Christopher Ashley Archives - Cultural Attaché

Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville

Craig Byrd — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 21:36:21 +0000

If you know these songs: Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fins, Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes, Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Margaritaville, you are probably a Parrot Head. If you don’t know these songs or what a Parrot Head is, let me introduce you to Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville which opens this week at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood the next week.

Another jukebox musical, this one uses the party-friendly music of Buffett as a reason to put on the island t-shirts, the flip flops and dance to steel drum beats.

A love story is the center of the musical. An island hotel’s main entertainer, Tully (Chris Clark) is quite the ladies man. He’s not the settling down type. Not until a tourist named Rachel (Sarah Hinrichsen) enters the pictures and seems to disappear. It seems perhaps he might just have a soft spot in his heart after all.

Escape to Margaritaville began its life in 2017 at the La Jolla Playhouse directed by its Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. The show went to Broadway in 2018 where it ran for 124 performances.

The book was written by Mike O’Malley (Shameless) and Greg Garcia (Raising Hope.) Kelly Devine, who choreographed Come From Away, created the choreography for this show. Amy Anders Corcoran, who was associate and resident director of Escape to Margaritaville for Ashley, assumes the directing responsibilities for the tour.

For tickets at the Dolby Theatre go here.

Photo: The touring company of Escape to Margaritaville (Photo by Matthew Murphy/Courtesy of Segerstrom Center for the Arts)

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Diana

Craig Byrd — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 15:49:14 +0000

It was inevitable that someone would put together a musical about Princess Diana. In the case of Diana, currently having its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse, those somebodies are Joe DiPietro and David Bryan. They were the creators of the musical, Memphis. That show won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Diana will run through April 14th.

Diana officially opened last week after several weeks of previews. Jeanna de Waal (Kinky Boots) plays Diana. Prince Charles is played by Roe Hartrampf (Off-Broadway’s The Bad Guys). Camilla Parker Bowles is played by Erin Davie (Side Show) and Queen Elizabeth is played by Judy Kaye (Souvenir, Anastasia).

Judy Kaye in “Diana” (Photo by Little Fang)

As befitting a musical about the world’s fairytale princess, the show opens with a song called Once Upon a Time. Of course we know it won’t end with a song entitled Happily Ever After. But it doesn’t end with Paparazzi either. (Actually the last song is called If.)

Christopher Ashley, the Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse and also the director of Memphis, helms Diana. The choreography is by Kelly Devine (Come From Away). David Zinn (SpongeBob SquarePants) is the production designer and six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long (Hairspray) created the costumes.

It is probably a huge task to play someone as beloved as Princess Diana was. We all have our own ideas of who she was and how she acted. Queen Elizabeth, however, has been played memorably by multiple actresses. In the hands of the sublimely talented Judy Kaye, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her steal the show.

The La Jolla Playhouse has regularly seen its productions move to Broadway. There are very good odds Diana finds itself a home on the Great White Way next season.

Production Photos by Little Fang/Courtesy of La Jolla Playhouse

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Come From Away

Craig Byrd — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:57:34 +0000

When terrorists attacked American on September 11, 2001, many travelers found themselves suddenly re-directed to a Gander, Newfoundland, a town of only 9,000 residents. Almost 7,000 travelers made new friends amidst the chaos of that day. Perhaps more unexpected is that this story became the source of a hit musical. That show, Come From Away, received 7 Tony Nominations and is regularly selling out on Broadway. The touring production, which recently played the Ahmanson Theatre, now is playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts in Costa Mesa.

Come From Away was written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Christopher Ashley directed the show (and won a Tony Award for his efforts.) David Hein has said they wanted to tell the story of 16,000 people in a 100-minute musical with 12 actors.

Starring in the touring production of Come From Away are Kevin Carolan, Harter Clingman, Nick Duckart, Chamblee Ferguson, Becky Gulsvig, Julie Johnson, Christine Toy Johnson, James Earl Jones II, Megan McGinnis, Andrew Samonsky, Danielle K. Thomas, Emily Walton, Marika Aubrey, Jane Bunting, Michael Brian Dunn, Julie Garnyé, Adam Halpin and Aaron Michael Ray.

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The Squirrels

Craig Byrd — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 19:11:32 +0000

The Jets and the Sharks. The Montagues and the Capulets. The Hatfields and the McCoys. These are just a few of the best-known feuds. Enter the battle between rich Gray squirrels and outcast Fox squirrels. In Robert Askin’s new play, The Squirrels, an outsider enters the world of these two rival squirrels and all hell breaks loose. The comedy is having its world premiere now at the La Jolla Playhouse through July 8th.

Christopher Ashley, won won the Tony Award for his direction of the musical Come From Away, helms this production. The show stars Terence Archie, Candy Buckley, Sidney Hill, Lakisha May, Brad Oscar, Max Singer, Marcus Terrell Smith, Summer Spiro and Danielle E.B. Wineman.

The Squirrels comes with a warning: This show contains squirrels engaging in R-rated behaviors, violence and adult situations. Something tells me there’s a metaphor to be found in this show! They can’t all just be this nuts!

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