Rubicon Theatre Company to Present UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: AMANDA McBROOM IN CONCERT in May

Rubicon Theatre of Ventura will present the first event in the company's May Concert series on Saturday, May 13 at 7 p.m. - "Amanda McBroom: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL." The legendary singer-songwriter and actress will captivate audiences with her stunning voice and masterful songwriting in an intimate and unforgettable performance. McBroom is known for her timeless music, which has been covered by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand and Diana Krall. Her most famous #1 hit song, "The Rose," garnered a Golden Globe Award for Best Song, Motion Picture for the film of the same name starring Bette Midler.

McBroom's music has been featured in films and TV shows for decades. "Amanda McBroom: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL " will be a special one-night-only live engagement on Saturday, May 13 at 7 p.m. at Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District. Prices are $69.50 with special discounts for students, seniors, military and Equity members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.rubicontheatre.org or call 805.667.2900.

The New York Times describes McBroom as "a singer and songwriter who overflows with warmth and good humor, tempered with a hard, clear-eyed wisdom. What Sets Ms. McBroom apart from everyone else is her voice, a forceful, flexible pop contralto, which she wields with the skill of an archer to hit the emotional bull's-eye."

McBroom has thrilled Rubicon audiences in diverse productions including A Delicate Balance, her own Lady Macbeth Sings the Blues, Love, Loss and What I Wore, Other Desert Cities (Indy Award), Women Beyond Borders, Little Miss Scrooge, Love Letters and Jacques Brel...and has also created or appeared in numerous cabaret or special musical events at Rubicon. McBroom was an integral part of the "Music for Changing Times Festival" produced at the theatre by Music2Life, teaching master classes for singer/songwriters and serving as a judge for competitions.

Outside of Rubicon, McBroom has performed Off-Broadway and in National and International Tours of Jacques Brel... and starred in critically hailed productions of A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd. She has performed at prestigious venues including the Mark Taper Forum, Pasadena Playhouse, The Old Globe, Goodspeed, The Mechanic in Boston, the Apollo in Chicago, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and others. McBroom has graced the stages with her powerful voice in concert halls around the world from New York City (Carnegie Hall) to Sydney Australia (Angel Place Recital Hall).

McBroom is widely known for her concert performances, recordings, and songwriting. McBroom received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th Anniversary MAC Awards and the Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriter of the Year. The Times described her as "...the greatest cabaret performer of her generation, an urban poet who writes like an angel and has a voice to match."

Broadway World calls McBroom "... one of the greatest nightclub performers of all time. Her lyrics are profound and express human emotions in glorious poetry. Her humor is so smart and she sings and acts it all brilliantly."

McBroom's songs have been recorded by a wide variety of artists including Amy Poehler and Jack Black, Barry Manilow, Judy Collins, Barbara Cook, LeAnn Rimes, Anne Murray, Harry Belafonte, Betty Buckley, THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER, KURT COBAIN, CONWAY TWITTY, the CHIPMUNKS and the Baby Dinosaurs in "Land Before Time" (she wrote all the songs for 16 Universal Cartoon videos with collaborator Michele Brourman).

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

Michele Brourman (Musical Director/Composer) is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose best-known song, "My Favorite Year" has been recorded by Michael Feinstein, Margaret Whiting, DAME Cleo Laine, and many other remarkable singers. Along with lyricist Amanda McBroom, she wrote the songs for about eighteen animated feature films for Universal Studios, including the beloved "Land Before Time" series. Her work has been featured in television and film and performed by countless cabaret artists, garnering numerous awards and critical acclaim. She composed all the dance and incidental music for the Broadway production of Studs Terkel'S Working. For director STEVEN KENT, Brourman has scored eight stage musicals, including the premiere of Jo Carson's award-winning Daytrips at Los Angeles Theatre Center and another Jo Carson premiere, Whispering to Horses, at Seven Stages in Atlanta, Georgia. Her theatre songs can be heard in Amanda McBroom's Heartbeats. She also wrote the music for a collaboration with lyricist/librettist, Sheilah Rae, and librettist, THOMAS EDWARD WEST which was Josie and the Women of Tombstone. The musical became I married Wyatt Earp and was staged in September 2005 by the Riverside Theatre in Bristol, Pennsylvania. She has helped to create and arrange Dixie Carter's acclaimed cabaret show for the Cafe Carlyle and has produced two record albums with Dixie. As musical director, Michele has also worked with McBROOM, Sandra Bernhard, Bernadette Peters, and Lesley Ann Warren. She composed the music for the 2006 film, "The Adventures of Brer Rabbit". She has written special musical material for artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to CRYSTAL GAYLE, was a staff writer for NBC's "John Davidson Show," and played piano in Bob Dylan's band.

LARRY TUTTLE (Bassist/Composer) writes iconic and optimistic music with a strong sense of story and narrative arc. His music is driven by 21-st Century rhythms and sensibilities, while being rooted with the power of archetypal musical elements. Larry won the Pittsburgh Symphony's H.J. Heinz Company Audience of the Future Composition Competition with his work "Chorale and Fiddle Tune." His concert overture "By Steam or by Dream," and won second prize at the Keuris Composers Competition in The Netherlands, in the category of Youth Symphony Orchestra. Trained extensively in double bass and piano from an early age, Larry's youth was saturated with both orchestral music and private instrumental study. He absorbed the orchestral repertoire from the bass sections of youth symphonies, All-City orchestras, school orchestras and music camps (including the National Music Camp in Interlochen, where he played principal bass in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra). His collegiate studies were taken at the University of Washington. Among Larry's bass mentors were RON SIMON, JAMES HARNETT, RING WARNER, OSCAR ZIMMERMAN and jazz legend GARY PEACOCK, who opened Larry's ears and mind with a revelatory course in ear-training. After a long and productive journey through the world of rock and pop music and a stint as a recording artist on Warner Brothers Records, Larry eventually became one of the world's foremost composers and performers of music for the Chapman Stick, a hybrid tapping instrument that combines qualities of the electric guitar, bass and piano. Larry made several recordings on The Stick with his groups FREEWAY PHILHARMONIC and STRING PLANET. Consisting of The Stick, viola, acoustic guitar and drums, FREEWAY PHILHARMONIC played an anything-goes mix of contemporary classical, rock, pop and improvisation. The aggressively hybrid nature of that group directly foreshadowed the music that Larry is writing today. His solo album of compositions for The Stick, "Through the Gates," is considered to be one of the landmark recordings of that instrument. Larry is a composing and performing member of CELA (Composers Ensemble of Los Angeles). CELA is a twelve-member composer's collective dedicated to developing and promoting new music.

"Amanda McBroom: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL" takes place at Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District, for a special one-night-only live engagement on Saturday, May 13th at 7pm. Prices are $69.50 with special discounts for students, seniors, military and Equity members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.rubicontheatre.org or call 805.667.2900.

ABOUT Rubicon Theatre Company

Rubicon Theatre Company has been described as "the rising star of the Southern California cultural constellation." The not-for-profit professional regional has reached more than 500,000 attendees and 48,000 students. Rubicon serves area residents and visitors with innovative productions of classic and contemporary plays, as well as a wide array of educational programs and events. Acclaimed by critics and industry professionals, the company has received the L.A. Drama Critics Margaret Harford Special Award for "Sustained Excellence," a Drama Desk Award for the Off-Broadway production of The Best is Yet to Come and has won more than 20 Ovation Awards from the L.A. Stage Alliance. Prior to the pandemic, Rubicon transferred three shows to New York (Wiesenthal - Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; Lonesome Traveler - Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; and Daddy Long Legs (Drama Desk Award). Rubicon has welcomed a steady stream of high-profile actors and directors to the stage, including BRUNO and ODISEO BIRCHIR, SUSAN CLARK, Dana Delaney, Conchata Ferrell, Bonnie Franklin, Harold Gould, Joel Grey, Larry Hagman, Bill Irwin, Stacy Keach, Jack Lemmon, Amanda McBroom, Ted Neeley, Paul Provenza, Linda Purl, Rondi Reed, John Ritter, Joe Spano, Bruce Weitz, Lillias White and others. Company members are George Ball, Joseph Fuqua and Jenny Sullivan. Based in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Rubicon resides in a 185-seat historic church built in the 1920s. In this renovated historic landmark, audience members are never further than 10 rows from the stage on the main floor. (The balcony, which seats twenty, is available for private parties or corporate groups.)

True to the company's name and the vision of artistic directors Karyl Lynn Burns and JAMES O'NEIL, Rubicon has created an environment where commitment and risk are encouraged, and where artists are nurtured and respected. As a result, the company has gained a reputation for invigorating interpretations of the classics and for supporting the development of new works. Rubicon presents at least one World Premiere each season, as well as readings of works-in-progress.

Deeply rooted in the region it serves, Rubicon offers extensive outreach programs, including daytime matinees for high school students, after-school and weekend programs for at-risk youth, and summer musical theatre, drama and technical camps. More than 48,000 students have benefited.

A board of directors of prominent social and civic leaders governs Rubicon under the leadership of DOUG HALTER. The company is also supported by an advisory group of regional ambassadors and a volunteer auxiliary with nearly 200 members.

For more information about Rubicon Theatre Company, or to purchase tickets, call (805) 667-2900 or go to www.rubicontheatre.org. The theatre is located at 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District.

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