Countdown To Catch Me If You Can – 3 Weeks To First Preview!

The World Premiere production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is now only 3 weeks away!

Today I profile the third of our trio of amazing leading men – Broadway and Television star Tom Wopat.

Born in Lodi, Wisconson, Tom Wopat started singing and dancing in high school musicals and later studied music at the University of Wisconsin. Several years after college he landed one of the two male leads on The Dukes of Hazzard - the hit CBS television show that aired seven seasons and became one of that eras highest rated shows ranking second only to Dallas.

Most people assume that Tom got his start from The Dukes of Hazzard. In fact, before he became good ol’boy Luke Duke, Tom had already made his Broadway debut in the long running Cy Coleman musical I Love My Wife. I had the pleasure of seeing Tom in that show and remember thinking “this guy is going to go places” – the next thing I knew he was a big TV star.

Soon after The Dukes drove into the sunset of their final season Tom went back to his roots and returned to the theatre. On Broadway he has appeared in both plays and musicals including City of Angels, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, Glengarry Glen Ross and 42^nd Street. He earned a TONY Award nomination for his performance as Frank Butler in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun starring Bernadette Peters and another for last season’s exquisite musical A Catered Affair in which he starred with 5th Avenue favorites Faith Prince and Harvey Fierstein. (I loved that show and Tom’s performance in it was wonderfully moving.)

During all of this Tom has maintained an active career in television starring in such shows as Cybil, Smallville, One Life To Live, All My Children and most recently Taking Chance with Kevin Bacon on HBO.

Tom has also recorded eight albums ranging from rock to country to jazz standards. His latest album Consider It Swung, includes one of his terrific numbers from Catch Me If You Can – the swingin’ tune “50 Checks”.

Here is a video of Tom performing that song at our recent Catch Me If You Can Spotlight Night. For more videos and information on Catch Me If You Can please visit our website.

Countdown To Catch Me If You Can – 4 Weeks To First Preview!

The World Premiere production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is now only 4 weeks away. Today we feature choreographer Jerry Mitchell.

Full of talent and energy, this small town Michiganite worked his way up from Broadway hoofer to Broadway and Hollywood choreographer and occasional television host.

Mitchell made his Broadway debut in 1980 as a dancer in a revival of Brigadoon. From there he danced in Will Roger’s Follies and On Your Toes before making his Broadway debut as choreographer for the 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

He went on to choreograph the Broadway productions of The Rocky Horror Show, The Full Monty, Hairspray, Gypsy (with Bernadette Peters), La Cage Aux Folles, Never Gonna Dance and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

He received TONY Award nominations for The Full Monty, Hairspray, Never Gonna Dance, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and won in 2005 for his choreography of La Cage Aux Folles.

In 2007 Mitchell added director to his list of credits when he directed and choreographed the Broadway production of Legally Blonde (which will take our stage by storm later this season). Mitchell received his sixth TONY Award nomination for his Blonde choreography.

In a unique move Legally Blonde was televised in its entirety on MTV and then the search for a young actress to play the leading role of Elle Woods also became a hit series with Jerry as one of its stars. Mitchell also was the host of Bravo Television’s Step It Up and Dance dance contest reality series.

In addition to his work on Broadway you will also likely have seen his work in film and on television. He was nominated for an Emmy for his work on The Drew Carey Show and his choreography was a significant element in the success of the film Scent of A Woman.

“I had no idea that a dance in a film could resonate with so many people. And in such an amazing way,“ Mitchell said regarding the tango scene he choreographed for Al Pacino. “It really opened up my whole vision to what dance is capable of and how it’s capable of communicating.”



After Scent of A Woman, Mitchell went on to provide choreography for the films Drop Dead Gorgeous, Meet Joe Black, Jeffrey, Camp and In and Out.

And on top of his Broadway and film credits, Jerry finds time to help others. When asked about his most fulfilling project to date he always replies, “Broadway Bares.”

Started by Mitchell in 1992, Broadway Bares is an annual fundraising event that has raised millions for the organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This burlesque style one-night-only revue features hundreds of Broadway’s top dancers and stars.

“I did it from my heart, and with no expectations. That was a charity that I created out of scratch and it’s grown into this monster — a glorious, wonderful, spectacular monster.” The 19th annual Broadway Bares held just last week raised $808,819.

I had the pleasure of serving with Jerry on the Board of Trustees of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the national labor union for professional directors and choreographers and I can attest that he is one smart cookie.

I am thrilled to have Jerry back at The 5th and reunited with so many of his Hairspray colleagues. Don’t miss this show!!!

Memphis is heading to Broadway!

We have been so busy here that until today I have not had time to blog about some very exciting 5th Avenue news.

Last week marked the official announcement that last season’s hit new musical MEMPHIS will open on Broadway in the fall!

One of the most challenging aspects of bringing a show to Broadway is acquiring the right theatre -- or indeed any theatre. I am very happy to report that MEMPHIS will open at what is perhaps the most sought after New York theatre of them all – the Shubert Theatre right in the heart of the theatre district.

A long list of legendary shows have played the Shubert and I have no doubt that MEMPHIS will join the ranks of that venue’s illustrious alumni.

MEMPHIS will be the fourth new musical to make the jump from our stage to Broadway following Hairspray, The Wedding Singer and Shrek.

Special congratulations must go to The 5th Avenue’s great friends and supporters, Ken and Marleen Alhadeff, who fell in love with this dynamic musical and have become lead producers of the Broadway production.

Below you will find a sample of the national buzz and press that has been generated by this exciting announcement as well as footage from last winter’s acclaimed production.

Links to articles:
New York Times
Playbill.com
Broadway.com
My original Memphis blog featuring rave reviews from Seattle

Cabaret A Hit In Houston!

Theater Under The Stars in Houston was so taken with our production of Cabaret last season that they decided to largely recreate it. So they hired our Associate Producing Artistic Director, Bill Berry and our Resident Musical Director, Ian Eisendrath to restage the production.

The show, which runs through Sunday at the Hobby Center, has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Here are some excerpts from the Houston Chronicle’s rave review including praise for all of the 5th Avenue artists involved in the production.

"Cabaret revival goes glam
By EVERETT EVANS
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

What good is sitting alone in your room (or even with company) when Cabaret is back, better than ever? Theatre Under The Stars’ “new look” revival of this landmark show, in fact, is so good it’s scary. That’s ideal for a musical whose genius always has been to couch a disturbing theme within a giddy, naughty, exhilaratingly entertaining framework.

…director Bill Berry’s new production, created last year for Seattle’s Fifth Avenue Theatre, gives Cabaret a fresh look and spirit. The key is making the Kit Kat Klub not the usual seedy den peopled by transparently desperate souls, but instead a festive nightspot boasting opulent (albeit quite risqué) entertainment, as were many actual clubs in Berlin on the eve of the Third Reich. In this view, the Kit Kat is a place where customers and personnel really can escape the troubles of the outside world — at least, until the gathering storm of impending Nazi takeover makes itself indisputably clear at the close of Act 1. From that point, appropriately, things get progressively more somber, the revelry more desperate.

The entire musical benefits from Berry’s exciting new staging, as epitomized at the top of the show, when the Emcee rides down from the flies nestled in the ‘C’ of a huge, dazzlingly illuminated CABARET sign. Glittering lights spark on and off all over Tom Sturge’s spectacular setting — yet it’s the electrifying theatricality of this rendition that makes Cabaret play like a newborn masterpiece rather than a 43-year-old one. It infuses every aspect of the show, from Bob Richard’s vivid choreography, danced with demonic dynamism, to Thomas Marquez’s extravagant (and often extravagantly body-baring) costumes, to the splendid performances of one of the best casts ever assembled for this show.

The revelations are Suzy Hunt’s wise, rueful Fraulein Schneider and Allen Fitzpatrick’s gentle, wary Herr Schultz. I don’t think I have ever seen these roles more poignantly acted or heard them more beautifully sung. All of their scenes and numbers are ideally realized, making their autumnal romance especially moving. Mike McGowan, as an ingratiating smuggler with Nazi sympathies, and Angie Louise, as the brazen prostitute whose doings exasperate landlady Schneider, are strong in their supporting roles.

R.J. Tancioco leads the expert, rambunctious onstage band, who provide their own surprise that you’ll likely have more fun discovering for yourself. Summer is unlikely to offer any hotter ticket than this divine, arguably definitive Cabaret."

Click here to read the full review or visit the TUTS website. Playbill.com posted photos from the Houston production or if you want to experience the 5th Avenue's production again watch the clip below and read my original blog about our production from last year.

Congratulations to Bill, Ian and all!!

Countdown To Catch Me If You Can – 5 Weeks To First Preview!

The World Premiere of the Theatrical Event of the Season is now only 5 weeks away!

Each week I am profiling a member of our remarkable cast and creative team.

Today I focus on another of our amazing trio of leading men. Playing the leading role of the brilliant and charismatic teenage conman Frank Abagnale, Jr. is rising Broadway star Aaron Tveit.

Aaron Tveit was born in Middleton, NY. When asked how to pronounce his name Aaron suggests that people “think of the number eight. Te-Vate!”

Prior to joining Actor’s Equity Association -- the professional stage actors union -- Tveit considered changing his name. However, he soon abandoned that idea stating: “I like my name! It’s different than everybody else’s and keeping it is another way that I can stand out.”

Growing up, Tveit was gifted in both music and athletics and he lettered in three sports in high school. However, his passion for music took over when it came time to go to college. He attended Ithaca College (also the alma mater of his Catch Me If You Can costar Kerry Butler) where he studied vocal performance and theatre.

At Ithaca he participated in a master class with the musical director of the Broadway show RENT. Three months later Aaron was whisked off to New York City to meet that show’s director Michael Grief and he soon found himself playing the role of Mark in the National Tour.

From RENT, Aaron moved on to the national tour of Hairspray as teen heartthrob Link Larkin. “With these two different shows, I went to 45 out of 50 states,” Tveit said. “When you're young and can just pick up and go, it's a great way to see the country.”

Tveit made his Broadway debut in 2006 reprising his role as Link Larkin in Hairspray. Not long after he was cast as Fiyero in the Broadway production of Wicked, a role that had been originally created by his Catch Me If You Can costar Norbert Leo Butz.

Fans of the television show Gossip Girl will recognize Aaron from his appearances as Trip Vanderbilt in several episodes of the hit series.

In 2008, Tveit teamed up again with RENT director Michael Grief for the Second Stage, Arena Stage, and finally Broadway production of Next To Normal and his performance as Gabe, the son of an emotionally disturbed woman, received great acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

If you watched the recent TONY Awards telecast you saw Aaron performing in two separate scenes from the Next To Normal. Below is a clip from the TONY’s opening number in which Aaron performed in tandem with Broadway legend Stockard Channing.

The TONY Awards performance was on June 7. The next day Aaron flew to Seattle and began rehearsals for Catch Me If You Can on June 9.

As you have seen, in just a few years time Aaron has established himself as one of Broadway’s fastest rising stars and I have no doubt that his performance in Catch Me If You Can will propel him into the top echelon of Broadway most outstanding performers. And years from now we will all be able to say “we saw him first here in Seattle at The 5th Avenue Theatre”.

Countdown To Catch Me If You Can – 6 Weeks To First Preview!

The World Premiere production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN --Seattle's Theatrical Event of the Year --is now only 6 weeks away!

This week I have the absolute thrill of  telling you about our legendary costume designer - the one and only Bob Mackie!

Bob Mackie has been designing costumes for film, television, and Broadway for over 4 decades. He has received 30 Emmy nominations, 8 Emmy Awards, and 3 Oscar nominations for Lady Sings the Blues, Funny Lady, and Pennies From Heaven.

His Broadway credits include On the Town with Bernadette Peters, Lorelei with Carol Channing, Platinum with Alexis Smith, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public with Dee Hoty, and Moon Over Buffalo and Putting It Together both with Carol Burnett, and Minnelli on Minnelli with Liza Minnelli.

Mackie's television work includes designing for Diana Ross, Diahann Carroll, Cher, Ann-Margret, Raquel Welch, Angela Lansbury, and television productions of Brigadoon, Kismet, Carousell, and Gypsy with Bette Midler. 

In 2002 Mr. Mackie was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame -- the first and only designer to be awarded this honor. Check out his spectacular costumes in this video clip from Mitzi Gaynour’s television spectaculars!

Perhaps most famously Mr. Mackie was the designer for all 11 years of "The Carol Burnett Show."  

His work on that show was truly amazing  and was akin to designing and creating the costumes of a full Broadway show every week of the television season.  In addition to designing a seemingly endless parade of classy and sophisticated outfits for Ms. Burnett and her guests, he also demonstrated that he is a master at defining character.  Like all great costume designers his first and main goal is to help in telling the story at hand.  Perhaps his most memorable and hilarious costume for The Carol Burnett Show was featured in the sketch "Went With The Wind" -- a parody of Gone With The Wind in which Carol, portraying Scarlett O’Hara with a curtain rod still in her dress, exclaims “I saw it in the window and I just couldn’t resist it!” That costume was recently inducted into the Smithsonian Institute and can be found as part of Mr. Mackie’s collectable Barbie Doll series.

In September 1999, Mr. Mackie was honored with a retrospective of his fashion and costume acheivments at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York which I had the incredible pleasure of viewing on multiple occasions.  The depth and breadth of all those years of his amazing work assembled under one roof was simply staggering.   

The exhibit coincided with the release of a fabulous book entitled Unmistakably Mackie.

In addition to his costume and fashion design, Mr. Mackie has a loyal customer base for his "Wearable Art" program on the QVC network. Mackie glamour can also be found in his line of fragrances and his recently introduced line of home furnishings.

We are honored to have Bob Mackie here with us at The 5th.  And as you might imagine our costume and wardrobe staff are thrilled to be working with him on this exciting project.

And The 5th Avenue Award Goes To...

On Monday night 2,200 high school students, teachers and parents from across Washington State packed The 5th Avenue Theatre for the Seventh Annual 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards. A highly enthusiastic crowd filled the theatre and cheered as the award recipients were announced in 21 different categories, ranging from Outstanding Overall Musical Production to Outstanding Program Design.

The awards program has grown in size and scope, from 31 productions and 3,100 students in 2003 to 82 productions and 8,200 students participating this year. These students come from schools across the state, not just Seattle; participating communities include Spokane, Wenatchee, Lynden, Sequim and Lacey.

Olympia High School won the Outstanding Overall Musical Production Award (pictured above), while The Overlake School won the most awards of the evening, four. Capital High School, Eisenhower High School, Edmonds Homeschool Resource Center and Kamiak High School received three awards each.

Henry Nettleton from Bellarmine Preparatory School (pictured right) won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor, and Faith Higgins from Peninsula High School (pictured above) won for Outstanding Performance by an Actress. The Overlake School won for Direction, Tahoma High School won for Musical Direction, and Eisenhower High School for Outstanding Choreography.

TVW did a live webcast of the event (hosted on the 5th Avenue website) and will repeat Saturday June 13th at noon, and Sunday June 14th at 2:30 p.m. After that, the event may be viewed as streaming video at www.tvw.org.

For a full list of our nominees and recipients, visit our 2009 High School Musical Theatre Awards Nominees & Recipients page at Www.5thavenue.org/education/highschoolawards-2009.aspx.

Congratulations to all! We hope to see you again next year!