News and Views from Musical Theatre International

Outside the MTI offices, the wind is getting colder, the air is getting crisper, and the leaves are getting more and more colorful.  It’s undeniable: Halloween is fast approaching.  Need a recommendation on which cast recording to play while carving Jack-o-Lanterns, curling up in your favorite armchair with a mug of hot cider, or handing out fun size candy bars to a slew of goblins and ghouls?  Here are a few MTI shows guaranteed to add to the chill in the air-or to help keep you warm by the fire.

CAPTAIN LOUIE

With Stephen Schwartz’s success writing for witches in WICKED, it’s no surprise that he’d be responsible for what must be the epitome of Halloween shows.  Interestingly enough, CAPTAIN LOUIE, with a book by Anthony Stein, doesn’t have a single witch, Munchkin, or talking animal.  What it does have is a lonely little boy named Louie, who is spending his first Halloween in a new neighborhood-without his friends.  Nervous about Trick-Or-Treating with classmates who could at best ignore him and at worse make fun of him, Louie uses the power of imagination to escape back to his old neighborhood.  After a memorable night of Trick-Or-Treating, Louie realizes that maybe making new friends isn’t as scary as it seems.

For more information or to license CAPTAIN LOUIE, check out its MTI show page. To discuss CAPTAIN LOUIE, visit its MTI ShowSpace page.

ANNABELLE BROOM, THE UNHAPPY WITCH

art by Takako Takahashi

Witches are ugly, mean-hearted creatures-right?  Not according to Annabelle Broom.  More interested in being fashionable than frightening, Annabelle bemoans her outdated black witch’s clothes and her failing grades in her witch classes.  Can’t she just wear pink and figure out how to keep her skin healthy instead of learning how to be cruel to people?  The head of the witches’ union thinks otherwise.  She orders Annabelle to scare two lost children.  But despite Annabelle’s efforts to be mean, she agrees to help the children find their way home.  When the witches’ union hears of this, they rush to destroy Annabelle before her good deeds take away their powers.  Antics ensue as Annabelle, the witches’ union, and the lost children discover the truth about witches-and the consequences of good deeds.

For more information or to license ANNABELLE BROOM, THE UNHAPPY WITCH, visit its MTI show page. To discuss the show, visit its MTI ShowSpace page.

SWEENEY TODD

2005 Broadway revival cast of SWEENEY TODD, starring two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone--from playbill.com

What’s Halloween without judicial corruption, revenge killings, and delicious baked goods?  Celebrate this creepiest of  seasons with composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and bookwriter Hugh Wheeler (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC) as they tell the tale of a barber unable to contain his rage in Victorian England.  It’s been more than a decade since Sweeney Todd had been unjustly sent to Botany Bay, and he can’t wait to see the wife and baby girl he left behind.  When he discovers the judge who imprisoned him had also driven his wife to commit suicide and took his daughter to raise as his own, Sweeney swears revenge.  He sets up shop as a barber again, and with the help of the lovesick and derranged Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney begins to find vengence in the baking of piping hot meat pies…complete with a special ingredient.   Wheeler’s suspense-filled book and Sondheim’s complex and epic score are gaurenteed to chill even the most jaded horror fans.

For more information and to license SWEENEY TODD, check out its MTI show page. To discuss this show, visit the SWEENEY TODD MTI ShowSpace page.

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from broadwayworld.com

“Knowing Frank Loesser was a rare and rewarding experience for many reasons,” writer Cynthia Lindsay explains, “but the most important was that no matter who and what you were, he made you better.  Whether it was your talent, your humor, your confidence in yourself, you came away from him more creative, funnier, more perceptive about yourself, and lighter in spirit; a prettier woman, a stronger man–in fact, crazy about yourself, because he made you the best of what you were.”

Writing a classic Broadway musical is hard enough.  Composer, lyricist, and bookwriter Frank Loesser did so not just once with GUYS & DOLLS, but again with THE MOST HAPPY FELLA–and again with HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING.  Loesser’s work earned him four Tony Awards, a Pulitzer, a Grammy, an Academy Award, and an iconic place in American musical theatre history.  More than a catchy songwriter, Loesser has beautifully captured the human experience since the mid-20th century, and his music and words touch audience’s, minds, hearts, and funny bones to this day.

Brian Stokes Mitchell, Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Paul McCartney, and Audra McDonald--from broadwayworld.com

June 29, 2010 marks the 100th birthday of this musical theatre legend, but MTI kicked-off the Frank Loesser centennial year festivities a little early by supporting a glorious night of song at The Actors Fund’s Chance and Chemistry: A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser. The evening took place on Monday, October 26at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.  The event was co-chaired by Sir Paul McCartney and performers included Tony Award winners Hugh Jackman, Audra McDonald, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

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With Halloween right around the corner, there’s no better time to announce MTI’s newest acquisition: THE TOXIC AVENGER.  Currently running off-Broadway, THE TOXIC AVENGER is a delightfully campy romp through a callously polluted New Jersey, complete with an ’80s rock score written by David Bryan of Bon Jovi.  Joe DiPietro’s (I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE) book is rife with the requisite Jersey jokes, and he and Bryan collaborated on lyrics that capture the outlandish nature of the original cult film. The duo of Bryan and DiPietro is also represented on Broadway with the recently opened MEMPHIS.

THE TOXIC AVENGER introduces the world to New Jersey’s first superhero. When his beloved Sarah, a blind librarian, tells himthat their mayor is allowing The Good Earth Company to pollute their town, MelvinFerd the Third is determined to clean things up himself.  Unfortunately, the mayor’s henchmen throw Melvin into a vat of radioactive substance, transforming him into the superhuman Toxic Avenger.  Armed with his new superpowers, Melvin takes cleaning up New Jersey to a whole other level.

Filled with wacky humor in the spirit of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and URINETOWN, THE TOXIC AVENGER is a hilarious and offbeat choice for any theatre looking for something new.

Nick Cordero and Diana DeGarmo star in Off-Broadway's THE TOXIC AVENGER

THE TOXIC AVENGER’s official website has tons of cool interactive features, games and fun stuff about this irreverantly hip show. THE TOXIC AVENGER is not yet available for licensing, but click here to sign up for Fast-Track, and be amongst the first notified once THE TOXIC AVENGER is fully released!

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 in Guam

School’s back in session, but summer has just begun for the characters in DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 JR!

MTI is delighted to announce that the rights for the second installment of Disney’s international phenomenon are now fully-available.  Middle-schoolers across the country — and around the world — can now take part in the summer adventures of Gabriella, Troy, Sharpay, and their fellow Wildcats.  Bubbling with enthusiasm and an irresistible pop score, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 JR is a perfect addition to any middle school theatre department or youth theatre program.

Based loosely on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 JR takes the Wildcats out of the classroom and into the kitchen as they find summer employment at the Lava Springs Country Club–owned by Sharpay’s family.  Determined to win Troy from Gabriella, Sharpay uses her position to promote him to assistant golf pro, giving him honorary membership…and plenty of time with Sharpay.  While Gabriella is hard at work cleaning the kitchen, Sharpay pressures Troy to sing with her at the talent show in exchange for a college scholarship from her father.  This arrangement does not sit well with Sharpay’s brother Ryan.  Will Troy and Gabriella see through Sharpay’s attempts to split them up, or will jealousy be their undoing?

For more information or to license DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 JR, check out MTI’s showpage. To discuss this article or to share your thoughts about the show, visit DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2, JR MTI ShowSpace page.

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Attending a conference is a great way to share ideas and learn valuable marketing, budgeting, and programming strategies.

Something special is happening at University of Wisconsin-Madison.  On November 22-24, the campus will host the National Community Theatre Directors Conference, where those working full-time in community theatres across the country can see for themselves that theatre transcends geographic boundaries.  Guided by Facilitator John Viars, who has been the Executive Director of the Des Moines Playhouse for 27 years, participants will discuss topics specific to community theatres, including marketing and fundraising strategies, outreach programs, and selecting a season.  The conference is also a valuable networking opportunity, as participants can share experiences and ideas.

Miranda McClenaghan, the director of the conference, adds that “people cite many reasons for attending…one attendee actually said that he figured out that the National Managing Director’s Conference has saved his theatre $50,000 over the past 10 years because of the ideas and connections he has made through attending.”  Cost-saving ideas are especially meaningful in this economic climate, and McClenaghan assures that the conference will reflect that.  “This year we are paying close attention to the economy and what strategies other theatres have adopted in order to maintain financial health during this tough economic time,” she explains.

Budgeting advice isn’t the only reason to attend this year’s conference.  According to McClenaghan, attendees will also:

• Learn they are not alone in addressing the everyday challenges of running a theatre, no matter what size of budget they are managing
• Pose specific questions and hear how others have handled similar situations in the past
• Receive a list of productions that were successful and those that were “a bust” as the group constructs the “Hits and Misses of 2007 - 2009
• Develop a support network that stays in contact through list serves in between the conferences
• Leave with electronic versions of administrative material used by other theatre companies (marketing materials, budget outlines, board policies, staff handbooks, and much more!)

UW-Madison's gorgeous campus

For more information and to register for the National Community Theatre Directors Conference, click here.

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Australia Gets DIRTY ROTTEN

Matt Hetherington declares his desire for "Great Big Stuff" in The Production Company's DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

Con men Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson may be the scourge of the French Riviera, but in Australia, their antics are met with thunderous applause.  The Production Company has ended their season with the David Yazbek (THE FULL MONTY)/Jeffrey Lane Broadway musical DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS.  The Production Company’s cast includes Bille Brown as Lawrence, Matt Hetherington as Freddy, and Amy Lehpamer as Christine Colgate, their target.  DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS has received rave reviews, particularly from the Sunday Herald Sun, which attributes the show with “an infectious sense of fun” and “witty and risqué” dialogue.

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is based on the 1988 film centering on Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson, two con artists whose paths cross in the French Riviera.  When they become too competitive to work together, however, Lawrence and Freddy decide on a bet to determine who should stay and who should leave.  As each embarks on his plan to con fifty thousand dollars out of a newly-arrived American heiress, they battle for control of not just the con, but of the show itself.  But in the end, Lawrence and Freddy discover that the person who’s truly controlling the con is someone they least expect.  Recently made available to license, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is a joy for actors, designers, and audiences

The Production Company’s DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS ended its limited run on October 4.

For more information about The Production Company’s DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, check out the production’s website. To license DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, visit its MTI show page. Discuss this and any other production of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS on its MTI ShowSpace page.

Attending The Tale In Oklahoma

Angela Landsbury and Len Cariou as the original killer couple

Oklahoma, meanwhile, is experiencing a different kind of con.  From October 22 to November 1, The Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma begins its performances of SWEENEY TODD, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Tony Award-winning dark comedy.  1997 Tony nominee Emily Skinner (SIDE SHOW, THE FULL MONTY) stars as the down-on-her-luck Mrs. Lovett, with former SIDE SHOW castmate Jeff McCarthy as the brooding, bloodthirsty Sweeney.

The creative team behind A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Sondheim and Wheeler won eight Tonys for SWEENEY TODD, including Best Book, Best Original Score, and Best Musical.  The show is an adaptation of the 1973 Christopher Bond play about a wrongfully exiled Victorian era barber.  After more than a decade doing time in Australia, Sweeney Todd is back in London and eager to inflict revenge on Judge Turpin, who is directly responsible for his wife’s death and is now raising Sweeney’s teenage daughter, Johanna, as his own.  With the help of his neighbor, Mrs. Lovett–whose love for the barber has only grown in the intervening years–Sweeney’s quest for revenge turns deadly…yet disturbingly delicious.

For more information on The Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s production of SWEENEY TODD, check out  The Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s website. To license SWEENEY TODD, visit its MTI show page. Share your thoughts on this or any production of SWEENEY TODD on the show’s MTI ShowSpace page.

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Audience-favorite AVENUE Q has just reopened Off-Broadway, and we  - and the critics — couldn’t be happier! The show is as fresh and delightful as ever in its new, more intimate venue. And as Ben Brantley’s new review indicates, that special feeling of hopelessness and joblessness among young college graduates may be more current than ever as national unemployment numbers continue to climb. What do you do with a BA in English, indeed?

Theater Review - ‘Avenue Q’ - At New World Stages - Racy, Feisty and Pulling Heartstrings - NYTimes.com.

“They may have no legs of their own, but darned if those fuzzy creatures aren’t still standing, long after more full-bodied competition has bitten the dust……Watching them bring new shadings to the art of blurring the boundaries between cloth and flesh is a pleasure, as their characters wrestle with issues of sex, love, commitment and time passing. Though I don’t belong to the same generation as these figures, I felt a reassuring sense of homecoming when I once again saw Anna Louizos’s cartoon urban streetscape.”

For more on AVENUE Q and tickets for its new Off-Broadway venue click here.

AVENUE Q isn’t available to license yet, but to be among the first to know when MTI releases AVENUE Q, sign up for Fast-Track here.

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When it comes to musical theatre, the words are only half the story.  Music-from huge ensemble numbers to the underscoring of a scene-is essential in revealing subtext, exploring other dimensions of a character, providing a scene with its own rhythm or momentum, and giving life to lyrics that are meant to be heard, not read flat on a page.  Consequently, it’s just as important to consider the score of a show as well as its script when deciding on your next production.

But what if the show’s cast album is difficult to find or out of print?  What if you’re stuck with the album of the original version of a show, when you want to do the Junior or Kids version?  Or what if the show was never recorded at all?

MTI has the solution: a catalogue of Reference Recordings.  For a shipping and handling fee of $20, you can rent a CD of almost every MTI show.  Ranging from commercially available Original Broadway Cast Albums to demo recordings made by the authors themselves, a Reference Recording can turn that show you might like to do someday into the show you absolutely have to do now.

In keeping with its dedication to the next generation of theatre artists and fans, MTI has created Reference Recordings specifically for School Edition, Broadway Junior, and Kids Collection titles.  School Edition Reference Recordings-available for the School Editions of RENT, SWEENEY TODD, and AIDA, amongst others-are studio recordings of high school casts.  Broadway Junior and Kids Collection Reference Recordings go even further.  Like School Edition Recordings, Broadway Junior and Kids Collection Reference Recordings are studio recordings of middle or elementary school casts.  These unique recordings can introduce you to an unfamiliar Kids Collection title and demonstrate that sixteen year-olds really can tackle Sondheim.

The next time you’re deciding on a production, simply turn to the MTI Reference Recording Catalogue and let the shows speak for themselves.

Click here for more information about Reference Recordings.

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Among the many casualties of Hurricane Katrina was the 100 year old St. Mark’s Community Center.  But for writer and actor James Lecesne, losing a place of belonging and support-right when the people of New Orleans would need it the most-was unacceptable.  Currently playing in New York, the film After The Storm documents how Lecesne set out to save St. Mark’s with a student production of the Lynne Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty TONY nominated musical, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. To learn more about this moving testament of theatre’s capacity to heal, check out this New York Times review and this one in the Hollywood Reporter.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube DirektAfter The Storm trailer

For more information and to license ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, visit its MTI ShowSpace page. Discuss After The Storm or share your thoughts on ONCE ON THIS ISLAND on its MTI ShowSpace page. To find out more about this movie, and how you can help, visit the After The Storm Foundation.

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Justin Paul and Benj Pasek

On Monday, October 5, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in New York will host its inaugural Music Theatre Intitiative Songwriter Showcase and will feature MTI Authors Benj Pasek and Justin Paul performing excerpts from their new work DOGFIGHT, which has just been commissioned by Lincoln Center Theatre. Performers on Monday night’s event will include Leslie Kritzer, Karen Mason, Charlie Brady, Noah Weisberg and Zak Resnick. Tickets and more here.

Pasek and Paul met as Freshmen at the University of Michigan, and at age 21 became the youngest ever recipients of the Jonathan Larson Award. Their musical revue EDGES (available through MTI) has been performed numerous times at various professional theatres and colleges throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

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Poster for the FAME movie remake

For nearly 30 years, “Fame” has been inspiring burgeoning performers in their quest to make it in showbiz. As proof that Fame really does live forever, MGM studios is releasing a brand new film version set to hit theaters this Friday, September 25^th.  The release of the movie comes as students around the country head back to school in order to develop their talents and pursue their dreams.

And as this next generation of aspiring artists embraces Fame, it’s a great opportunity to look at the impact the title has made all over the world.

Poster from the original FAME movie

Before Fame became a pop cultural icon, it was just an idea thought up by one man, David DeSilva.  Known by his nickname, “Father Fame”, [click to continue…]

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Beloved composer, Frank Loesser created two of Broadway’s most enduring musicals, GUYS AND DOLLS and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. But Loesser contrasts the wry, urban sensibility of these shows with homespun tenderness in his 1960 musical GREENWILLOW, the hidden gem in his immense body of work.

GREENWILLOW is a wistful, dreamlike musical with a lush and romantic score. It tells a magical story about  restlessness, adventure, magic, and the pleasures of small town living. In 2010, as we celebrate the centennial of Frank Loesser’s birth, MTI is proud to re-release GREENWILLOW for licensing and provide a chance to explore a lesser-known show by one of America’s greatest songwriters.

Frank Loesser

The story concerns Gideon Briggs, who, like his father before him, is cursed with a powerful wanderlust. For generations, the Briggs have been servants to a powerful “call to wander” that fills their souls and sends them traveling far from the ones they love. But when Gideon meets the lovely Dorrie Whitbred, he vows to overcome the “call” once and for all.

With a score brimming with beautiful melodies and a script full of captivating characters, GREENWILLOW makes for a magical American fable, a show that the Boston Globe’s Kevin Kelly declared, “one of the all-time great Broadway musicals.”

For more information or to license GREENWILLOW, click here.

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Insanity. Romance.  Secrets.  A beautiful and evocative score.   When choosing a show, MTI invites you to take a walk through the ethereal English moors with the 5-time Tony nominated Broadway musical, JANE EYRE.  Composer/lyricist Paul Gordon and bookwriter/lyricist John Caird (LES MISERABLES) have taken Charlotte Bronte’s classic 19^th century novel and turned it into a simple and intimate journey towards freedom and self-respect. [click to continue…]

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Larry Gelbart

Beloved writer (and MTI author), Larry Gelbart died September 11th, 2009 at age 81.

While Mr. Gelbart was widely known and respected for his exceptional body of work, he is also remembered for his acerbic wit, ever-present kindness, and finely-tuned understanding of the human condition.

Spanning three mediums, Gelbart’s work earned him accolades in theatre, television, and film. He’s the creative and comedic force behind the television show M.A.S.H., which earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and won two Tony Awards for Best Book for the Broadway musicals A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (co-written with Burt Shevelove) and City of Angels. [click to continue…]

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