Dennis Castellano News

Musical Theatre West's 2018-2019 season opens with the regional theatre premiere of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's bluegrass musical Bright Star at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, October 19 - November 4. Tickets are now on sale at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856-1999 ext. 4, or at the Musical Theatre West ticket office. Tickets start at $20 for select evening performances.

The final show in the critically acclaimed 2018 Broadway At Music Circus season is the series premiere of the hit musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, which features a cast of Broadway veterans and is based on the campy 1960s cult horror film.

Go behind the scenes of the production below as performers Jared Gertner and Sarah Litzsinger take over our Instagram account to show you what it takes to put on the show, twice!

Go behind the scenes of the production today as performers Jared Gertner and Sarah Litzsinger take over our Instagram account today to show you what it takes to put on the show, twice!

The final show in the critically acclaimed 2018 Broadway At Music Circus season is the series premiere of the hit musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, which features a cast of Broadway veterans and is based on the campy 1960s cult horror film. Check out photos of the cast in action below!

The final show in the critically acclaimed 2018 Broadway At Music Circus season is the series premiere of the hit musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, which features a cast of Broadway veterans and is based on the campy 1960s cult horror film. Check out photos of the cast in action below!

The final show in the critically acclaimed 2018 Broadway At Music Circus season is the series premiere of the hit musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, which features a cast of Broadway veterans and is based on the campy 1960s cult horror film. The show's music, by master composer Alan Menken (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Aladdin), is in the style of 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, and includes several well-known tunes such as "Suddenly Seymour," "Somewhere That's Green" and the title song. The plot follows nerdy floral shop worker Seymour, who would do or give anything to gain the love of his co-worker Audrey. The depth of his desire is tested when a strange and menacing addition to his floral shop brings him sudden and unexpected popularity. Performances of Little Shop of Horrors are Tuesday, August 21 through Sunday, August 26 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

Following a critically acclaimed, sold out run of Singin' in the Rain, the 2018 Broadway At Music Circus season continues with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, a show Broadway World called a 'daring, dazzling choreographic extravaganza.' With iconic choreography and a Tony®-nominated score, this rollicking musical based on the beloved MGM film features a crafty and assertive young bride living in the 1850s Oregon wilderness. She attempts to civilize and marry off her six rowdy brothers-in-law, but her plan goes comically wrong. Featuring high-kicking dance numbers, heartfelt romance and soaring songs. Performances of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers are Tuesday, June 26 through Sunday, July 1 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

Following a critically acclaimed, sold out run of Singin' in the Rain, the 2018 Broadway At Music Circus season continues with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, a show Broadway World called a "daring, dazzling choreographic extravaganza." With iconic choreography and a Tony®-nominated score, this rollicking musical based on the beloved MGM film features a crafty and assertive young bride living in the 1850s Oregon wilderness. She attempts to civilize and marry off her six rowdy brothers-in-law, but her plan goes comically wrong. Featuring high-kicking dance numbers, heartfelt romance and soaring songs. Performances of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers are Tuesday, June 26 through Sunday, July 1 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

After auditioning performers in New York City, Los Angeles and Sacramento, Broadway Sacramento has confirmed casting for the six shows in the 68th Broadway At Music Circus season. The casts include a number of Broadway veterans-some of whom are making their Broadway At Music Circus debuts-and audience favorites from previous Broadway At Music Circus productions.

The full cast for The 5th Avenue Theatre's spectacular new production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which stars Deaf actorJoshua Castille as Quasimodo, has been announced. Castille will use American Sign Language (ASL) throughout his performance, bringing new life and perspective to Quasimodo, who is deaf in the novel by Victor Hugo.

Once in a while, you come across a stage show that, on paper, may not have had the buzz that other high-profile shows may have had initially, but then you see it … and it just completely surprises you in the best possible way. That pretty much sums up my recent experience with the oh-so delightful NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, Musical Theatre West's buoyant and sublime new regional production of the 10-time Tony Award-nominated 2012 musical comedy now on stage at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach, CA through April 22. An irresistibly silly and infectiously tuneful stage show that will have you smiling from start to finish, this roaring 20's throwback with modern sensibilities provides lots of zany antics, lots of witty one-liners, and lots of spectacular song-and-dance showstoppers that will have you wondering---where has this show been all my life?

The Gershwins' Nice Work If You Can Get It is such a smooth entertainment and a joy to watch where and whenever it plays...if the director and cast are top notch and up to a myriad of challenges. You cannot pull off farcical material unless actors are atuned to split timing and can sing and dance up a storm. You must have triple threat performers. No problem at MTW, whose 'S'Wonderful' production keeps the audience consistently applauding for more. Dependably resourceful director Larry Raben, splendid choreographer Peggy Hickey and a stellar ensemble create real 'Fascinating Rhythm' through April 22.   

What do you get when you mix a cocktail of 21 Gershwin gems, madcap comedy, and show-stopping dance numbers?  It's Musical Theatre West's (MTW) production of Broadway's 10-Time Tony nominated musical Nice Work If You Can Get It, coming to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center April 6-22. 

Some of the most-recognized phrases in the English language come from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: Bah!, Humbug! and God bless us, everyone. South Coast Repertory's annual production of the Dickens classic returns for its 38th year; performances run Nov. 24-Dec. 24 on the Segerstrom Stage. Hal Landon Jr. returns as Scrooge and John-David Keller directs both for their 38th consecutive year. Tickets are now on sale at scr.org.

This holiday season's weather report forecasts SNOW! Start with a timeless tale of joy and goodwill, fill it with classic Irving Berlin songs, and top it off with glorious dancing and you have Irving Berlin's White Christmas, coming to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center December 1-10! Tickets are now on sale at the Musical Theatre West Ticket Office, at www.musical.org, or by calling (562) 856-1999 ext. 4. Tickets start at $20.

Some of the most-recognized phrases in the English language come from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: Bah!, Humbug! and God bless us, everyone. South Coast Repertory's annual production of the Dickens classic returns for its 38th year; performances run Nov. 24-Dec. 24 on the Segerstrom Stage. Hal Landon Jr. returns as Scrooge and John-David Keller directs both for their 38th consecutive year. Tickets are now on sale at scr.org.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's first Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical, IN THE HEIGHTS is now on stage in a brand new Broadway-caliber regional production presented by Musical Theatre West at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through November 5. Told as a series of interweaving vignettes about the highs and lows---and the dreams and realities---of life in the Washington Height neighborhood of New York City, IN THE HEIGHTS offers audiences a very likable glimpse into a specific multi-generational Latinx experience that not only feels fresh and new but also feels remarkably relatable no matter what background you come from. Miranda---armed with first-hand knowledge of living in such an enclave and with the obvious imbedded DNA of a musical theatre aficionado---easily made the material both universally appealing and yet refreshingly unique. In its own way, seeing IN THE HEIGHTS now feels very much like looking back at an earlier piece of work from a now more evolved artist and seeing signs of the burgeoning genius still to come---and just how far that genius really grew.

Musical Theatre West celebrates its 65th ANNIVERSARY SEASON with an outstanding line-up of classic and contemporary Broadway masterpieces, opening with Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning production In the Heights, October 20 through November 5, 2017.

The 67th Music Circus season continues with the feel-good musical comedy Sister Act, featuring an infectious score by Tony and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken. Based on the hit 1992 film, this musical will fill the round stage with saintly sisters for the first time in Music Circus history. Performances of Sister Act are Tuesday, August 22 through Sunday, August 27 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.