It seems like people always wait until they take a trip to New York to go to a Broadway Show.  But right here in Los Angeles are some of the most wonderful shows to see – especially those you may have missed the first time around!

Reprise! Broadway’s Best at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse presents classic musicals of the last century.  The casts include many celebrated Broadway performers and well-known actors working in Hollywood.

I grew up dancing around my living room to the sound tracks from many old musicals.  One I was lucky enough to catch recently was the closing show for Reprise’s tenth season —“No Strings,” starring Scott Bakula and Sophina Brown.

This 1962 musical features a book by Samuel Taylor and score by Richard Rodgers. It’s the only show for which Rodgers wrote both the music and the lyrics, including it’s most well known song, “The Sweetest Sounds.”  The simple plot revolves around a Pulitzer prize-winning novelist with writer’s block who findslove with a high-fashion model in Paris.   Ultimately, they both realize that they have to part – “no strings” – so that she can continue her European fashion career and he can return home to Maine to regain his writing chops.  The costumes by Bob Mackie and Joe McFate were amazing.  All the women in the ladies room were oohing and ahhing about them – and they were truly the icing on the musical cake!

Reprise! also has a series of “Marvelous Musical Mondays,” where the actors perform the show with scripts in hand – but the truth is, it doesn’t matter – there’s a fun and spontaneity to it that’s electrifying.  “It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … it’s Superman!” was one of the most fabulous evenings I’ve had in years.  The performers included the always funny Richard Kind, in a part that seems written just for him – although he was probably just a little kid when itfirst came out.  Richard was soooo funny and soooo brilliant in this – it was absolutely a one-of-a-KIND (pun intended) evening.  All the other actors were fabulous as well, including Cheyenne Jackson as the dual lead, Superman and Clark Kent.  Cheyenne is a total hottie, who can act and sing up a storm, too!  Patrick Cassidy was sensational reprising the role that his father created on Broadway and an extra special treat was composer Charles Strouse narrating.

Reprise! Broadway’s Best has a phenomenal new 11 th season coming up August 16, 2007 thru May 18, 2008.  They begin with Rodgers and Hart’s ON YOUR TOES, which was the first Broadway musical to integrate classical dance into the plot, with songs like “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” and “There’s a Small Hotel.”  Next, is the not-to-be-missed 1950’s baseball-meets-dance musical comedy, DAMN YANKEES, with a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.  You’ll recognize songs like “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Heart” as in “You’ve got to have heart…” along with others that aren’t as familiar – but just as wonderful.  Then, based on the famous comic strip by Al Capp, is the witty musical satire, LI’L ABNER.  Their season ends with FLORA, THE RED MENACE, which was the first collaboration between John Kander and Fed Ebb and starred a young Liza Minelli when it first came out.  It will be exciting to see who will be performing with Reprise! Broadway’s Best. There will be a season of Marvelous Musical Mondays, too – shows to be announced soon.

So save your money.  Instead of plane tickets to New York – just drive over to Westwood to see the best Broadway shows.

Reprise
Broadway’s Best

Order tickets online at
www.reprise.org
Phone: 310-825-2101