Photos: Get a First Look at MYSTIC PIZZA at Center Repertory Company

Center Repertory Company will present Mystic Pizza, a piping hot musical based on the beloved Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer romantic comedy that starred Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, and Annabeth Gish. Adapted by Sandy Rustin with musical arrangements and orchestrations by Carmel Dean, this musical serves up a slice of nostalgia paired with hit melodies from the 1980s and 1990s.

See photos below!

Mystic Pizza weaves a heartwarming tale of friendship among three working-class girls, their delectable adventures, and the magic that unfolds within the walls of a local pizzeria in the small coastal town of Mystic, Connecticut. Direct from its West Coast Premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, director Casey Hushion and music director Kristen Stowell reprise their World Premiere roles on this production, reuniting with Broadway’s Krystina Alabado, Gianna Yanelli, and Kyra Kennedy as the trio of young women.  Mystic Pizza will perform February 15-25, 2024 at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek. For tickets ($38-$78) and more information, the public may visit LesherArtsCenter.org or call the box office at 925-943-7469 (open Wed-Sun, 12:00pm-6:00pm).
 
Packed with nostalgic hits, Mystic Pizza will bring audiences back a few decades with iconic 80s and 90s songs made famous by the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Melissa Etheridge, Wilson Phillips, The Bangles, and Huey Lewis and The News, including “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Never Gonna Give You Up,” “The Power of Love,” “True Colors,” and the era’s exuberant feminist anthem “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” By incorporating rollicking hit tunes, the female-led creative team of Hushion, Rustin, Dean, and Stowell has baked up a new powerhouse musical that transforms the beloved romantic comedy that launched Julia Roberts’ career into a vibrant celebration of women’s stories full of 80s and 90s power ballads.
 
Center REP offers Pay What You Can tickets (suggested price of $25) for the February 15 performance of Mystic Pizza, increasing access to theatre and inviting audiences to see the show at whatever price they can afford. ASL interpretation for deaf and hard of hearing patrons is offered at the 2:30 pm performance on Sunday, February 25, 2024.
 Photo credit: Jason Niedle 

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