It's hard to believe that WHITE CHRISTMAS closes this weekend - we've had a great five weekend run of the show and audiences were very enthusiastic about the show. Initially, I had some concerns about a show with only one "kid" for the holiday season, but it's a family friendly show and the audiences have come each and every weekend. The cast has been thrilled with the audience response to the show, and I could not be more proud of the hard work of our cast. Audience members always comments on the tap dance number at the top of Act Two ("I Love a Piano") and I remind them that three of the women in the number had never tap danced ever before tapping for this number - it amazes them!
Although the show has not yet closed, I am already hard at work on our 2011 opening musical OKLAHOMA. After doing THE PRODUCERS (2008) and LES MISERABLES (2009), we've had two years of more traditional opening musicals - THE WIZARD OF OZ (2010) and OKLAHOMA (2011). The good news is that the last time we produced the show at MCT was 1978, and it's never been done in our current facility - the Cole Theatre. We've cast the show and had the first cast meeting, and we start full rehearsals on Sunday, January 2nd. Below is a photo of the model for Act One.
Finally, I will be dedicating my work on OKLAHOMA to the memory of Charles Dickey, our Musical Director for the opening musical since 2004 who passed away on Saturday, December 4, 2010. Charles always challenged our singers to work hard and do better, and he could be difficult to work with but he always produced great shows and was a true friend to me and the theatre. He will be missed!!
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