Corinne Dekker, Jamey Hood and Jayme Lake return as "The Housewives," three young homemakers who form a band for their PTA talent show - then go on to become bigger than Brillo with their hilarious brand of "domestic" rock 'n roll. The comic rock musical It's The Housewives!, with hilarious songs by Laurence and Hope Juber and book by Hope Juber and Ellen Guylas, re-opens at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks for a 12-week run, January 10 through March 29. A preview performance takes place on January 9.
"I could not wait to bring It's The Housewives! back," remarked co-composer/co-writer Hope Juber. "The audience reaction was so great when it premiered last fall - we knew we couldn't stay away long."
Critical reaction was also strong: "All wacky on the domestic front... the songs are genuinely clever [with] the best harmonies since 'The Marvelous Wonderettes'," wrote the Los Angeles Times. "Infectious [and] hilarious... musically rewarding [and] lyrically inventive," said Daily Variety. The LA Weekly found the production "Lively [and] clever... slick, stylish, and goes down easy... GO!"
For the return run, the book has been re-worked and the musical numbers tightened. "Seeing the show on its feet for the first time allowed us to observe what worked consistently and what we could tweak to make it even better," acknowledges Hope.
The three dynamo leads (Dekker, Hood and Lake), recipients of across-the-board raves for their performances, are also back. Jed Alexander, Tony Cicchetti, Daniel Gordon, Andy Lurie and Sue Mullen round out the cast.
It's the Housewives! is the brainchild of husband-and-wife power couple Laurence and Hope Juber. He is a two-time Grammy award-winning virtuoso performer, composer and arranger and former lead guitarist for Paul McCartney's Wings; she is an Emmy-nominated television writer. At the heart of the play are the Jubers' delightfully domestic rock n' roll songs including "Be My Babysitter," "In Sink and at Your Disposal," Ironing Bored," "I've Been Defrosting All Day," and the "Reynolds Rap" all memorably choreographed by Kay Cole and costumed by Sherell Martin.
Additional designers for It's the Housewives! include Davis Campbell (Set); Matt Richter (Lighting); Joseph "Sloe" Slawinski (Sound); and Gabrieal Griego (Visual Projections). Casting is by Raul Clayton Staggs; and Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners, produces.
Performances of It's the Housewives! are scheduled Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, January 10 through March 29. One preview performance takes place on Friday, January 9 at 8 pm. Tickets to all performances are $30.00, except opening night (Saturday, January 10) which is $40.00 and includes a Gala reception following the performance, and the preview performance which is $20.00. The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks (three blocks east of Woodman, at Sunnyslope). For reservations and information, call (323) 960-5563 or go to http://itsthehousewives.com
Music and Lyrics by Laurence Juber and Hope Juber
Book by Hope Juber and Ellen Guylas
Directed by Hope Juber
Musical Director Laurence Juber
Choreography by Kay Cole
Starring Corinne Dekker, Jamey Hood and Jayme Lake
Also Featuring Jed Alexander, Tony Cicchetti, Daniel Gordon, Andy Lurie, Sue Mullen
Produced by Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners
Preview: January 9
Performances: January 10 - March 29
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(3 blocks east of Woodman, on the corner of Sunnyslope)
(323) 960-5563 or http://itsthehousewives.com/
General Admission: $30
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