ALTAR BOYZ

ALTAR BOYZ is a foot-stomping, rafter-raising, musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy-band on the last night of their national 'Raise the Praise' tour. The Boyz are five all-singing, all-dancing heartthrobs from Ohio: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. With their tight harmonies and spectacular choreography, the ALTAR BOYZ will delight your audiences. As they perform their signature hits such as 'Rhythm In Me,' 'The Calling,' and 'I Believe,' the Boyz question their loyalty to each other and ask whether or not faith is really holding them together. They finally deliver a message of unity, that 'there is no star as bright as its constellation, no harmony in a single voice.'

Aspects of Love

This bold and ambitious chamber opera explores the landscape of the human heart, charting the shifting alliances of six lovers across three generations. Alex is only seventeen when love changes everything. His brief affair with the ambitious actress, Rose, sets the course for a succession of romantic liaisons that last well into manhood. Alex loses Rose to his shrewd, worldly uncle George and they marry. In time, George's mistress, the lovely Giulietta, has a fling with Rose, who keeps her own lover, Hugo. Echoes of Rose's initial caprice with the virginal Alex haunt the proceedings when he, in turn, beds the teenage daughter Rose has borne his aging uncle. This elaborate la ronde en famille is driven by an engrossing and muscular score of pure emotional directness. MATURE SUBJECT MATTER MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR SCHOOLS.

Bernarda Alba

A perfect show for a strong female cast, BERNARDA ALBA is a masterwork by Michael John LaChiusa, who has brought us such critically acclaimed hits as THE WILD PARTY and MARIE CHRISTINE. LaChiusa brings a musical voice to Federico Garcia Lorca's final 1936 masterpiece, The House of Bernarda Alba, through pulsing castanets, trilling Spanish guitars and resounding rhythmic stomps. BERNARDA ALBA tells the tales of a powerful matriarch, who imposes a strict rule on her household following her second husband's funeral: 'Not a breath of outside air is going to enter this house. It's going to feel like we've bricked up the doors and windows,' she proclaims. Bernarda's five daughters, however, struggle with her cold wishes. The girls' dreams and desires challenge their mother's harsh rules and the outside world begins to slowly permeate their isolated existence.

THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s musical is the story of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. The Boys in the Photograph (produced in the West End as The Beautiful Game) follows the fortunes of a group of teenagers, all members of a local soccer team, and their friends. Under the watchful eye of team coach Father O’Donnell, John and Del both show enough promise to pursue careers as professional footballers. They’re just two regular teenagers who dream of nothing more than girls and football. When they find love with their girlfriends Mary and Christine, they become swept up in the events that engulf their community and, as time passes, each has to decide whether or not to follow their hearts.

The Brain From Planet X

A hilarious musical send-up of bad 50’s sci-fi movies, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET X tells the story of an alien invasion circa 1958. A Brain and its two alien cohorts arrive on Earth with a plan to take over the San Fernando Valley - starting with a happy nuclear family. It’s the first step on the road to their quest of taking over the entire planet and destroying the family unit. This rousing, toe-tapping musical features a dancing, singing brain ... what more could you want from a musical?

Bright Lights, Big City

Based on the novel of the same name, this show follows Jamie, an aspiring writer stuck in fact-checking, as he hides from pain and loss by partying in the drug-infested clubs of Manhattan during the 1980s. The rock-n-roll score provides a robust sound that echoes Jamie's inner torment as he wanders aimlessly through the city's seedy party scene. After losing his wife and job, Jamie spirals out of control. Fortunately for him, the bonds of family and the promise of love are strong enough to intervene and provide a way out. BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY carries the message of hope for the future, no matter what is at present.

CARRIE the musical

Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she's an outcast who's bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she's at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie's just discovered she's got a special power, and if pushed too far, she's not afraid to use it…

Based on Stephen King's bestselling novel, the musical of  Carrie  hasn't been seen since its legendary 1988 Broadway production.  Now, the show's original authors have joined with director Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz) and MCC Theater for a newly reworked and fully re-imagined vision of this gripping tale. Set today, in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine,  Carrie  features a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film), music by Academy Award winner Michael Gore (Fame,  Terms of Endearment), and lyrics by Academy Award winner Dean Pitchford (Fame,  Footloose).

A CATERED AFFAIR

A CATERED AFFAIR tells the story of a Bronx mother’s efforts to give her only daughter the elaborate wedding she never had – and the bride never asked for. In this funny, poignant and oh, so human show of love and disaffection, Harvey Fierstein’s book and John Bucchino’s score explore both our need for love and true meaning of family. The Broadway production received 12 Drama Desk Award nominations, the most of any show of the 2007-2008 season, and was chosen as Best Musical by the New York Drama League.

Cats

Based on the universally popular poetry of T.S. Eliot, CATS tells the story, in song and dance, of the annual gathering of Jellicle cats at which time one special cat is selected to ascend to the Heaviside layer. A true musical theatre phenomenon, CATS opened at London's New London Theatre on May 11, 1981 and ran for a record-setting 21 years. CATS's London success was nearly matched on Broadway where it ran at the Wintergarden Theatre for just over 18 years.

A Class Act

AThe Tony Award winning lyricist of A CHORUS LINE was hell-bent on writing both the words and music for a Broadway show, a goal unrealized in 1987 when he died of cancer at the age of 48. Only posthumously would Ed's songs garner the acclaim they always deserved, in the biographical musical A CLASS ACT. Ed got his start in the BMI Musical Theater Workshop where he largely amasses the charismatic songbook that has been arranged in A CLASS ACT to dramatize Ed's often hilarious, ultimately heartbreaking journey. An ensemble of 7 inhabit the colorful gallery of friends and loved ones in Ed's life including the legendarily acerbic Lehman Engle, the relentlessly peppy Marvin Hamlisch, and Über-creative Michael Bennett. Fourteen years after his death, one of the theater's unsung champions finally got the recognition he always deserved in this vibrant musical about musicals.

Dr. Selavy's Magic Theatre

Welcome to the extraordinary odyssey of a confused young man, led by wacky doctors through a labyrinth of wildly theatricalized versions of major life crises and temptations -- wealth, sensuality, power, romance, lost innocence, and death. Presided over by the enigmatic Dr. Selavy (or C'est La Vie, if you like), himself an illusion created by master trickster Marcel Duchamp, this outrageous journey leads our hero in an ironic dance through an eccentric fun house of extravagant awakenings to a climax of self-knowledge and acceptance. To the strains of an eminently hummable and upbeat score, this offbeat piece provides an adventurous departure from the traditional expectations of musical theatre.

Evita

Argentina's controversial First Lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. As an illegitimate fifteen year old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at twenty-two, the president's mistress at twenty-four, First Lady at twenty-seven, and dead at thirty-three. Eva Peron 'saint to the working-class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military' was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique in the 20th century. Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, EVITA creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself.

Floyd Collins

In 1925, while chasing a dream of fame and fortune by turning a Kentucky cave into a tourist attraction, Floyd Collins himself became the attraction when he got trapped 200 feet underground. Alone but for sporadic contact with the outside world, Floyd fought for his sanity and ultimately his life as the rescue effort above exploded into the first genuine media circus. Reporters and gawkers from across the country descended on the property, fueling the hysteria and manipulating the nation into holding its collective breath. This haunting musical - one of the most acclaimed in recent years - tells the transcendent tale of a true American dreamer.

Footloose

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.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

This celebration of the mating game takes on the truths and myths behind that contemporary conundrum know as 'the relationship.' Act I explores the journey from dating and waiting to love and marriage, while Act II reveals the agonies and triumphs of in-laws and newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up techniques of the geriatric set. This hilarious revue pays tribute to those who have loved and lost, to those who have fallen on their face at the portal of romance, to those who have dared to ask, 'Say, what are you doing Saturday night?'

It's Only Life

John Bucchino’s songs have been recorded and performed by Judy Collins, Patti LuPone, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra MacDonald, Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel and many others. Conceived by director Daisy Prince and the award-winnnig songwriter, IT’S ONLY LIFE is a musical revue about longing, fulfillment, loss, triumph and ultimately wisdom. According to the New York Times, Bucchino's 'flowing, finely made piano ballads describe an urban life in which relationships come and go in cycles of yearning, fulfillment, heartbreak and healing' - where romantic love is anticipated with 'high expectations, high anxiety and open hearts.' The show won LA's 2008 Ovation Award for Best Book/Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical.

Jesus Christ Superstar

It seems especially fitting that the first rock opera, created as a concept album at the end of the turbulent '60s, should have at its center a social and political rebel. Jesus' meteor-like rise in renown provides, as the title suggests, a parallel to contemporary celebrity worship. As his radical teachings are evermore embraced, Judas increasingly questions the enlightened motives of this new prophet, resulting in betrayal. Christ's final days are dramatized with emotional intensity, thought-provoking edge and explosive theatricality. Propelled by a stirring score, by turns driving and majestic, satirical and tender, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR illuminates the transcendent power of the human spirit with a passion that goes straight to the heart.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

The Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Joseph, his father's favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. He is purchased by Potiphar where thwarting advances from Potiphar's wife lands him in jail. When news of Joseph's gift to interpret dreams reaches the Pharaoh (wryly and riotously depicted as Elvis), Joseph is well on his way to becoming second in command. Eventually his brothers, having suffered greatly, unknowingly find themselves groveling at the feet of the brother they betrayed but no longer recognize. After testing their integrity, Joseph reveals himself leading to a heartfelt reconciliation of the sons of Israel. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, this Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (MEGAMIX)

The Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Joseph, his father's favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. He is purchased by Potiphar where thwarting advances from Potiphar's wife lands him in jail. When news of Joseph's gift to interpret dreams reaches the Pharaoh (wryly and riotously depicted as Elvis), Joseph is well on his way to becoming second in command. Eventually his brothers, having suffered greatly, unknowingly find themselves groveling at the feet of the brother they betrayed but no longer recognize. After testing their integrity, Joseph reveals himself leading to a heartfelt reconciliation of the sons of Israel. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, this Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless. This version of JOSEPH…DREAMCOAT features extended songs and dances. The Megamix is available as a separate rental with this version.

The Light in the Piazza

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA takes place in Italy in the summer of 1953. Margaret Johnson, the wife of an American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara. While sightseeing, Clara-a beautiful, surprisingly childish young woman-loses her hat in a sudden gust. As if guided by an unseen hand, the hat lands at the feet of Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, who returns it to Clara. This brief episode, charged with coincidence and fate, sparks an immediate and intense romance between Clara and Fabrizio. Margaret, extremely protective of her daughter, attempts to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart. As THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA unfolds, a secret is revealed: in addition to the cultural differences between the young lovers, Clara is not quite all that she appears. Unable to suppress the truth about her daughter, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her own hopes as well.

Marie Christine

This powerful re-telling of the tragic Medea myth was hailed by the San Francisco Examiner as 'A major work by one of the most highly regarded new serious songwriters for the stage.' Set in the twilight years of the 19th century, MARIE CHRISTINE chronicles its doomed heroine's journey from her genteel life of privilege in New Orleans Creole society through betrayal and incomprehensible vengeance in boisterous Chicago. This gripping tale of one headstrong and passionate young woman's all-consuming love for an ambitious sea captain provides a tour-de-force for its leading lady. When it premiered at the esteemed Lincoln Center Theatre, the New York Daily News found it to be 'A brilliant re-working of Medea [that] manages at once to make it fresh and to retain its gut-wrenching compulsion.' MARIE CHRISTINE was the final Broadway musical of the 20th century, an extraordinary creation that investigates unsettling mysteries of the psyche that are as old as the human condition itself.

Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical

With a balanced look at the 'joys' of growing older, through a cast of three men and three women, MID-LIFE! strikes a chord with anyone regardless of age. A series of scenes and sketches poke fun at the frustrations of mammograms, love handles, weekend warriors and proctology exams. The cleverly crafted songs celebrate forgetfulness, reading glasses and menopause, but also touch on the sentimental wisdom that the later years afford us. MID-LIFE! is a hilarious romp with an honest humor about the trials and tribulations of the unavoidable aging process. Welcome to MID-LIFE!

My Life with Albertine

The musical focuses on Proust's obsession with his red-haired mistress, Albertine. Departing from the typical 'boy meets girl' plot, it explores the darkness of jealousy. Young Marcel, the hero, irrationally believes that Albertine is having lesbian affairs while older Marcel (played by a different actor), reflects on this seminal period in his young life interacting with himself at 17. Simple lullabies and children's songs reflecting Marcel's childish character before his affair are juxtaposed with operatic dirges, capturing the tragic effect of his self-inflicted destruction of happiness. This fascinating play preserves both the essence and themes of Proust's work.

Ordinary Days

From one of musical theatre's most exciting new composers comes ORDINARY DAYS, a refreshingly honest and funny musical about making real connections in the city that never sleeps (but probably should at some point.) ORDINARY DAYS tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. Through a score of vibrant and memorable songs, their experiences ring startlingly true to life. ORDINARY DAYS is an original musical for anyone who's ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex place. With equal doses of humor and poignancy, it celebrates how 8.3 million individual stories combine in unexpected ways to make New York City such a unique and extraordinary home.

Reefer Madness

Inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name, this raucous musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence. You won't be able to resist the spoofy fun of REEFER MADNESS. The addictive and clever musical numbers range from big Broadway-style showstoppers to swing tunes like 'Down at the Ol' Five and Dime' and the Vegas-style 'Listen to Jesus, Jimmy,' featuring J.C. Himself leading a chorus of showgirl angels. This dynamic show will go straight to your head! REEFER MADNESS is a highly stylized and satirical political commentary. It contains adult humor, religious parody, and drug use, as well as suggested violence and sexual explicitness. It therefore may be inappropriate for younger performers and audiences.

Smokey Joe's Cafe - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller

Leiber and Stoller, as much as anyone, virtually invented rock 'n' roll, and now their songs provide the basis for an electrifying entertainment that illuminates a golden age of American culture. In an idealized '50's setting, the classic themes of love won, lost and imagined blend with hilarious set-pieces and slice-of-life emotions. Featuring nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded, SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE isn't just great pop music - it's compelling musical theatre.

Starlight Express

A child’s train set magically comes to life and the various engines compete to become the “Fastest – engine in the World”! The underdog, Rusty the Steam train, has little chance until he is inspired by the legend of the “Starlight Express” and ultimately defeats his arch-rivals “Greaseball” and ‘Electra before going on to win the hand of the lovely first class coach, Pearl. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s STARLIGHT EXPRESS is the fastest and most dynamic musical you will ever experience, however you choose to perform it! The show has a rock / pop score with enormous appeal for teenagers.

SUNSET BOULEVARD

SUNSET BOULEVARD weaves a magnificent tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition. Silent movie star Norma Desmond longs for a return to the big screen, having been discarded by tinsel town with the advent of 'talkies.' Her glamour has faded in all but her mind. When she meets struggling Hollywood screen-writer Joe Gillis in dramatic circumstances, their subsequent passionate and volatile relationship leads to an unforeseen and tragic conclusion.

The Thing About Men

Tom is cheating on his wife Lucy (with several women). Lucy is cheating on her husband Tom (with Sebastian). Tom moves out on Lucy and, in disguise, moves in with Sebastian. These are the circumstances that set the mood of hilarious intrigue in this often moving but always light hearted musical about men.

Things To Ruin

THINGS TO RUIN is an incendiary collection of song by Kleban and Larson Award Winner Joe Iconis. Originally directed by co-conceiver John Simpkins, THINGS TO RUIN is a theatrical rock concert about human beings who are messy, emotional, drugged up, knocked down, inspired, electric and who don’t have nearly enough time to cause the kind of commotion they so desperately need to. Variety called it “So much fun that it’s a little overwhelming – ‘transporting’ is probably the best word!” Please Note: THINGS TO RUIN contains profanity, adult themes and references to sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. It therefore may be inappropriate for younger performers and audiences.

[title of show]

Jeff and Hunter, two struggling writers, hear about a new musical theatre festival. However, the deadline for submissions is a mere three weeks away. With nothing to lose, the pair decides to try to create something new with the help of their friends Susan, Heidi and Larry on the eighty-eights. With the cast in place, Jeff and Hunter begin a conversation about what to write about. Eventually, Jeff suggests they write about what to write about. They make a pact to write up until the festival’s deadline and dream about the show changing their lives. [title of show]—taken from the space on the festival’s application form which asks for the [title of show]—follows Hunter and Jeff and their friends on their journey through the gauntlet of creative self-expression. In the span of 90 minutes they write and perform their show at the festival and learn lessons about themselves as people, friends and artists. [title of show] is, above all, a love letter to the musical theatre—a uniquely American art form—and to the joy of collaboration. The musical received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Book of a Musical in 2009.

The Wild Party

Manhattan decadence in the 1920's provides the backdrop for this tough musical fable. Queenie, a vaudeville chorine, hosts the blow-out of the title with her vicious lover, a black-face minstrel. The guests are a vivid collection of the unruly and the undone: Queenie's conniving rival; a cocaine-sniffing bisexual playboy; a washed-up boxer; a black brother act; a diva of indeterminate age and infinite life experience; the fresh-off-the-farm ingénue whose naïveté quickly evaporates; a lesbian actress and her comatose girlfriend; and the bargain basement Valentino who catches Queenie's roving eye. The jazz and gin soaked party rages to a mounting sense of threat as artifice and illusion are stripped away. When midnight debauchery leads to tragedy at dawn, the high-flying characters land with a sobering thud, reminding us that no party lasts forever. MATURE SUBJECT MATTER. MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR SCHOOLS.

Wings

In her adventurous youth, Emily was an aviatrix who fearlessly walked on the wings of the family biplane. Just as she once plummeted dizzyingly through space, she is now falling through inner space as the result of a stroke. This extraordinary musical takes us inside Emily's mind as this gallant woman gropes her way toward the cave of memory, away from the scrambled words and short-circuited thoughts that hold her captive. With breathtaking simplicity, WINGS charts Emily's hesitant recovery as she begins regaining the vocabulary to accompany her reawakened emotions. But a relapse hurls her back into the void, this time to face death. In this musical's exultant view, however, Emily has merely taken flight once again, the curiosity and bravery that prompted her girlish exploits having seized her anew.