Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6608
40 LIVEMAGS.NET FEBRUARY>>10 la mirada theatre presents: the 25th annual putnam county spelling bee The La Mirada Theater has been entertaining audiences with music and comedy for decades since its transition from movie theater to theater of performing arts in 1977. For years they have provided one of Southern California's best venues for performances that have enthralled audiences of all ages. Now presenting their third production of the 2009/2010 season the La Mirada Theater hasn't missed a beat with the fun and exciting performance: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This Tony Award-winning musical features music and lyrics by William Finn illustrating on stage the book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, additional material by Jay Reiss. Choreography was done by DJ Gray with musical direction by David O and directed by Jeff Maynard. Performances are set to begin on Friday, February 5 (with a press opening on Saturday, February 6) and will run through Sunday, February 21 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee depicts the story of six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, as they learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. This hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicles the experience of six adolescent outsiders all vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The show's Tony Award-winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming set of outcasts for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in all at once making this performance a roller coaster of music and fun. This one of a kind piece has assembled some of the best creative minds in the business and is sure to not disappoint. William Finn, writer and composer of Falsettos, a piece for which he received two Tony Awards, one for Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and the other for Best Original Score, has also written and composed In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland. His awards include the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, two Los Angeles Drama Critic's Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, the Lucille Lortel Award, and the Guggenheim Fellowship in Musical Composition. Finn is a graduate of Williams College where he was awarded the Hutchinson Fellowship for Musical Composition and now teaches a weekly master class at the NYU Tisch Graduate Program in Musical Theatre Writing. Jeff Maynard directed last season's Pulitzer Prize winning Lost In Yonkers for La Mirada Theatre. In addition Jeff is proud to be a founding member of Buffalo Nights Theatre Company, having directed, acted or produced over 15 productions including: The Final Judgment, Modigliani, Meat, Anatol, Salome, Sophistry and The Madman & The Nun. He won a Drama-Logue Award for Max Frisch's The Firebugs, a Backstage West award for The Apollo of Bellac and LA Weekly's Revival Production of the Year award for Modigliani. DJ Gray was the Associate Choreographer with Tony nominated, Xanadu and has performed on Broadway in The Producers. Her regional Theatre choreography includes; Barrington Stage and North Shore, with associate choreographer credits on, Papermill Playhouse's Godspell, Candlelight Pavilion's 42nd Street, A Chorus Line, Big River, Musical Theater West's Little Shop of Horrors and PHANTOM's Moonlight. She even worked on Emmy nominated Stephen Colbert's Christmas Special. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will begin performances on Friday, February 5 (with a press opening on Saturday, February 6) and runs for three weeks through Sunday, February 21. Performances will be 7:30pm Tuesdays- Thursdays; 8pm on Fridays. La Mirada Theater will also have two shows on Saturday at 2pm and 8pm and shows at 2pm and 7pm on Sundays. There will be no matinee performance on Saturday, February 6 and no evening performance on Sunday, February 7. There will be a talk-back session following the performance on Tuesday, February 9. Tickets range from $35 - $50 and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre's website, www.lamiradatheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Student, Senior, Children and group discounts are available. Don't miss this smash-hit musical comedy that can only be spelled one way: F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C! Writer>>daniel albert INFO La Mirada Theatre 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada (562) 944-9801 | lamiradatheatre.com