Chat: Signature Theatre Arlington VA 10/30-12/23/18

[ERinVA]

Thanks for the supporting link, Chris.

[CJ-Rochester]

Liam and Owen wish us a Happy World Ballet Day.

https://www.facebook.com/sigtheatre/vid ... 74c3BV40kE

[CJ-Rochester]

The full cast has been announced.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/washingto ... T-20181002

The production will star Signature newcomers Liam Redford and Owen Tabaka alternating in the title role. Redford and Tabaka will be joined by Nancy Anderson (Broadway's Sunset Boulevard, Signature's Side by Side by Sondheim) as Mrs. Wilkinson, Jacob Thomas Anderson (National Tour Matilda The Musical) as Michael Caffrey, Catherine Flye (Shakespeare Theatre's Secret Garden, Arena Stage's Oliver!) as Grandma, Chris Genebach (Olney's The Crucible, Shakespeare Theatre's Hamlet) as Jackie Elliot, Dan Manning (Signature's Silver Belles, Road Show) as George, Grant Richards (National Yiddish Theatre's Fiddler on the Roof, National Tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella) as Adult Billy, Sean Watkinson (Signature's Miss Saigon, Lyric Theatre's West Side Story) as Tony Elliot, Eileen Ward (Olney's Mary Poppins, Carousel) as Mum and Olivia McMahon (Olney's Annie) and Vivian Poe (Imagination Stage's Beauty and the Beast), alternating in the role of Debbie Wilkerson.

The adult ensemble is rounded out by Kurt Boehm (Signature's Crazy for You), Jamie Eacker (Signature's Titanic), Sean Fri (Signature's The Threepenny Opera), Daniel S. Hines (The Guthrie Theater's South Pacific), Vincent Kempski (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar), Solomon Parker III (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar), Harrison Smith (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar), Kedren Spencer (Shakespeare Theatre's The Tempest), and Stephawn P. Stephens (Signature's Dreamgirls). Swings include Calvin Malone (Olney's South Pacific), Emily Madden (Olney's On the Town), Jane Petkofsky (Theater Alliance's The Events), and Daniel Powers (Virgina Repertory's West Side Story).

The children ensemble, which alternates performances, includes Franco Cabanas (Ford's A Christmas Carol), Sofia A. Cruz (Olney's Annie), Annie Dodson, Declan Fennell, Malcolm Fuller (Druid Theatre Company's Waiting for Godot), Anya Katherine Jones (The MUNY's Jersey Boys), Harrison MacInnis, Molly Rose Meredith (Annie National Tour), Dulcie Pham (Ford's Ragtime), Noelle Robinson (Ford's A Christmas Carol), Sissy Sheridan (Olney's Annie), Simone Straub-Clark (NextStop Theatre's A Charlie Brown Christmas), Maya Stumpf, and Simone Warren(Olney's Annie).

[kport]

A Ballet Girl vlogs about the rehearsal process (and more) for this show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6JEtw0dMsg

[CJ-Rochester]

This video shows Liam and Owen in rehearsal as they learn to fly.

https://www.facebook.com/sigtheatre/vid ... NUmQ&__xts__

[CJ-Rochester]

Here's a great promo video featuring Owen. It makes you think back to the original movie, and wish for the long rumored movie of the musical.

https://www.facebook.com/sigtheatre/vid ... 782/?__xts__

[CJ-Rochester]

Here's the same promo video but featuring Liam Redford as Billy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qm68vT2hzs

[kport]

A BWW interview with Matthew Gardiner:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/washingto ... T-20181019

[tzwicky]

"They" say ..... "Once a Billymaniac, always a Billymaniac."

No sooner had I booked to see BETM in Allentown than I scooped up several seats for the Arlington iteration of the show.

The clincher for me (well, one of the clinchers) was that the Signature Theatre folks have Pride Nights at their venues. And one of them happens during the BETM run (Dec. 14). Such a pleasant surprise!

The anticipatory nods to Liam Redford's Billy based on his previous performance in the Williamstown as noted by other Billymaniacs made for a second clincher.

And the final clincher had to be the Backstage Billy tour. These Signature people know how to market a show.

So pleased to be seeing three performances of BETM, checking out the backstage nooks and crannies and mixing with the hoi poloi of the Arlington GLBTQI community.

I am trying to ignore the constant threat of winter weather by using direct flights, not renting a car (I've never driven in snow) and staying at the hotel adjacent to the theatre. If I wanna check out one of the new museums in DC, I'll cab it. No luggage. Just a carry-on.

tzwicky

[andrewcraig]

http://www.arlingtonconnection.com/news ... e-arlingt/

Signature Theatre is presenting “Billy Elliot The Musical” through Jan. 6, 2019. Tickets are $40 to $102. Show times are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Specialty Nights are Discussion Nights, Dec. 5 and 11; Pride Night, Dec. 14; and Open Captioning, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. The venue is located at 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Visit http://www.sigtheatre.org