{"id":88963,"date":"2019-05-22T13:16:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T17:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=88963"},"modified":"2019-05-22T13:16:33","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T17:16:33","slug":"muhlenberg-summer-music-theatre-plans-ambitious-39th-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=88963","title":{"rendered":"Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre plans ambitious 39th season"},"content":{"rendered":"

MSMT season features Cole Porter\u2019s \u2018Anything Goes,\u2019
\nLin-Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt\u2019s \u2018Bring It On,\u2019
\noriginal all-ages circus experience \u2018Bohemia
\n<\/i><\/span>
\nAllentown, Pa. (May 15, 2019) \u2014 This summer, tap dancing gangsters at sea, high-flying cheerleaders, and a world premiere fantastical circus experience come together into an ambitious summer season of professional theater on the campus of Muhlenberg College.<\/p>\n

The Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre season kicks off with \u201cBring it On: The Musical,\u201d June 13-30 \u2014 a pop musical loosely based on the 2000 film of the same title. The show features the work of some of Broadway\u2019s most celebrated playwrights and composers \u2014 including a score co-written by \u201cHamilton\u201d composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.<\/p>\n

Cole Porter\u2019s 1930s Jazz Age classic \u201cAnything Goes\u201d sets sail July 11-28, featuring a love triangle that leads to hijinx on the high seas \u2014 as well as dance numbers choreographed by acclaimed tap choreographer Shelley Oliver. Porter\u2019s beloved score includes such classic tunes as \u201cI Get a Kick Out of You\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re the Top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Circus director Noah Dach brings another of his original all-ages productions to the MSMT stage: \u201cBohemia,\u201d a world-premiere circus piece for all ages, June 26 \u2013 July 27. This hour-long show follows the record-breaking runs of Dach\u2019s \u201cWild\u201d and \u201cTAL: Beyond Imagination.\u201d A free 45-minute Imagination Workshop follows each performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll three shows, brilliant in their own right, are backed by Muhlenberg\u2019s innovative design and creative teams,\u201d says Charles Richter, MSMT\u2019s founding artistic director.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring It On: The Musical\u201d<\/b> takes audiences on a high-flying journey of friendship and forgiveness, set in the competitive world of high school cheerleading. Campbell is cheer-royalty at Truman High School, and her senior year should prove the best yet, as she’s been named captain of the cheerleading squad. But an unexpected redistricting has forced her to spend her final year of high school at the neighboring hard-knock Jackson High School. Despite having the deck stacked against her, Campbell befriends the dance crew girls and, along with their headstrong and hardworking leader, Danielle, manages to form a powerhouse squad for the ultimate competition \u2013 the National Championships.<\/p>\n

The show features music by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composers Lin-Manuel Miranda (\u201cHamilton\u201d) and Tom Kitt (\u201cNext to Normal\u201d), lyrics by Miranda and by Amanda Green (\u201cHigh Fidelity\u201d), and a book by Jeff Whitty (\u201cAvenue Q\u201d).<\/p>\n

The show is directed by James Peck, who brought Miranda\u2019s \u201cIn the Heights\u201d to the MSMT stage in 2016. It features choreography by Samuel Antonio Reyes and musical direction by Ed Bara, who also worked on \u201cIn the Heights.\u201d<\/p>\n

To coordinate the show\u2019s complex cheer routines, Muhlenberg alum Gabrielle Hines has come on board as the show\u2019s \u201ccheerographer.\u201d At Muhlenberg, Hines was a cheerleader and theater major, graduating in 2018. She is also a veteran of Peck\u2019s MSMT productions of \u201cIn the Heights\u201d and \u201cHair,\u201d as well as last season\u2019s \u201cBeauty and the Beast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot wait to see these two world collide on stage,\u201d she says. \u201cJim is the perfect ‘cheer dad’ for the cast of \u2018Bring It On.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole Porter\u2019s classic Jazz Age musical \u201cAnything Goes\u201d<\/b> stands among the most beloved of the 1930s, featuring timeless standards like \u201cI Get a Kick Out of You\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re the Top.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. Billy Crocker is a stowaway in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy #13, \u201cMoonface\u201d Martin, aid Billy in his quest to win Hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show is like a vacation,\u201d Says director Charles Richter. \u201cCole Porter\u2019s whimsical libretto conjures nostalgia for oceans you\u2019ve never crossed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show features musical direction by Bryan L. Wade and choreography by Shelley Oliver, an acclaimed tap choreographer and instructor.<\/p>\n

The all-ages circus experience \u201cBohemia\u201d <\/b>is the final chapter in Noah Dach\u2019s wildly successful trilogy of circus performances, following \u201cWild\u201d and \u201cTal: Beyond Imagination.\u201d Like its predecessors, the show features feats of aerial acrobatics, juggling, clowning, magic and dance, and is designed for the enjoyment of children and adults alike.<\/p>\n

The show tells the story of a group of childhood friends, dreaming of a spectacular future: space travel, spotlights, and true love. As their dreams unfold, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, making the brave leap together into an unknown future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever dreamt about what the future will look like this show is for you,\u201d Dach says.<\/p>\n

A Muhlenberg alum and adjunct faculty member in Muhlenberg\u2019s dance program, Dach says he\u2019s thrilled with the cast he has assembled for the production, which features several alumni of his past MSMT circus shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the best group we have yet,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring it On: The Musical\u201d runs June 13-30 in the Empie Theatre. \u201cAnything Goes\u201d runs July 11-28 in the Baker Theatre. Performances for both shows are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees the first Saturday and every Sunday.<\/b><\/p>\n

Tickets are $35 for the first four performances of each show, $41 thereafter, with discounts for seniors, students, youth, and groups of 15 or more.<\/p>\n

\u201cBohemia\u201d runs June 26 \u2013 July 27 in the Studio Theatre, with performances Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $11 for June performances, $13 for remaining performances, with group rates of $6 for non-profit groups and $8 for other groups.<\/p>\n

Tickets are available at muhlenberg.edu\/SMT<\/a>, or at box office at 484.664.3333, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is a highly selective, private, four-year residential college located in Allentown, PA., approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education and public health. A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.<\/p>\n

Muhlenberg offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance. The Princeton Review ranked Muhlenberg\u2019s theater program in the top twelve in the nation for eight years in a row, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theater and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theater and dance.<\/p>\n

Information Provided By:
\nScott Snyder
\nMarketing & Development Manager
\nMuhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance<\/p>\n

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