THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS (THE MUSICAL!) to Play Olathe Civic Theatre Association

Olathe Civic Theatre Association (OCTA) will present The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) February 13-March 1. It is the third production in OCTA's 2014-15 "40th Anniversary Year" line up.

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) premiered off-Broadway in 2003, and delivers a satire of musical theatre structured into five acts. Each act is the same "heroine in distress" story done as a short musical that pays homage to the style of a specific American or British musical theatre composer/lyricist team. One story becomes five musicals, each written in the distinctive style of masters like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

OCTA's production of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is directed by Nino Casisi with musical direction by Tim Braselton. This marks Casisi's third time directing at OCTA, with past shows including Christmas Belles and The Great American Trailer Park Musical.

Casisi says he likes directing at OCTA because of the intimate space which allows audiences to feel like part of the show.

"I chose Musical of Musicals because I love theatre that pokes fun of (pays homage to) theatre. Musical of Musicals... is written so well that you will hear bits and pieces of your favorite musical numbers then a drastic turn in music to a new piece with the same music," he said.

"Poking fun at the different styles of the five featured composers, this show created a challenge to find all of the connections within music and lyrics. Our music director Tim Braselton was an important part of that process. He can listen to a piece in the show and know exactly what the composers were 'stealing' from.

"I sincerely hope audiences come away with an appreciation of the hard work that was put into this show, particularly the intricate weaving of the different shows the composers achieved. You need a good ear to get all the references, but you only need ears to appreciate the show," Casisi said.

The cast of Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) includes Rachel Adcock, Charlotte Gilman, Joell Ramsdell, Ruth Bigus, Tracy Fox, Jay Coombes and Eli Biesemeyer, with Stage Manager Larry Bigus and Tim Braselton on piano.

The show runs for three weekends on February 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, and March 1 with Friday and Saturday night performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets and more information are available at olathetheatre.org or reservations may be made by calling 913-782-2990.

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