\n\u2018How to Succeed\u2026,\u2019 July 11-29<\/span>; world premiere circus performance, June 27 \u2013 July 28<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Allentown, Pa. (May 15, 2017) \u2014 Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre\u2019s 38th season features hilarious businessmen, dancing silverware, and high-flying theatrics, as two classic musicals and a world-premiere all-ages circus production take to the summer stage, starting June 14<\/span>.<\/p>\n To kick off the season, SMT presents modern Disney classic \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d<\/strong> June 14 \u2013 July 1<\/span>. The production will feature lavish scenic design, spectacular special effects, and \u201ca touch of Disney magic,\u201d says SMT Artistic Director Charles Richter \u2014 together with Alan Menken\u2019s beloved score.<\/p>\n Next up, Broadway star, TV personality and Muhlenberg alum Frankie Grande<\/strong> stars in \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,\u201d<\/strong> a comic send-up of corporate life in the 1960s, July 11-29<\/span>. \u201cHow to Succeed\u2026\u201d features a lively score by Frank Loesser, and won both the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.<\/p>\n For families, SMT teams up again with Atlas Circus Company to present \u201cTal: Beyond Imagination,\u201d<\/strong> a world-premiere circus piece for all ages, June 27 \u2013 July 29. The show features aerial acrobatics, juggling, comedy, and magic, and follows up Atlas\u2019s record-setting modern circus production \u201cWild,\u201d presented last summer. A free 45-minute activity workshop follows each performance.<\/p>\n After 38 years, Muhlenberg SMT continues to shine as a summer highlight in the Lehigh Valley, Richter says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be a spectacular season,\u201d says Richter, who will direct \u201cHow to Succeed\u2026.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve seen some exciting design drawings for both mainstage shows, and we have a great deal of talent on board for the entire season.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d<\/strong> runs June 14 \u2013 July 1<\/span> in Empie Theatre, on a special family-friendly performance schedule: Thursday<\/span> and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday<\/span> at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.<\/span>, and Sunday<\/span> at 2 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow to Succeed\u2026\u201d<\/strong> runs July 11-29<\/span> in Baker Theatre, performing Wednesday<\/span> through Saturday<\/span> at 8 p.m.<\/span> and Sunday<\/span> at 2 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTal: Beyond Imagination\u201d<\/strong> runs June 27 through July 28<\/span> in the Studio Theatre, with performances on Wednesday<\/span> and Thursday<\/span> at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday<\/span> 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n Tickets are available online at muhlenberg.edu\/SMT<\/a>, or from the box office at 484-664-3333 or in person.<\/strong><\/p>\n The musical score of \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d<\/strong> combines Alan Menken and Howard Ashman\u2019s 1991 film score with new songs by Menken and Tim Rice. Nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d tells a \u201ctale as old as time\u201d \u2014 Belle is a beautiful, bookish young woman, trapped in a town where no one understands her; the Beast is a vain young prince trapped under the spell of the enchantress he wronged. The curse is reversible, but time is running out. Will Belle help the Beast break the spell, or are he and his enchanted household forever doomed?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Award-winning director Gary John La Rosa<\/strong> helms his first SMT production. La Rosa\u2019s directing credits include well over 150 productions, including National Tours of \u201cFootloose\u201d and \u201cBeehive,\u201d numerous prominent regional credits, and several Off-Broadway productions, including \u201cMarry Me a Little,\u201d \u201cPins and Needles,\u201d \u201cAnother Day in Paradise,\u201d and \u201cCarnival.\u201d<\/p>\n Joining La Rosa are musical director Ed Bara<\/strong>, choreographer Ann Cooley<\/strong>, scenic designer Edward T. Morris<\/strong>, and lighting designer Gertjan Houben<\/strong>. Illusionist David Caserta, a Muhlenberg alum, will serve as magic consultant for the production.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Beauty and the Beast\u2019 is a beloved stage musical that has charmed theatregoers for more than two decades,\u201d La Rosa says. \u201cOur production features a glorious cast, full orchestra, extraordinarily beautiful production values and effects. It\u2019s something we all could use more of right now, and I am thrilled to make my SMT debut with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical, \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying\u201d<\/strong> follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, an ambitious young businessman working as a window washer for the World Wide Wicket corporation. By using tips and tricks from a handy little handbook, Finch quickly rises through the ranks until, somehow, he finds himself in the corner office, with all the perks and responsibilities that come with it.<\/p>\n Broadway performer and TV and web personality Frankie Grande<\/strong> stars as Finch. Grande, a 2005 Muhlenberg alum, appeared on Broadway in \u201cRock of Ages\u201d and \u201cMamma Mia\u201d \u2014 as well as the 16th season of the popular CBS reality TV competition \u201cBig Brother\u201d (he finished fifth).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m extremely excited about returning to my alma mater, working with my amazing professors, and being part of Muhlenberg Theatre& Dance once again,\u201d Grande says. \u201cI believe the program to be the absolute best in the nation!\u201d<\/p>\n Richter directs the production, with musical director Bryan L. Wade<\/strong>, choreographer Karen Dearborn<\/strong>, scenic designer John Raley<\/strong>, costume designer Hunter Kaczorowski<\/strong>, and lighting designer Gertjan Houben<\/strong>.<\/p>\n From the creators of last summer\u2019s \u201cWild\u201d <\/strong>comes a new<\/em> all-ages circus experience, \u201cTal: Beyond Imagination\u201d \u2014 a tale of dreamers and eccentrics who gaze up at the stars in search of something more. Through high-flying aerial acrobatics, dance, juggling, comedy, and magic, TAL<\/em> invites you along on a journey of imagination \u2014 to a world of color and wonder, where you\u2019ll experience the imagination of a child and the feeling of infinite possibility just within reach.<\/p>\n \u201cMy aim with this show is to bring the audience and cast together in such a way that they experience the show together,\u201d says creator and director Noah Dach<\/strong>, a 2016 Muhlenberg graduate. \u201cI think it will resonate for a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n Patrons can join the cast after the show for a free 45-minute Circus Activity Workshop, to learn circus skills and explore themes of the show through movement and storytelling. Group size is limited, and advance registration is suggested. Daytime workshops are recommended for ages 4-12; evening workshops are for all ages, children and adults.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Special accessible performances <\/strong>are available for all three productions. Audio Description and Open Captioning will be available for \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d on Sunday, June 24<\/span>, and for \u201cHow to Succeed\u2026\u201d on Sunday, July 15<\/span>, both at 2 p.m.<\/span> A Relaxed (Sensory Friendly) performance of \u201cTal: Beyond Imagination,\u201d for children with Autism and other sensory processing challenges, will be offered Saturday, June 30<\/span>, and Wednesday, July 25<\/span>, both at 10 a.m.<\/span> Tickets and information about accessible performances is available at 484-664-3087 (for accessible shows only), or boxoffice@muhlenberg.edu.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Founded in 1981, Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre <\/strong>is in its 38th season of bringing world-class professional musical theatre productions to the Lehigh Valley at reasonable ticket prices. SMT productions feature accomplished professional directors, choreographers, and designers, as well as large professional orchestras. Performers include Equity guest artists, talented community members, and students in Muhlenberg College\u2019s acclaimed Theatre & Dance Department, ranked one of the best programs of its kind in the country. More information about SMT and the Theatre & Dance Department is available at muhlenberg.edu\/theatreanddance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. SMT also receives funding from a Lehigh County Quality of Life grant.<\/p>\n Additional funding and support comes from the Dexter F. & Dorothy H. Baker Foundation, the William B. Butz Memorial Fund, the Morning Call, RCN, Albarell Electric, Inc., Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Davison & McCarthy, P.C., Lehigh Valley Style, and the Lehigh Valley Educators Credit Union.<\/p>\n Summer Music Theatre tickets are available at muhlenberg.edu\/SMT<\/a>, or 484-664-3333.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information Provided By: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nScott Snyder
\nMarketing Manager
\nMuhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance<\/p>\n
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