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

CABARETwill preview on Friday, May 25 & Saturday, May 26 at 8pm; Sunday, May 27 at 2pm; Wednesday, May 30 & Thursday, May 31 at 8pm; will open on Friday, June 1 at 8pm with tickets on sale through Sunday, July 15 at Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles.

Performances are Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm with an added performance on Monday, June 25 at 8pm.

All tickets are $35.00 (General Seating); $45.00 (Reserved); $55.00 (House Seats) and $75.00 (Limited Premium Onstage Seating). Gala Fundraiser performance on Saturday, June 2 with a limited number of tickets available at $150; $200 and $250 that include a cocktail reception with the cast.

For tickets, please call (323) 957-1884 or visit www.celebrationtheatre.com to purchase tickets online or to view a complete schedule or for further details.

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