THE CAT IN THE HAT
De Young Performing Arts Centre (Ian Wolff Auditorium)
September 2024
The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many "thinks." Horton faces a double challenge - not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but must guard an abandoned egg, left to his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping, and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant.
HEATHERS THE MUSICAL
Cripps Centre (Lindsay Cuming Auditorium), Caulfield
September 2023
Heathers The Musical is a hilarious, heartfelt, and homicidal review of the high school food chain. Based on the classic 1989 film, Westerberg High is ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing clique of mean girls: Heather, Heather and Heather - the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. Misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend - the dark and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place… six feet under!
IN THE HEIGHTS
Memorial Great Hall
September 2022
In the Heights centers on a variety of characters living in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, on the northern tip of Manhattan. At the center of the show is Usnavi, a bodega owner who looks after the aging Cuban lady next door, pines for the gorgeous girl working in the neighboring beauty salon and dreams of winning the lottery and escaping to the shores of his native Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Nina, a childhood friend of Usnavi’s, has returned to the neighborhood from her first year at college with surprising news for her parents, who have spent their life savings on building a better life for their daughter. Ultimately, Usnavi and the residents of the close-knit neighborhood get a dose of what it means to be home.
SWEET CHARITY
Memorial Great Hall
September 2017
What is your religion? Charity Hope Valentine believes in love, and as a taxi-dancer at the seedy Fandango Ballroom she is prepared to work her way through every 'Big Spender' in New York City to find it. But after her latest flame steals her bag and pushes her in Central Park Lake, Charity is determined to find 'Something Better Than This'. After dancing her way through 'The Rich Man’s Frug' at the star-studded Pompeii club, and getting higher than the 'Rhythm of Life' under the Manhattan bridge, has Charity finally found the man she has been looking for in Oscar, a claustrophobic tax accountant? The love they share may make Charity feel like a 'Big Brass Band' but there is one little problem, how will Oscar react when he discovers his Sweet Charity is not as innocent as she appears?
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Memorial Great Hall
September 2016
Based on the hit film and the incredible true story, Catch Me If You Can, is the high-flying musical comedy about chasing your dreams and not getting caught. Nominated for 4 Tony awards, including Best Musical, this delightfully entertaining show was created by a Tony Award-winning "dream team", with a book by Terrence McNally (The Full Monty, Ragtime) and a swinging score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray).
Seeking fame and fortune, precocious teenager Frank Abignale, Jr. runs away from home to begin an unforgettable adventure. With nothing more than his boyish charm, a big imagination and millions of dollars in forged checks, Frank successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer - living the high life and winning the girl of his dreams. But when Frank's lies catch the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty, Carl pursues Frank across the country to make him pay for his crimes.
FOOTLOOSE
Memorial Great Hall
September 2015
One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto the live stage with exhilarating results. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn't prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise the control over the town's youth that he cannot command in his own home. When the reverend's rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren's reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. To the rockin' rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score (the soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard charts and has sold over 15 million copies!) and augmented with dynamic new songs for the stage musical, FOOTLOOSE celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people, guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Camberwell Grammar School
September 2014
THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story, and it's every father's nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family - a man her parents have never met. And if that weren't upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's 'normal' boyfriend and his parents.
SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
FEATHERSTONE HALL
September 2013
ATHENAEUM THEATRE
April 2014
Now one of the most performed shows in America, Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, Once On This Island and Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie, and a little boy with a big imagination--Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.
The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many "thinks." Horton faces a double challenge--not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left to his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping, and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant.
URINETOWN
CROMWELL ROAD THEATRE
November 2012
Winner of three Tony Awards, three Outer Critic's Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and two Obie Awards, Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, municipal politics and musical theatre itself! Hilariously funny and touchingly honest, Urinetown provides a fresh perspective of one of America's greatest art forms.
In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!
Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Urinetown is an irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny. Praised for reinvigorating the very notion of what a musical could be, Urinetown catapults the "comedic romp" into the new millennium with its outrageous perspective, wickedly modern wit, and sustained ability to produce gales of unbridled laughter.