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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: David Elzer
818-508-1754
MEDIA ALERT FOR THEATRE EDITORS AND REVIEWERS
AND CALENDAR LISTINGS
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
& MC COY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT
present the Fifth and Final Show of their 2014-2015 Season….
The “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
MARY POPPINS
Original Music & Lyrics By Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New Songs and Additional Music by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Music Direction by Dennis Castellano
Choreography Created by Dan Mojica
Directed by Glenn Casale
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT BEGINS MAY 29, 2015
AT LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS!
Practically Perfect in Every Way!
May 4, 2015...La Mirada, CA…LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE
PERFORMING ARTS & MC COY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT announce their
fifth and final show of their 2014-2015 season, MARY POPPINS, original music &
lyrics By Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, book by Julian Fellowes
new songs and additional music by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, musical
direction by Dennis Castellano, the choreography originally created by Dan Mojica
will be re-created by Dana Solimando and Kim Arnett and the production will be
directed by Glenn Casale. MARY POPPINS will preview on Friday, May 29, 2015
(with a press opening on Saturday, May 30) and run through Sunday, June 21, 2015
at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La
Mirada.
Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, MARY
POPPINS includes a score filled with timeless classics such as "Feed the Birds,"
"Jolly Holiday," "Step in Time," and the Academy Award-winning "Chim-Chim
Cher-ee." The jack-of-all-trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the
troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing
before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and
common sense, she must teach the family how to value each other again. MARY
POPPINS delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received
nominations for 9 Olivier and 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
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ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
GLENN CASALE (Director) Broadway: Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby (Tony
Award nomination Best Revival) which was filmed by A&E and garnered two
Emmy Awards. Off-Broadway: The Property Known as Garland starring Adrienne
Barbeau, and Dragapella at Studio 54 (Drama Desk nomination and Lucille Lortel
Award nomination for Best Production). Disney Theatricals and Stage
Entertainment: Glenn directed the critically Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Japan,
Moscow, Netherlands The Wiz (Netherlands) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
(Paris, France. Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Russsia, Spain , Italy) which was
named the Netherlands’ 2006 Musical of the Year and is listed in the Guinness Book
of Records as that country’s highest-grossing musical. In Hamburg, he directed the
world premiere of Ich War Noch Niemals in New York, the songs of Udo Jergens.
National tours and regional credits: Disney’s The Little Mermaid,Camelot starring
Michael York, and Lou Diamond Phillips, Dr. Dolittle; Tyne Daly and Charles
Durning in Ballroom with Tyne Daly and Charles Durning; Lanie Robertson’s
Stringbean starring Leslie Uggams; Wrestlers starring Mark Harmon and George
Clooney and Gina Hecht; Bingo! the musical by Michael Heitzman, Ilene Reid and
David Holcenberg; and Ken and Mitzi Welch’s From the Top and Company starring
Carol Burnett. For California Musical Theatre and Music Circus, Glenn has
directed some 50 productions including: Scarlet Pimpernel, Triumph of Love, 1776,
Into the Woods, Gypsy, A Little Night Music. For Reprise! Broadway’s Best he
directed Tony Danza in Fiorello!, Patrick Cassidy in The Threepenny Opera, and the
Los Angeles Ovation Award-winning Best Musical Anything Goes starring Rachel
York, Brent Barrett, Sally Struthers and Fred Willard. His television directing
credits include “The Faculty” starring Meredith Baxter and “The Wayans’
Brothers.” Glenn is the Artistic Director of the California Musical Theater,
Sacramento California.
DAN MOJICA (Choreographer) As part of the original Broadway creative team,
Mr. Mojica was associated with Disney's Broadway musical, Beauty and the Beast
(Associate Director/Associate Choreographer) for over eight years.
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In that time, he mounted, staged, and supervised all 16 companies of the show
around the world, with productions premiering in London, Tokyo, Madrid, Buenos
Aires, Mexico City, Stuttgart, Sydney, and three US National Tours.
He has directed and/or choreographed productions of Victor Victoria (1st National
Tour) w/ Toni Tennille, Singin' in the Rain (Korean premiere in Seoul), Cabaret w/
Sam Harris, Hello, Dolly! w/ Jo Anne Worley, Little Me w/ Rich Little, The Music
Man w/ John Davidson, The Music Man w/ Barry Williams, The Music Man w/
Patrick Cassidy and Shirley Jones, Singin' in the Rain w/ Andrea McArdle, Guys
and Dolls w/ Jack Jones, Camelot w/John Cullum, Michael York, Lou Diamond
Phillips, Beehive, Bye Bye Birdie, Cinderella, Dreamgirls, Damn Yankees, Fiddler on
the Roof, Chess, Footloose, La Cage aux Folles, Kiss Me Kate, The World Goes
Round, My Fair Lady, My Way, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Pirates of Penzance, The
Light in the Piazza, Hairspray, The Producers, Mary Poppins, Man of La Mancha,
RENT, Oklahoma, Enter the Guardsman w/ Jim Barbour for The Old Globe
Theatre. For REPRISE! Broadway's Best: My One and Only w/ Rachel York,
Michael Gruber, and Betty Garrett, She Loves Me w/ Rebecca Luker and Scott
Warra, Anything Goes (2003 Ovation Award / Best Musical) w/ Rachel York, Brent
Barrett, Sally Struthers, and Fred Willard, Babes in Arms w/ Jodi Benson, Joey
MacIntyre, and Ruta Lee, Zorba w/ Mark Kudisch and Judy Kaye, Pippin w/ Sam
Harris, Michael Arden, and Mimi Hines and On the Town (Ovation nominee / Best
Musical). He choreographed the opening special on The Disney Channel for the
premiere of the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the live
stage show for the Disney/Pixar film, The Incredibles at the historic El Capitan
Theatre in Hollywood, the world premiere of Flavia and the Dream Maker (Access
Theatre) based on Flavia Weedn’s popular and imaginative storybook greeting
cards, and The Great American Songbook starring Michael Feinstein at The Mark
Taper Forum in Los Angeles supporting the creative work of the Center Theatre
Group.
Mr. Mojica has staged over 23 productions for the Sacramento Music Circus, and
numerous shows for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Civic Light Opera of the
South Bay Cities, McCoy/Rigby Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and
Universal Studios Hollywood (Grinchmas, Universal's Animal Actors).
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He directed and organized the Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS benefit
launching EddieBauerKids.com, and has choreographed various numbers for Sing
Happy, the John Kander and Fred Ebb Actors' Fund benefit, The Best is Yet to
Come, the music of Cy Coleman, the 10th anniversary Help is On the Way benefit in
San Francisco. The Perfect Year, the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber for S.T.A.G.E,
and Two on the Aisle, celebrating the music of Marvin Hamlisch and Harry Warren.
He directed A Fine Romance, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Harry Connick, Jr,
for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, One From The Hart, starring Stefanie
Powers, and The Producer Guild Awards (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)for the
Producer's Guild of America. For Paramount Entertainment and Renaissance
Cruise Lines, he directed and co-conceived the musical revue Bandstand Boogie.
DENNIS CASTELLANO (Musical Director/Conductor) returns to La Mirada having
conducted past productions of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, My Fair Lady, Grease,
Annie, Guys & Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, the latter
two starring Cathy Rigby. During the summer months, Dennis musically directs for
the Sacramento Music Circus where he has conducted The Music Man, The
Producers, Funny Girl, Spamalot, Evita, Sweeney Todd, Ragtime, Crazy For You,
and La Cage aux Folles. Other credits include Cloudlands, Ordinary Days (both west
coast premieres), Putting It Together, A Little Night Music, Sunday In the Park With
George and A Christmas Carol for South Coast Repertory; Oklahoma!, Hairspray,
Thoroughly Modern Millie and The King and I for Musical Theatre West; and A
Chorus Line and Me and My Girl for Musical Theatre of Wichita. Dennis heads the
music theatre program at UC Irvine and is very proud of his students working on the
stages of Broadway and the nation’s regional theatres.
The Cast for MARY POPPINS features: Brandi Burkhardt as Mary Poppins, Leigh
Brian Wakeford as Bert, Martin Kildare as Mr. Banks, Shannon Warne as Mrs.
Banks, Time Winters as Admiral Boom/Bank Chairman, Mary Gutzi as Miss
Andrews/Mrs. Smythe/Queen Victoria, Helen Geller as the Bird Woman and (in
alphabetical order): Nick Adorno, Kim Arnett, Kat Borrelli, Brandon Burks, Kevin
Patrick Doherty, Michael Dotson, Jake DuPree, Rachel Pfeifer Green, Devon Hadsell,
Natalie McDonald, Dino Nicandros, Joël René, Brian Steven Shaw, Noa Solorio,
Momoko Sugai, Christine Tucker, Logan J. Watts and John B. Williford.
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The Design Team for MARY POPPINS is as follows: The Set Design is by J
Branson. The Lighting Design is by Jared Sayeg. The Sound Design is by Josh
Bessom. The Costume Design is by Janet Swenson. The Hair/Make-Up/Wig Design
is by Katie McCoy. The Props Designer is Terry Hanrahan. The Casting is by Julia
Flores. The Production Stage Manager is Jill Gold.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
MARY POPPINS will preview on Friday, May 29, 2015 (with a press opening on
Saturday, May 30) and run through Sunday, June 21. Performances will be 7:30pm
on Wednesdays & Thursdays; 8pm on Fridays; 2pm and 8pm on Saturdays; and
2pm on Sundays. There will be no matinee performance on Saturday, May 30.
There will be additional performances on Tuesday, June 16 at 7:30pm and Sunday
Evenings June 14 & 21 at 7pm. Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on
Wednesday, June 3 and Wednesday, June 17.
Tickets range from $20 - $70 and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre’s website,
www.lamiradatheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562)
944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Student, Senior and group discounts are available.
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La
Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue where
the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Parking is free.
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To schedule press interviews, photos, press comps or for additional information,
please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or by e-mail at
DAVIDELZER@ME.COM or visit www.demandpr.com. Photos and press
information also available at lamiradatheatre.com.
Winner of the L.A. Stage Alliance OVATION AWARD for 2012-2013 “Best Season of the
Year,” LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, now in its fourth
decade, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the best Broadway-style houses in
Southern California." This beautiful state-of-the-art theatre has been producing
quality productions for its Southern California audiences since 1977. The theatre has
produced several national tours and is the recipient of many accolades including Ovation
and Emmy Awards and Tony Award nominations. Brian Kite is the theatre’s Producing
Artistic Director. The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada,
California, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue. Parking is theatre-adjacent and
free. For further information call 562-944-9801 or visit www.lamiradatheatre.com.
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Celebrating its 21st Anniversary season at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, McCOY
RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT (MRE), is one of the world's premier theatrical production
companies. Headed by Executive Producers Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby, MRE has produced
over ninety Broadway-caliber musicals, plays, and concerts featuring some of the biggest stars
working in the industry today.
In addition, MRE has launched several Tony Award-nominated Broadway, international and
national touring productions including: Peter Pan, Seussical the Musical, and Annie Get Your
Gun, all starring Cathy Rigby; Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll and Hyde starring American Idol star
and Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis along with Grammy Award nominee and
R&B superstar Deborah Cox; Jesus Christ Superstar starring Carl Anderson and Sebastian
Bach; Camelot starring Michael York and Lou Diamond Phillips and Happy Days written by
Gary Marshall and Paul Williams. Since 1990, Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby has made four
stops on Broadway, four Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and
Best Actress in a Musical. The A&E TV network premiere of “Peter Pan,” starring Cathy
Rigby, received one Emmy Award and four Emmy Award nominations. MRE’s other credits
include numerous award-winning documentaries and stadium events.
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Calendar Listing:
MARY POPPINS
Original Music & Lyrics By Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New Songs and Additional Music by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Music Direction by Dennis Castellano
Original Choreography created by Dan Mojica
(re-created by Dana Solimando and Kim Arnett)
Directed by Glenn Casale
OPENS SATURDAY, MAY 30 THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 21!
PREVIEW: Friday, May 29 at 8pm
PERFORMANCES: Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays at 8pm;
Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm; Sundays at 2pm.
There will be additional performances on Tuesday, June 16 at 7:30pm
and Sunday Evenings June 14 & 21 at 7pm.
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada, CA 90638.
Free, ample lot parking.
Tickets range from $20 - $70
For tickets, please call (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310 or buy online at
www.lamiradatheatre.com. Student, Senior and group discounts are available.