Clothes Don’t Make the Man, but They Do Make the Musical
COSTA MESA, Calif. (April 28, 2011) — Marcus is 14. He has just been named emperor. And he has no idea what he’s doing. All of which makes him a prime target for a swindler who promises him magical, invisible clothing in Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s musical version of The Emperor’s New Clothes, running May 20 – June 5 as part of SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences series.
Alex Miller (SCR’s James and the Giant Peach, TV’s “Pushing Daisies”) plays the emperor with a lot to learn. Chad Borden (Laguna Playhouse’s and Colony Theatre’s The Laramie Project) is the con artist. Diana Burbano (SCR’s Charlotte’s Web), Todd Nielsen (a frequent performer at Musical Theatre West) and Jeffrey Christopher Todd (SCR’s Lucky Duck) play the emperor’s various subjects and advisers.
Nick DeGruccio, three-time winner of the L.A. Ovation Award for directing, will helm the production. At SCR, he previously directed Stephen Sondheim’s Putting it Together and the Theatre for Young Audiences’ production of A Year with Frog and Toad.
Lynn Aherns (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music) are the Tony Award-winning team behind Ragtime and Seussical the Musical, among many others.
The production’s creative ensemble consists of Fred Kinney (Set Design), Soojin Lee (Costume Design), Tom Ruzika (Lighting Design), Drew Dalzell (Sound Design), Deborah Wicks La Puma (Music Director) and Jennifer Ellen Butler (Stage Manager).
OC Family is SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences Media Partner. Pacific Life Foundation is the Corporate Honorary Producer.
About TYA: SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences(TYA)presents three professional productions each season designed especially for children and their families. In addition to the public performances, TYA hosts more than 10,000 students from elementary schools annually in an effort to introduce the next generation to the magic of live theater.
TICKETS to The Emperor’s New Clothes can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances begin on May 20 and continue through June 5. Ticket prices range from $18 to $30. Low-priced previews are available from May 20-27.
LOCATION: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.
ABOUT SCR: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR’s more than 450 productions, 119 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson’s Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theatre Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.
THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens music by Stephen Flaherty directed by Nick DeGruccio
CREATIVE TEAM: Fred Kinney (Set Design), Soojin Lee (Costume Design), Tom Ruzika (Lighting Design), Drew Dalzell (Sound Design), Deborah Wicks La Puma (Music Director) and Jennifer Ellen Butler (Stage Manager)
CAST: Chad Borden (Swindler), Diana Burbano (Deena), Alex Miller (Marcus), Todd Nielsen (William) and Jeffrey Christopher Todd (Arno)
CORPORATE HONORARY PRODUCER: Pacific Life Foundation
MEDIA PARTNER: OC Family
SYNOPSIS: Marcus is in a royal mess! He’s the new emperor, but how can he run an empire when he’s only 14? And still on Chapter 1 of “How to Be a Better Emperor?” The classic tale comes to life as never before—with song, dance and a castle full of comical characters.
TICKETS: $18-$30
BOX OFFICE WINDOW HOURS: 10 a.m. to showtime Tuesdays through Saturdays; noon to showtime Sundays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays and non-performance days. American Express, VISA and MasterCard accepted. (714) 708-5555.
LOCATION: Folino Theatre Center, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa CA 92626. One block east of South Coast Plaza at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway.
PHOTOS: Digital images of South Coast Repertory productions are available at www.scr.org/press.
PRESS CONTACTS: Soyia Ellison 714-708-5561 soyia@scr.org Madeline Porter714-708-5562 mad@scr.org
RUNS: May 20 – June 5, 2011 PREVIEWS: May 20 FRI at 7 p.m. May 21 SAT at 4:30 p.m. May 22 SUN at 2 p.m. May 22 SUN at 4:30 p.m. May 27 FRI at 7 p.m. REGULAR PERFORMANCES: May 28 SAT at 11 a.m. May 28 SAT at 2 p.m. May 28 SAT at 4:30 p.m. May 29 SUN at 2 p.m. May 29 SUN at 4:30 p.m. June 3 FRI at 7 p.m. June 4 SAT at 11 a.m. June 4 SAT at 2 p.m. June 4 SAT at 4:30 p.m. June 5 SUN at 2 p.m. June 5 SUN at 4:30 p.m.
