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The Light in the Piazza Shines Bright @NCartmuseum #NCMA presented by @TheatreRaleigh thru 7/14

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Last night I had the pleasure of seeing performing arts amongst art as Theatre Raleigh partnered with NCMA to present “The Light in the Piazza”. 

Based on Chapel Hill resident Elizabeth Spencer’s novella, the Tony Award–winning musical centers on a chance meeting between Clara, a childlike young woman who travels from Winston-Salem to the “land of naked marble boys” aka Italy with her mother, and Fabrizio, a handsome Florentine. The Light in the Piazza takes place in Italy in the summer of 1953. Margaret Johnson (Judy McLane), the wife of an American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara (Hilary Maiberger). 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 (Conor Ryan), 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.

Bravissimo! to Eric Woodall, Director and the cast/crew for doing an amazing job of transporting the audience to Italy by way of stories, statues and stellar performances! Theatre Raleigh is known for its intimate and invigorating presentations, so partnering with NCMA to bring this musical love story to life and staging it amid the beautiful Italian and ancient Roman sculpture in the Museum’s Classical Court was brilliant! 

If you are in RALEIGH, NC, this show is a must see!  July 6-10 (all performances sold out *as of 7/6/16 , a few seats have been released and on the day of each performance, just 10 standing room tickets will be made available on Theatre Raleigh’s website for just $20) and July 11-14 (the 14th is sold out).  Tickets are $32.50 adults and $30.50 senior/student/military. NCMA members $27.50- $30 adults and $28 senior/student/military and are available at http://www.theatreraleigh.com. Group rates available by calling the box office – 919-832-9997. Be sure to check out Theatre Raleigh 2016 Hot Summer Night Series to see what other performances are happening this summer before it sells out! 

Here are a few pictures captured prior to the performance/during intermission ..enjoy! 

#OutandAboutAva enjoys The Wolf @theatre_raleigh #TRTheWolf #Raleigh #FamilyFun #soNCsavvy

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Hey Raleigh….are you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Well there is nothing to fear but lots to cheer for at this family friendly performance of The Wolf! This encore production is back by popular demand and runs from March 3-20 at the Kennedy Theatre.

Theatre Raleigh‘s Theatre for Young Audiences production of The Wolf is “a story of courage, redemption and baked goods.” The Wolf, played by the talented Quincy Ellis, is the antagonist from all your favorite Fairy Tales…  Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Remember all those cautionary tales from our childhood? Well now you have the opportunity to join Peter, Little Red and the Three Little Pigs as they band together to defeat the Wolf!

This Saturday, I attended the 3 pm show with my husband and 4 yr old daughter who was a bit concerned if the show was going to be “scary”. I assured her the wolf was not real and by the end of the show she was quite a fan of the wolf!
Our physical proximity to the production added a unique level of intimacy rarely seen in today’s performing arts. The story was told on a level that the kids could comprehend. Dancing and music are interwoven seamlessly in the play. 
We watched the animals do popular dances like the “whip and nae nae ” on the farm. That was some very clever choreography to modernize these childhood classics and bring these stories up to date!
We got a chance to briefly meet Director/Choreographer, Lauren Kennedy and like her I am extremely excited about what Theatre Raleigh has planned for their new Family Series!
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The Wolf is a celebration of the power of teamwork and determination. Great life lessons to learn for the whole family. Tickets are $15/adults and $10/children and are available at http://www.theatreraleigh.com.   Group rates available by calling the box office – 919-832-9997.

So grab the kids, tell your friends and plan to see a great show that brings dance, theatre and imagination together in a whole new way!
Here is some video to wet your appetite:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXmItXsZ4Ak&feature=youtu.be

  

DREAMGIRLS Dazzles! @TheatreRaleigh #trdreamgirls~ Review by SobeSavvy.Com #soNCsavvy

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Catch the dream when Theatre Raleigh presents Dreamgirls at Kennedy Theatre on July 8-26 (July 8 Preview Night, July 9 Opening Night). Don’t miss this amazing production and the next installment of the Hot Summer Nights series.

Tickets are on-sale now- $27 for adults, $25 for seniors/students/military. You can purchase at http://www.theatreraleigh.com
Group discounts are available and can be purchased at Theatre Raleigh Box Office:919-832-9997
“What an undertaking!!! But I’m beyond thrilled to be directing our biggest show to date, along side a terrific team including Broadway dancer and our choreographer Abbey O’Brien,” said Director, Lauren Kennedy. ‘We are downsizing the cast but it will feel like we are busting the 133 seat Kennedy Theatre wide open and raising the roof with these 18 actors singing to the rafters.”

Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, the sensational Dreamgirls tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl singing group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. A young female singing trio from Chicago, Effie (Brittany Walters), Deena (Alexis Sims) and Lorrell (Dorian McCorey) get their big break at an amateur competition and begin singing backup vocals for James “Thunder” Early (Christian Thompson). However, things begin to spin out of control when their agent, Curtis Taylor, Jr.(Lawrence Street), makes Deena and not Effie, the star of what will become known as “The Dreams.” With music by Academy® Award nominee Henry Krieger and book and lyrics by Tony® and Grammy® Award winner Tom Eyen, Dreamgirls features the unforgettable hits: “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and “One Night Only”. This Tony® and Academy® Award winning musical sparkles like never before!

EVERYONE in this production puts on a stellar performance. Brittany Walters, as Effie and Christian Thompson, as Jimmy are the soul of the show.

The size of the theatre compliments the play to perfection. Intimacy is often lost in huge broadway or arena size productions, not so here. The sheer physical proximity to the actors lends to itself an authenticity that is missing from far too many big productions.

You have two more nights to catch Dreamgirls. Get your tickets NOW !!

Cast

Brittany Walters – Effie

Alexis Sims – Deena

Dorian McCorey – Lorrell

Destiny Diamond – Michele

Christian Thompson – Jimmy

Jade Arnold – CC

Lawrence Street – Curtis

Gil Faison – Marty

Ben Pluska – Dave/Security Guard

Ahmad Ratliff – Ensemble

Josh Walker – Ensemble

Shaun-Avery Williams – Ensemble

Michael Blake – Ensemble

Sherida McMullan – Ensemble

Terra Hodge – Ensemble

Leilani Carr – Ensemble

Meagan Chieppor – Sweethearts

Lisette Glodowski – Sweethearts

 

Crew

Director – Lauren Kennedy

Stage Manager – Christine Scardino

Choreographer – Abbey O’Brien 

Music Director – Bryan Pheobus

Rehearsal Pianist – Lori Anderson 

Scenic Design – Chris Bernier

Lighting Design – Thomas Mauney

Costume/Properties Design – Denise Schumaker

Sound Design – Eric Collins 

Assistant to the Director – John Ravenscraft

Assistant Choreographer – Lisette Glodowski

Hair and Makeup Mistress – Joyce Hawkins

Sound Intern – Alex Bainbridge

Spot Op #1 – Joanna Mills

Spot Op #2 – Jamella Chantal

Wardrobe #1 – Emily Johns

Wardrobe #2 – Sophie Raymer

PA #1 – Dustin Walker

PA #2 – Kimberly Fiorentino
Remaining 2015 Hot Summer Nights Season:

Sleuth (Kennedy Theatre): August 5-16 

Carousel- In Concert (Fletcher Theatre): August 27-30

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About Theatre Raleigh

The mission of Theatre Raleigh, Inc. is to produce work with an artistic scope that includes musical theatre, drama, comedy, concerts, theatre for young audiences, as well as the development of new theatrical projects. Theatre Raleigh, Inc. will nurture a tradition of intimate, professional live performances while enhancing, stimulating and providing opportunities to our community, thus contributing to its vitality.
Theatre Raleigh, Inc. is the umbrella institution under which the Hot Summer Nights Series, along with a planned Theatre for the Young Series and Backstage at the Kennedy Music Series, operates with the goal of providing audiences diverse programming in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information please go to http://www.theatreraleigh.com.