La Jolla's SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES Closes 8/28

La Jolla Playhouse's Sleeping Beauty Wakes, book by Tony Award-winning librettist Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), with a score by composer Brendan Milburn and lyricist Valerie Vigoda, both of the acclaimed trio GrooveLily (Striking 12, Long Story Short), and directed by Rebecca Taichman, will close on August 28.

A co-production with Princeton's McCarter Theatre Center, Sleeping Beauty Wakes has been extended through August 28, 2011 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre. Tickets are available at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or by calling (858) 550-1010. Sleeping Beauty Wakes is sponsored by U.S. Bank and ResMed Inc.

"The audience's enthusiasm for Sleeping Beauty Wakes has been tremendous," said Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. "This is a terrific show for all ages, but it's especially gratifying to see how it resonates with teens - I haven't seen this kind of response to a delightful 'girl-power' production since Wicked!"

In Sleeping Beauty Wakes, a young woman is brought to a sleep disorder clinic, and soon all the patients find themselves sharing a familiar dream. The show reunites two members of the acclaimed rock trio GrooveLily - Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda - with Tony Award-winning librettist Rachel Sheinkin, who last collaborated on the inventive holiday tale Striking 12. With beguiling characters, hypnotic lyrics, and a rocking score, Sleeping Beauty Wakes delves into the magical space between dreaming and waking in this delightful adaptation of a classic tale.

The cast features Aspen Vincent ("Rose"), who grew up in San Diego, performing with Starlight Musical Theater, Christian Youth Theater and Christian Community Theater. A veteran of both the stage and recording studio, Ms. Vincent has played arenas across the globe as Meat Loaf's duet partner on several world tours. Her stage credits include Broadway's American Idiot, the first national tour of Dirty Dancing as well as regional productions of West Side Story (Maria), Grease (Sandy), Once Upon a Mattress (Winifred) and Little Women (Jo March).

The full cast includes Adinah Alexander (Broadway's Wicked, The Wedding Singer) as "Hadara," Jimmy Ray Bennett (Off-Broadway's The Nuclear Family; Sundance Film Channel's The Extended Family) as "Leon," Steve Judkins (West End's Notre Dame De Paris and The Full Monty) as "Murray," Kecia Lewis-Evans (Broadway's Chicago, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ain't Misbehavin', Dreamgirls) as "Doctor," Carrie Manolakos as "Cheryl," Bryce Ryness (Broadway revival of HAIR - Drama Desk Award nomination) as "Orderly" and Tony Award nominee Bob Stillman (Broadway's Grey Gardens, Dirty Blonde) as "King."

The creative team includes: Rachel Sheinkin, book; Brendan Milburn, music; Valerie Vigoda, lyrics; Rebecca Taichman, director; James Sampliner, music director/orchestrations; Doug Varone, choreographer; Riccardo Hernandez (Playhouse's The Miser, Beauty, Cloud Tectonics), set designer; Miranda Hoffman, costume designer; Christopher Akerlind (Playhouse's Herringbone, Carmen, The Country), lighting designer; Leon Rothenberg (Playhouse's Herringbone), sound designer; Peter Nigrini (Playhouse's Notes from Underground), projection designer.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. The Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is considered one of the most well-respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including the currently running, Tony Award-winning musicals Memphis and Jersey Boys, as well as Big River, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Farnsworth Invention and 33 Variations. Located on the UC San Diego campus, La Jolla Playhouse is made up of three primary performance spaces: the Mandell Weiss Theatre, the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse, a state-of-the-Art Theatre complex which features the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. La Jolla Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.