Displaying items by tag: Michael Davis Arnold

Full cast and crew have been announced for BrightSide Theatre's upcoming production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the rock opera that has been wowing audiences for 50 years. BrightSide Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass will lead a of 21 actors in the ever-popular retelling of the last days of Christ by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Music Direction will be by Phil Videckis, and choreography by Jake Ganzer. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, since its release as a concept album in 1970, has enjoyed success as a stage musical (revived several times on Broadway and in London's West End, as well as touring around the world for many years), a feature film and a live television broadcast. The BrightSide production will play from June 7 – 23, at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville. 
 
The cast directed by Jeffrey Cass will be led by Edward MacLennan of Bolingbrook as Jesus of Nazareth, Michael Davis Arnold of Chicago as Judas Iscariot, Meghan Kessel of Chicago as Mary Magdalene, Jon Cunningham of Schaumburg as Pontius Pilate, and Caleb Hand of Oak Forest as King Herod/Apostle/Roman Solider/First Priest. Playing key supporting roles are Stan Austin of Winfield as Caiaphas, Emma Widlowski of Park Ridge as Annas/Apostle, Tommy O'Brien of Chicago as Simon Zealotes, and Thomas Ferro of Mundelein as Peter.

The cast also includes Kassidy Alderman of Newark as Tormentor, Russell Badalamenti of Hoffman Estates as Pilate US/Roman Soldier/Apostle/3rd Priest, Julia Hope Budd of Chicago as Tormentor, Zach Gibson of Warrenville as Apostle, Amber Golich of Chicago as Tormentor, Erica Harrington of Westchester as Mary US,/Apostle, Erol Ibrahimovic of Chicago as Soldier/Apostle, Athena Kopulos of Chicago as Apostle, Mary Grace Martens of Chicago as Apostle, Thomas McMahon of Bradley as Apostle/Roman Soldier/Man by the Fire, Mary Schwark of Bradley as Apostle, and Shaina Summerville of Rolling Meadows as Maid by Fire/Apostle.

The production team for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR also includes Jeff Award nominee Kurt Ottinger (Lighting Design), Cheryl Newman (Costume Design), Tim Elliott (Sound Mixer), Jeff Sand (Technical Director), De Haddad (Stage Manager/Assistant Director), JJ O'Connell (Assistant Stage Manager), and Trent Bronson (Production Assistant). Scenic concept is by Jeffrey Cass.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will be performed at Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets are $37.00 for adults and $32.00 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now at www.BrightSidetheatre.com or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).  

LISTING INFORMATION

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Book and Lyrics by Tim Rice, Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Jeffrey Cass
Music Direction by Phil Videckis
Choreography by Jake Ganzer
June 7 - 23, 2024
Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm
Press Opening Friday, June 7 at 8 pm
Tickets $32 - $37, available at www.BrightSideTheatre.com or at 630-447-TIXS (8497) 
Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville 60540
 
Since its Broadway debut, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's spectacular musical phenomenon JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR has thrilled millions of theatregoers worldwide, mesmerizing them with its passion, captivating them with its story and entrancing them with its anthemic title song. Borrowing from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary sung through score includes "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Gethsemane," and "Superstar."
 
BIOS
 
Jeffrey Cass (Artistic Director/Director) a Joseph Jefferson Award Nominee has successfully directed over 30 Productions for BrightSide Theatre, most recently A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and GYPSY. He also played "Edna" in BST's production of HAIRSPRAY. He holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theater Performance from Roosevelt University. He previously served as the Producing Director for Circle Theatre where he directed 8 Productions including THE WHO'S TOMMY (six Joseph Jefferson Nominations including Best Musical and Best Director).
 
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer) has composed the scores of some of the world's most famous musicals. From JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (1968) to BAD CINDERELLA (2021), his work has been consistently seen on world stages. Before the Covid pandemic hit, Lloyd Webber had shows continually running in the West End for 48 years and on Broadway for 41, with SCHOOL OF ROCK being the first British musical to have its world premiere on Broadway. When SUNSET BOULEVARD joined SCHOOL OF ROCK, CATS and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, he equaled Rodgers and Hammerstein's record of four shows running simultaneously on Broadway.
 
He is one of the select group of artists with EGOT status, having received an Emmy, four Grammys (including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for REQUIEM), an Oscar and eight Tony Awards (including the 2018 Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre). He has also won seven Oliviers and a Golden Globe – and his honors include a Classic Brit award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship, and the Kennedy Center Honor.
 
Tim Rice (Book and Lyrics) has worked in music, theatre, and films since 1965 when he met Andrew Lloyd Webber, a fellow struggling songwriter. Rather than pursue Tim's ambitions to write rock or pop songs they turned their attention to Andrew's obsession – musical theatre. Their first collaboration was based on the life of Dr. Thomas Barnardo, the Victorian philanthropist, THE LIKES OF US. Their next three works together were much more successful – JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA.
 
Tim has since worked with other distinguished popular composers such as Elton John (THE LION KING, AIDA), Alan Menken (ALADDIN, KING DAVID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (CHESS), and Stuart Brayson (FROM HERE TO ETERNITY). He has also written with Freddie Mercury, Burt Bacharach and Rick Wakeman, among others.

 
ABOUT BRIGHTSIDE THEATRE
 
BrightSide Theatre (Jeffrey Cass, Artistic Director and Julie Ann Kornak, Executive Director) is committed to Enlighten, Educate, and Entertain through comedies and inspirational stories from across the globe.  A unique blend of award-winners, premieres, modern works and timeless classics meant to reflect upon and inform our community inhabit BrightSide's stage.  For more information on BrightSide Theatre, please visit www.BrightSidetheatre.com.   

Who will the best speller be? Who will be able to withstand the pressures of competition? Who wants it the most? I’m sure these are among the questions you must be asking yourselves once the play begins. Well, without giving the ending of the story away, I’ll just say that it’s the audience that has the most F-U-N, FUN. 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this bright, funny and talented cast in Music Theater Works’ brand new production of the Tony Award-Winning musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, now being performed in the North Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. The hit musical, conceived by the mind of Rebecca Feldman is superbly executed thanks to its fine direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik, Keeley Vasquez who assists in both said areas, and with music direction by Michal McBride. 

The Putnam County Spelling Bee is exactly what you would imagine happens every year when a collection of the nerdiest, most sensitive and intelligent students from the local county schools come together to face their fears on the big stage to take home the first place trophy for best speller. And, to add a little more fun to this particular spelling bee, it also requires a good amount of improvisational participation from audience members who might just be called down to compete with the students. Even if you’ve seen this play before, there will always be new “cast members“ chosen from the crowd that create unpredictable comedy performed on the spot each night making every experience unique.

The musical, while on one hand provides so many humorous moments, also brings to light the very real pressures of student competition. We see the occasional tears and panic attacks while students compete against each other for a small prize (literally a 12” high trophy and $200 that goes toward future education). We see that winning or not can have big consequences at home and/or in their own psyche. But we also see how competition can bring people together and how it can help us learn about ourselves.

Neala Barron who plays the zealous, rule-following spelling bee supervisor (and one-time winner), Rona Lisa Perretti, pairs up with Zach Kunde who takes on the role of Vice Principal Douglas Panch to conduct the competition. Kunde and Barron have great chemistry together and draw lots of laughs from the audience as they provide the words for the students to spell, along with their definitions, use in a sentence and countries of origin. Michael Davis Arnold plays Mitch Mahoney, the assigned “comfort counselor” who is ready with both a hug and a juice box for the next eliminated student. Arnold and Barron both have tremendous singing voices that stun the audience with their solos in this mostly ensemble piece.  

Will Koski, who plays William Barfee’ has stand-out comic and physical timing comedy as his character finds it necessary to spell out each word with his “magic foot” on the floor. Jamie Dillon Grossman is terrific in her role as the adorable, super intelligent, activist, future Congress-bound Logainne Schwartzandgrubeniere, who is under a tremendous amount of pressure to win because her dads “hate losers”. 

Mai Hartwich is a perfect fit as Marcy Park, the student who is capable of speaking “six languages” but is under a great deal of inner pressure to be perfect in everything she does, which includes winning every spelling bee she enters. Hartwich has a great aha moment during the song “Marcy’s Epiphany,” where Marcy realizes that by deliberately spelling a word wrong and losing the spelling bee on purpose, she’s, in many ways, actually taking back her own power so she relax, have fun and return to pursuing what she really wants to wants to do with her life. 

This is a production where truly the entire cast delivers. Joe Lewis is well cast as cape-wearing Leaf Coneybear while Brandon Acosta tackles his role as Chip Tolentino and shines in his performance of “Chip’s Lament,” a whimsical number about how he was distracted by his “unfortunate erection”. Rachel Guth is a pleasure to watch as she plays the sweet and anxious Olive Ostrosky, an only child whose father does not show up for the spelling bee. With her parents on the go so often, Olive has spent most of her lonely childhood at home alone reading the ancient family dictionary because there was no one around to talk to. During the competition she repeatedly looks to row eight to see if her father has arrived to take the seat she reserves for him. Guth has a strong singing voice and especially displays her vocal talent, along with Barron and Arnold, when they team up for the number “The I Love You Song.”      

Director, Christopher Pazdernik does a great job with the pacing and movement of this bright and breezy production. Pazdernik mentions in the program the life lessons that this play should remind us of - to work hard and be proud of ourselves, but that winning isn’t everything! Also, be kind to others and don’t take life so seriously! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee points out that as children and adults we put way too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect - to WIN first place and to impress ourselves and others in our family, and by doing so miss out on the joy of the moments completely.

I wasn’t a spelling bee kid, but I was a thespian competitor in high school and, as one spelling bee student after another had to be eliminated, I couldn’t help but relive my own memories of intense anxiety arising before, after, and during our national thespian competitions - which had no cash prize at all. That being the case, I really related to Michael Davis Arnold’s “Prayer of the Comfort Counselor,” which he knocks out of the park vocally.

I highly recommend this Music Theater Works production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee staged in the lovely and intimate North Stage in the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts for audiences of all ages.