It is only appropriate that for a group that puts together a musical in 25 hours, that they celebrate their anniversary with a concert. That’s precisely what Musical Theatre Guild will be doing on Monday night at Rockwell Table and Stage in Los Feliz. MTG: Rewind finds the ensemble revisiting some of their greatest moments of their first 23 years.
Based at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Musical Theatre Guild celebrates musicals that didn’t succeed as much as other musicals have. They focus on shows and scores that just haven’t found their way into the popular repertoire.
During their 25 years, Musical Theatre Guild as performed such shows as Sugar, State Fair, Sweet Smell of Success, Triumph of Love, A Catered Affair, A New Brain and Once Upon a Mattress. Their very first show in 1996 was Say It With Music.
What’s interesting in combing through their production archives is that many of the shows that they have performed later found new life or were rediscovered. Falsettos, which will open soon at the Ahmanson Theatre (and previously played on Broadway in 2016-2017), was performed by MTG in 1998. On the Twentieth Century, a musical they performed in 1998, had a Broadway revival in 2015.
Musical Theatre Guild is the only organization in town that gives audiences a chance to hear songs and see shows thery’ll likely never hear anywhere else. Will there every be a Broadway revival of a show like Redhead? Irma La Douce? Fanny?
In May, MTG will present Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George on May 5th at the Alex Theatre.
The cast for this celebration will include Eydie Alyson, Eileen Barnett, Teri Bibb, Matthew Braver, Jill Marie Burke, Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Bryan Chesters, Will Collyer, Melissa Fahn, Joshua Finkel, Tal Fox, Anthony Gruppuso, Pamela Hamill, Barbara Carlton Heart, Kristi Holden, Paul Keith, Damon Kirsche, Carol Kline, Marsha Kramer, Ashley Fox Linton, Kevin McMahon, Glenn Rosenblum, Alyssa Simmons, Shannon Warne, Susan Watson, and Robert Yacko – actors and singers who have lengthy Broadway and National Tour experience. What they may lack in name value, they more than make up for in talent and passion. A passion for musicals that don’t have helicopters, animal costumes or jukeboxes as their inspiration.
MTG: Rewind is directed by Joshua Finkel.
For tickets for MTG: Rewind go here.
