'WOMEN ON THE VERGE', HONEYMOON IN VEGAS Highlight Musical Theatre Guild's 22nd Season

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, has announced an exciting quartet of shows, all based on acclaimed films, to celebrate its twenty-second season of Broadway in Concert musicals. The MTG 2017-2018 season includes: SUGAR, WOMEN OF THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, HIGH SOCIETY and HONEYMOON IN VEGAS.

For over two decades the group has presented a wide variety of rarely seen musicals including West Coast and Los Angeles premieres from such composers as Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Maury Yeston and Aherns and Flaherty. In addition to their concert series, MTG, in partnership with the Los Angeles Music Center's Education Division, expands their mission of preserving the genre of Musical Theatre by presenting in-school programming to teach a new generation about this original American art form.

The actors who make up the Musical Theatre Guild company consist of some of the finest professional musical theatre talent in southern California. Among them they share over 60 Broadway shows, 79 Broadway National tours and dozens of Tony©, Ovation and Drama Desk Award nominations. Just this week MTG alumni member, Stephanie J. Block, was nominated for her second Tony© Award.

Says Elisa Glickman, CEO of Glendale Arts, where MTG is a resident company at the Alex Theatre: "When MTG pairs some of LA's most talented musical theatre performers with some the industry's most popular and/or unknown shows, what you get is pure magic on stage. Couple this with their extraordinary educational programming and its a win/win for the Alex and the Glendale Community."

Season tickets will be available online in late June and single tickets in July through both the MTG website and the Alex Theatre Box Office or by calling 818-243-2539 or 310-772-8178. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd. in Glendale, CA. More information about Musical Theatre Guild can be found at www.musicaltheatreguild.com.

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THE MUSICAL Theatre Guild 2017-2018 SEASON:

SUGAR

Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Bob Merrill, Book by Peter Stone

Based on the screenplay Some Like it Hot by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond

In 1959 Lemmon, Curtis and Monroe lit up the silver screen in Billy Wilder's classic film Some Like It Hot. In 197 theatre creative giants Styne, Merrill and Stone transformed the property into a new musical titled SUGAR. Set in prohibition era Chicago and Miami, SUGAR tells the story of two unemployed musicians, Joe and Jerry, who after witnessing a mob murder, go undercover as women and join an all-female band. Complications ensue when Joe (now Josephine) falls for the beautiful band singer, Sugar Kane.

Produced by David Merrick and directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, SUGAR premiered in 1972 starring Robert Morse, Tony Roberts, Elaine Joyce and Cyril Richard. It ran for 505 performances and was nominated for four Tony© Awards. In 2002 a revised version, under the title SOME LIKE IT HOT, was mounted as a national tour and featured the original film's star, Tony Curtis.

Sunday, September 24, 2017 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek, Book by Jeffrey Lane

Based on the 1988 Pedro Almodóvar film of the same

Preserving the unusual and exhilarating tone of Pedro Almodóvar's 1988 Academy© Award nominated film, this sizzling musical by the creators of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion.

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN opened on Broadway in 2010 starring Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Laura Benati. Although the production was scheduled for a limited engagement, due to low grosses and ticket sales, it closed early - playing just 30 previews and 69 regular performances.

Sunday, November 12, 2017 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

HIGH SOCIETY

Music and Lyrics by Cole Poter, Book by Arthur Kopit

Based on Philip Barry's 1939 stage comedy The Philadelphia Story and subsequent 1956 musical film adaptation, High Society

Grace Kelly, Bring Crosby and Frank Sinatra starred in the 1956 musical film adaption of Barry's sparkling stage play The Philadelphia Story. The plot centers on pretentious socialite, Tracy Samantha Lord, who is planning to wed an equally pretentious executive when her ex-husband arrives to disrupt the proceedings. The musical includes most of the music featured in the 1956 movie, including the classics "True Love" and "Well, Did You Evah?" along with several songs selected from other Porter musicals.

HIGH SOCIETY premiered in 1997 at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre in an out-of-town tryout and opened at Broadway's St. James Theatre in 1998 playing 144 performances. The show was nominated for two Tony© Awards and starred Melissa Errico, John McMartin and a 12-year-old Anna Kendrick.

Sunday, February 25, 2018 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS

Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, Book by Andrew Bergman

Based on Bergman's 1992 film of the same name

Based on the hit 1992 movie that starred Nicholas Cage, James Caan and Sarah Jessica Parker, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS features a score by Tony© winner Jason Robert Brown. It is a non-stop laugh riot of unusual love triangles and Elvis impersonators. Jack and Betsy are in love but Jack was so devoted to his Mom that he made her a deathbed promise to never get married. Betsy tells Jack that she can't wait indefinitely for him to deal with his issues and convinces him to run off to Vegas for a quick wedding. Soon after arriving, Jack gets cold feet and manages to lose big time at gambling. Enter smooth-talking gambler, Tommy Loman, who (after seeing that Betsy resembles his dearly departed wife) agrees to forgive the huge debt - IF Jack's bride-to-be will accompany him on a trip to Hawaii.

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS premiered in 2013 at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, starring Tony Danza, Rob McClure and Brynn O'Malley. It subsequently opened at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre in 2015 with the same principal cast. Despite generally positive reviews, the show closed after playing only 93 performances.

Sunday, May 6, 2018 - 7:00 PM - Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA

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