Burt Bacharach's SOME LOVERS Premieres at San Diego's Old Globe Today

The Old Globe presents the World Premiere of Some Lovers, a new musical with book and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award winner Steven Sater and music by Academy and Grammy Award-winning legend Burt Bacharach. Directed by Will Frears with music supervision by Lon Hoyt and choreography by Denis Jones, Some Lovers will run through Dec. 31 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run Nov. 26 - Dec. 6. Opening night is Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

To create his first original stage musical since Promises, Promises (recently revived on Broadway), Bacharach has joined forces with Spring Awakening‘s Steven Sater to re-imagine the classic O. Henry Christmas tale "The Gift of the Magi" for today's audiences. On Christmas Eve, estranged lovers Molly and Ben are haunted by the memory of happier times, and like the unforgettable melody of a favorite song, their memories conspire to bring them together again. A timeless love story that takes place over 20 years, Some Lovers features a new score by Bacharach.

The cast of Some Lovers features Jenni Barber (Young Molly), who has appeared on New York stages in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Sam Mendes' Bridge Project, From Up Here and Cactus Flower; Jason Danieley (Ben), whose Broadway credits include Next to Normal, Curtains, Candide and The Full Monty (also West End); Michelle Duffy (Molly), who has originated roles in the World Premieres of Leap of Faith, Continental Divide, An Italian Straw Hat and Mask; and Andrew Mueller (Young Ben), who recently appeared in the world premiere of For the Boys and received a Jeff Award for his work in Big River in Chicago.

The creative team includes Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design), Jenny Mannis (Costume Design), Ben Stanton (Lighting Design), Leon Rothenberg (Sound Design), Jonathan Tunick (Orchestrator), AnnMarie Milazzo (Vocal Designer), Jim Carnahan, CSA (Casting) and Matthew Silver (Stage Manager).

Playwright Steven Sater won Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Lyrics, the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and the 2010 Olivier Award and Critic's Circle Theatre Award in London for Best New Musical for Spring Awakening. His plays include the long-running Carbondale Dreams, Perfect for You, Doll (Rosenthal Prize), Umbridge (Steppenwolf New Play Prize), A Footnote to the Iliad (New York Stage and Film), Asylum (Naked Angels) and a reconceived musical version of Shakespeare's The Tempest (London's Lyric Hammersmith). He has collaborated with Duncan Sheik on Nero (Magic Theatre, New York Stage and Film), The Nightingale (for La Jolla Playhouse, New York Stage and Film), Alice By Heart (commissioned by The National Theatre of London's Connections Festival) and the critically acclaimed album Phantom Moon (Nonesuch Records). Sater wrote the script and lyrics for Prometheus Bound with music by Serj Tankian and directed by Diane Paulus, which premiered at American Repertory Theater in March 2011. Additionally, Sater works as a pop/rock lyricist and a screenwriter (the forthcoming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake for Sony Pictures).

Composer Burt Bacharach has helped define the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. His music is as diverse as his audiences, spanning generations and continents, as he is celebrated as a pop culture icon and one of the world's greatest contemporary composers. Bacharach's credits read like the world's favorite radio station's playlist: "Alfie," "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," "Close to You," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "I Say a Little Prayer," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "The Look of Love," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "This Guy's in Love with You," "Walk on By," "What the World Needs Now is Love," "Wishin' and Hopin'" and "That's What Friends Are For" are among a few of his 48 Top 10 hits, nine #1 songs, more than 500 compositions and a landmark 50+ year run on the charts. He is the recipient of the 2011 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress, following previous winners Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. A recipient of three Academy Awards and eight Grammy Awards (including the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award and 1997 Trustees Award with collaborator Hal David), Bacharach's music continues to set industry records and creative standards. Bacharach's music is always nearby, from helping non-profits raise funds ("That's What Friends Are For") to Broadway (Promises, Promises), movies (soundtracks for everything from Austin Powers to Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Fatal Attraction), scores of new albums and singles each year. His newest CD, When Ronan Met Burt, adds to his list of CDs impacting the international charts.

Director Will Frears has directed the films Coach, All Saints Day (Winner of Best Narrative Short at the Savannah Film Festival) and Beloved. His Off Broadway credits include Year Zero (Second Stage Theatre Uptown), Still Life (MCC Theater), Rainbow Kiss (The Play Company), The Water's Edge (Second Stage Theatre), Pen (Playwrights Horizons), Terrorism (The New Group/The Play Company), Omnium Gatherum (Variety Arts Center), Where We're Born and God Hates the Irish (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Get What You Need (Atlantic 453) and Kid-Simple (Summer Play Festival). His regional credits include Romeo and Juliet, Bus Stop, The Water's Edge and A Servant of Two Masters (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Pillowman (George Street Playhouse), Hay Fever and The Price (CENTERSTAGE), Sleuth (Bay Street Theatre), Our Lady of 121st Street (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) and Omnium Gatherum (Actors Theatre of Louisville). He served as Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret from 1999 to 2000. He is a recipient of the Boris Sagal and Bill Foeller Directing Fellowships and a contributor to The Paris Review, New York Magazine and The London Review of Books. He serves on the faculty at Sarah Lawrence College.

TICKETS to Some Lovers can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances at the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre begin on Nov. 26 and continue through Dec. 31. Ticket prices start at $35. Performance times: Previews: Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2 at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. There is a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, Dec. 21 and Friday, Dec. 23 and 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. performances on Monday, Dec. 26. There are no evening performances on Saturdays Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, and there are no performances on Christmas (Dec. 25). Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors and groups of 10 or more.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for 75 years. Under the direction of Executive Producer Louis G. Spisto, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, which are both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.

To post a comment, you must register and login.