Julie Cardia News

The musical theater masterpiece My Fair Lady, with music by Frederick Loewe and book/lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, kicks off the 2015 Music Circus season at Wells Fargo Pavilion, the 65th season for the venerable Sacramento institution. Performances are Tuesday, June 9 through Sunday, June 14, kicking off the season two weeks earlier than usual. The stellar cast includes a number of Broadway veterans and Music Circus audience favorites.

After auditioning performers in New York City, Los Angeles and Sacramento, California Musical Theatre has confirmed casting for all six shows in the 65th Music Circus season. The stellar cast for the season is loaded with Broadway veterans, some of whom are making their Music Circus debuts, Tony nominees and audience favorites from previous Music Circus productions.

STAGES St. Louis has announced casting for its exhilarating 29th season: Smokey Joe's Cafe, Anything Goes, and The Full Monty. This season's exceptional talent voyages through songs and stories of diverse relationships, the bonds of friendship, and strength found in community. STAGES also announces the cast for its Theatre for Young Audiences production, the purrrrr-fect family classic, Disney's The Aristocats. All season and single tickets are on sale now.

World premiere of playwright Stan Rich's Loopholes: A Pain In The I.R.S. benefits from a very game cast of talented actors performing his fun, pun- galore, shtick-filled musical. The troupe's overall enthusiasm and commitment really pull off this 90-minute piece which possesses a very Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney, 'Let's go to the barn and put on a show' vibe.

Meredith Willson's beloved family musical, THE MUSIC MAN, returns to the stage in an all-new concert staging starring the Marian of the classic film, Academy Award winner Shirley Jones, who will not only essay the role of Mrs. Paroo, but will serve as host and narrator. She will be joined on stage by her son, Patrick Cassidy as Prof. Harold Hill. A little known bit of Hollywood history: Shirley was pregnant with Patrick during the filming of The Music Man. Performances begin, appropriately enough, in Willson's home town (and model for River City) Mason City, Iowa tonight, September 18th.

Meredith Willson's beloved family musical, THE MUSIC MAN, returns to the stage in an all-new concert staging starring the Marian of the classic film, Academy Award winner Shirley Jones, who will not only essay the role of Mrs. Paroo, but will serve as host and narrator. She will be joined on stage by her son, Patrick Cassidy as Prof. Harold Hill. A little known bit of Hollywood history: Shirley was pregnant with Patrick during the filming ofThe Music Man.

After a passionate reception from critics and audiences, the world premiere of Neurosis: A New Musical has announced a one-week extension at the Merry-Go-Round Downtown, part of the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. The show stars Broadway veterans Joseph Medeiros (Wicked, Grease, White Christmas) and Joanne Baum (Bells Are Ringing. Click below to watch the trailer and commercial for the show!

After a passionate reception from critics and audiences, the world premiere of Neurosis: A New Musical has announced a one-week extension at the Merry-Go-Round Downtown, part of the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. The show stars Broadway veterans Joseph Medeiros (Wicked, Grease, White Christmas) and Joanne Baum (Bells Are Ringing. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

After a passionate reception from critics and audiences, the world premiere of Neurosis: A New Musical has announced a one-week extension at the Merry-Go-Round Downtown, part of the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. The show stars Broadway veterans Joseph Medeiros (Wicked, Grease, White Christmas) and Joanne Baum (Bells Are Ringing.

Cortland Repertory Theatre's 2011 production of the musical Chicago "razzle dazzled 'em" at the Syracuse Area Live Theatre (SALT) Awards, winning in two out of the three Summer Production categories. The awards were presented on Sunday, May 20 at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse. Hosted by the Syracuse New Times, the SALT Awards recognize professional, summer and community theatres, each in their own categories.

Cortland Repertory Theatre has received a record-breaking eight nominations for the 2011 Syracuse Area Live Theatre (SALT) Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in Central New York theatre. Hosted by the Syracuse New Times, the SALT Awards focus primarily on community theatre groups in Syracuse, but also recognizes regional summer theatres in their own categories.

Cortland Repertory Theatre has received a record-breaking eight nominations for the 2011 Syracuse Area Live Theatre (SALT) Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in Central New York theatre. Hosted by the Syracuse New Times, the SALT Awards focus primarily on community theatre groups in Syracuse, but also recognizes regional summer theatres in their own categories.

On August 15, 2011, STAGES ST. LOUIS hosted its third annual Cabaret fundraiser at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood, a benefit for the organization's Education and Outreach Programs.

Frances Hodgson Burnett's work, THE SECRET GARDEN, was initially serialized before being published in 1911 and becoming a children's classic. Several attempts by Hollywood have tried to capitalize on it's dramatic and hope-filled story, with the 1949 MGM adaptation, starring Margaret O'Brien, wonderfully changing from black and white into full-blown technicolor as the garden is revealed in all it's splendor. However. most folks today will probably be more familiar with the the rather staid, but thoughtful motion picture made in 1993, which was fairly well mounted. This current stage adaptation is far more appealing in any number of ways, with stronger acting and a memorably performed score being among the many highlights that are attractive to an audience interested in the material.

Unlock the magic behind The Secret Garden,opening July 22 at STAGES ST. LOUIS.The Secret Garden continues through August 21 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

Unlock the magic behind The Secret Garden,opening July 22 at STAGES ST. LOUIS.The Secret Garden continues through August 21 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

Just off from his Broadway engagement in La Cage Aux Folles, Auburn native Todd Lattimore joins an all-star cast, including Bruce Warren and Julie Cardia of last season's The Drowsy Chaperone and Kimberly Burns of Meet Me in St. Louis, in the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse production of Anything Goes. Bringing together this fantastic cast is Producing Artistic Director Ed Sayles, Choreographer Lori Leshner, and Musical Director Corinne Aquilina.

Hattie Maloney(Julie Cardia), a nightclub singer in Panama City, tries to fit into the elite world of the American colony to which her fiancé, and single parent, Nick Bullett (Paul Anthony Stewart), belongs. Her prospective marriage to Nick hinges on the approval of his precocious 8-year-old daughter, Gerry (Madeleine Rose Yen), as well as that of his boss. Gerry has been chaperoned on her trip from the States by Vivian Budd (Jackson R. Best) a 'gentleman's gentleman' who gets bent to the breaking point by the wiles of Hattie's best friend Florrie (Lara Seibert). Nick's boss, an Army officer/engineer, Whitney Randolph (Daren Kelly), and the girls in the Canal 'social set' - Leila (Victoria Huston-Elem), Kitty-Belle (Claire Russell) and Mildred (Allison Maldonado) - prove even harder to win over than does Gerry. So what's needed are some major heroics and that is supplied when a plot to blow up the canal is foiled. Helping thwart the 'enemy' are three less-than-robust soldiers - Woozy (Antonio Addeo), Skat (John Bambery) and Windy (William Nash). Also contributing to our revival of this 1940 musical farce are Anne Marie Behr, Matthew Conti, Greg Etling, Jefferson Grubbs, Vanessa Hernandez, Annemarie Rosano and Christopher Woods. Director - Thomas Sabella-Mills. Music Director - David B. Bishop.

Stefanie Powers, starring as fictional silent screen legend Norma Desmond, ably navigates the twists and turns of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical homage to Hollywood's film noir classic

The Fifth Annual Kevin Kline Awards will take place on Monday, March 22, at 7pm, at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University. 125 productions presented by 40 constituent theatres were judged in 2009, and awards will be given out in 22 categories.