Sacramento Music Circus 2005 season TBA February 1st!

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 10:34am

Not that I will get to see any of the shows, I am just curious to see what shows they will do. I will post them on this thread tomorrow.

[Delphine]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 11:43am

I didn't realize they announced it so early. I hope they have a good selection this year.

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 11:55am

Their season is:
DISNEY'S BEAUTY & THE BEAST
WEST SIDE STORY
CRAZY FOR YOU
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
CABARET
GREASE
THE KING AND I

[Delphine]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 11:56am

Yes! Cabaret and Once On This Island! This will be interesting.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 12:11pm

oy. I've never seen a regional CABARET that lives up to anything at all really...

and EVERYONE is doing BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. geeze...

[lite2shine]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 12:42pm

Okay, for the record it wasn't me who leaked the line up here first (to a certain someone who told me the line up before, as I promised I kept my mouth shut!). But then this line up was on the casting call board for a few weeks already.

I've seen Cabaret in Music Circus last time they produced. It was okay, Emcee was Francis Jue (recent Pacific Overture, Modern Millie) and he was great. I hope my friend, Sal who was a standby for Herr Schultz in the first national tour will be the same role at MC.

I'm not excited about the line up though. I was hoping for Chess or Sunset Blvd.
Light To Shine: Big River Fan Site

Posted: 1/31/05 at 5:06pm

Is this the theater in the round or is this the Symphony Hall shows? I used to work there YEARS ago... EONS upon EONS ago.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 5:09pm

Ya...a lot of the regional theatres are doing Beauty and the Beast. Interesting choices.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 5:48pm

I believe so.

[lite2shine]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 5:54pm

I subscribed two years in a row (2003/04) but I don't think I will renew my subscription. I'll go to see B&B and Once upon the Island for sure, maybe Cabaret depending on the cast.

BTW, Sunset Blvd. was produced at a theatre near Chicago last year with an arena style theatre (all four sides are surrounded by the audience; hence no wings). So it can be done. Actually, it was one of the possible shows that they asked us (subscribers) if we want to see. But they opted for the shows that can sell tickets. Of course.
Light To Shine: Big River Fan Site

[lite2shine]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 9:26pm

So you know Richard? Then please tell him that this year's line up is not appealing to say it mildly (I can use another more colorful term but I won't . I understand the importance of a financially successful season, but WSS, Grease, and K&I? Although I love WSS, they just did it a few years ago, so as Cabaret and Crazy For You. It's getting boring to see the same show over and over again even with different cast members.

And they need to hire some fresh faces, I just can imagine Max von Essex as Tony in WSS, and he is a great actor/singer but if you can start predicting who would be cast in a show (because they cast the same actors/actresses over and over again), that's not fun any longer.

[Delphine]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 9:32pm

Now, now, seeing Max again is NOT a problem for me.

[Cyndy]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 11:44pm

Have to agree Delphine.
I just saw Max sing selections from West Side Story with the Albany Symphony in NY and would love to see him play Tony in Sacramento this season. I like fresh faces too, but definitely not tired of seeing Max at Music Circus.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 12:02am

Max = boringest Jesus I've ever seen.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 5:57pm

^^ I disagree about Leland's departure. I've been going to Music Circus steadily for the past 11 years, and have worked for the company for the last 8 summers. The choices in shows has shown much more creativity since Leland left. Never in a million years would they have done The Scarlett Pimpernel when he was there, and -- while it's not in and of itself a terrific show -- it turned out to be one of the best things they've ever done there.

Not only that, but casting has been much more interesting in the past couple of years. Chalk that up to Leland's absence or the fact that actors no longer have to sweat to death in the 110 degree weather all summer, but I think it's true.

Plus the fact that Leland is an absolutely HIDEOUS director with appaulingly provincial attitudes when it comes to audience's tastes and what they will or won't accept.

And remember the term "show BUSINESS." Richard is indeed NOT stupid. He knows what will make money, what won't, and what he can afford to take a risk on. Beauty & the Beast will make a fortune, Grease and Once On This Island will be cheap to produce (saving money), and King & I will sell out months in advance. He knows his audience.

[lite2shine]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 1:51am

I agree, last season's line up was pretty exciting and they did have pretty good cast. (Except the boring JCS staging, it was like high school production, yikes, please ditch the director, Arima this year) The year before they did Ragtime and although it was minimumlist set, it was done decently for the round stage.

[Cyndy]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 5:15am

One thing that I did like about the JCS staging was the use of the different levels and configurations that the stage can handle. For example: the forming of the steps and the turning of the stage for when the high priests came on in their first number...and when sections of the stage "fell out" from under Judas just before he hung himself.

[Anastasia_Beaverhausen]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 9:56am

Oh Beaverhausen...I see that you being gone for so long has really given you a twisted view of what Music Circus is nowadays. :)

Music Circus is something many people take very seriously. You should come back and see something, you might notice that things aren't as you seem to think they are. The audiences are much more diverse now and younger people are flocking to see shows there. It might be because some shows, like Footloose last summer, are getting these younger audience members in to see the shows. It might be because of the great Broadway names we have been getting in the past few years. I know I saw less grey hair and glasses last summer than I ever have before.

I agree with Mr. Trinneer (HOT! BTW), Leland's departure is probably one of the best things that has happened to Music Circus in a long while. He was not a liked person and I know several people who have come to work there over the past few summers who would never do so before because of him.

So, before you start bashing something you haven't really participated in in a while, come and check it out! I think you will be pleasantly surprised! :)


Updated On: 2/2/05 at 09:56 AM

[truffleshuffle]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 11:23am

Beaverhausen,
I interned there a long time ago too! What year did you intern? Maybe we know each other. Sweet.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 12:48pm

If you haven't been there in that much time, I think you're in for a treat. They've LONG since abandoned the "star"/dinner theatre casting. You are no longer likely to see Greg Louganis in The Boy Friend, John Davidson in The Music Man, or Rich Little in Little Me. Ugh.

Thank goodness we now get the likes of Norm Lewis as El Gallo in The Fantasticks, Leah Hocking as Marguerite in The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Jennifer Cody as Ado Annie in Oklahoma -- all of whom were fantastic!

[lite2shine]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 9:21pm

>Thank goodness we now get the likes of Norm Lewis as El Gallo in The Fantasticks, Leah Hocking as Marguerite in The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Jennifer Cody as Ado Annie in Oklahoma -- all of whom were fantastic!

Totally agreed! Also I don't mind seeing John Schroder (sp?) at all, he is so talented, a true triple threat. He was so good in Oklahoma with Jennifer.