Jason Graae Joins Musical Theatre West Production Of SPAMILTON: AN AMERICAN PARODY

Get your tickets for a night of side-splitting satire! Musical Theatre West is excited to announce that the highly-anticipated cameo role of King George will be played by Broadway and musical theatre star Jason Graae in the Long Beach premiere of Spamilton: An American Parody. Musical Theatre West's production of the popular musical comedy opens this Friday, March 25, and runs on select dates through April 10, 2022 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Tickets for the hysterical historical musical featuring new and original material written specifically for Musical Theatre West audiences are available at musical.org.

Southern California's premier musical theatre company is thrilled to welcome Jason Graae back to the MTW stage, where he directed A Grand Night for Singing, and was last seen onstage as Cookie in Nice Work if You Can Get It. This time, he'll be hamming it up as King George, an iconic role sure to have audiences saying "we'll be back!" Graae is best known for his Broadway roles in A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy!, and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?. He has recorded over 70 cast and studio cast albums as well as 3 solo CDs.

Graae joins a tremendously talented cast of six for Musical Theatre West's production of Spamilton, which was written and created by award-winning writer and director Gerard Alessandrini. Alessandrini is best known as the brains behind the musical send-up series Forbidden Broadway, and is the winner of a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theatre.

Graae is no new-comer when it comes to Alessandrini's work. He has previously been featured in both Forbidden Broadway and Spamilton, and was an original cast member for spin-off show Forbidden Hollywood. Alessandrini's Spamilton not only parodies Broadway's biggest hit, but takes on top talent from the Great White Way, including Stephen Sondheim, Liza Minelli, Patti LuPone, Julie Andrews, and Barbra Streisand. The limited run production will feature all-new, original material tailored specially for Long Beach and Musical Theatre West audiences!

Tickets to Spamilton: An American Parody presented by Musical Theatre West are currently priced at $20 - $96 and are available by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org. Fees may apply. $15 Student rush tickets will be available at the door 30 minutes prior to showtime, with ID. The ASL interpreted performance of Spamilton will be Friday, April 1 at 8 pm. Not recommended for children under 12. Vaccination and mask policy can be found at https://musical.org/covid/. More information, full line-up of performances, and additional details can be found at https://musical.org.

ABOUT MUSICAL THEATRE WEST

The story of Musical Theatre West is the 70-year journey from a group of volunteers performing in a high school auditorium to one of the largest and most respected theatrical production companies in Southern California. Utilizing professional talent, and producing regional and even world premiere musicals while continuing to honor the tradition of classic musical theatre, MTW is the largest arts producer in the Long Beach area. The company continues to receive critical acclaim and national recognition - and many performers who cut their teeth on the MTW stage have gone on to successful careers on Broadway and in television and film. Just as importantly, stage and screen veterans now come to Musical Theatre West to perform, finding it to be one of the friendliest and most fun venues to work in. A key aspect of the company is its dedication to education, and the Education and Outreach Programs of Musical Theatre West bring the joy and magic of musical theater to over 17,000 children each year through special morning performances, traveling shows and school assemblies, and the Summer Youth Conservatory. Musical Theatre West has a mission to enrich the community with Broadway-quality productions, preserve musical theatre as a unique American art form, and expose people of all backgrounds to the excitement of musical theatre. We hope you'll join us.

Jason Graae BIOGRAPHY:

Jason Graae is credited in Broadway productions of A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy!, and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? For Off-Broadway, Graae's credits include Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (Drama Desk Nomination), Forever Plaid, Olympus On My Mind, & many more. Winner of the L.A. Drama Critics Circle and Ovation Awards, Graae was featured in Forbidden Hollywood & Broadway, the US premiere of Ragtime, Guys & Dolls and The Music Man (Hollywood Bowl). TV shows include Friends, Frasier, 6 Feet Under, Rude Awakening,etc. For five years he was the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun for Lucky Charms Cereal, a balanced part of your complete breakfast. He has recorded over 70 cast and studio cast albums as well as 3 solo CDs. With MTW, he directed A Grand Night for Singing and played Cookie in Nice Work If You Can Get It. Learn more at www.JasonGraae.com.

CAST:

• Dedrick Bonner - Man 4 (George Washington/Stephen Sondheim/Ben Franklin/Genie)

• Marqell Edward Clayton - Man 3 (Barack Obama/Daveed Diggs/Thomas Jefferson/Phantom)

• Summer Greer - Woman 1 (Michele Obama/Renée Elise Goldsberry/Barbra Streisand)

• Cornelius Jones Jr. - Man 2 (Leslie Odom Jr.)

• Andrew Puente - Man 1 (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

• Trisha Rapier - Woman 2 (Bernadette Peters/Liza Minelli/Julie Andrews)

• Jason Graae - Man 5 (King George/Harry Potter)

ABOUT THE CREATOR

Gerard Alessandrini - Spamilton: (Creator/ Writer): New York, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, National Tour. Forbidden Broadway (creator/ writer/director): 25 editions all over the world. Also Forbidden Hollywood (writer/director), Madame X: The Musical (NYMF) (co-writer/director), The Nutcracker & I (lyrics), Maury Yeston's review Anything Can Happen in New York. Television: special material for Carol Burnett, Angela Lansbury and Bob Hope. Film: Aladdin, Pocahontas (vocals). Recordings: 12 Forbidden Broadway cast albums, Forbidden Hollywood & Spamilton cast albums. Special Lyrics: Barbra Streisand Duets 2. Awards: Drama League Lifetime Achievement Award, Obie Award, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, 7 Drama Desk (2 Best Lyrics, 2 Special Achievement, 3 Best Musical Revue), and a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre. Special thanks to husband Glenn Bassett for contributing his many talents to Spamilton.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director/Choreographer Gerry McIntyre

Music Director Wilkie Ferguson III

Scenic Designer/Technical Director Kevin Clowes

Costume Designer Dustin Cross

Lighting Designer Jean-Yves Tessier

Sound Designer Julie Ferrin

Production Stage Manager John "JP" Pollard

Assistant Stage Manager Alyssa Escalante

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