LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE
PRESENTS THE SECOND SHOW OF ITS 2018-2019 SEASON
Written by Peter Quilter
Musical Direction by Jon Steinhagen
Directed by Michael Matthews
THE FIREWORKS BEGIN SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
AT THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE IN LAGUNA BEACH!
“SENSATIONAL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!”
– New York Times
LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is thrilled to present the second show in its 98th season, Angela Ingersoll starring as Judy Garland in the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts/McCoy Rigby Entertainment production of the critically acclaimed END OF THE RAINBOW, written by Peter Quilter, with musical direction by Jon Steinhagen and directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews. Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, “Angela Ingersoll gives one of the most stunning and heartbreaking performances you will ever see as Judy Garland in her final days. It’s simply a tour-de-force performance that is not to be missed.” Adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, “We are honored to be presenting this extraordinary production under the exquisite direction of the incomparable Michael Matthews at our theatre. Prepare for an unforgettable evening with one of the most iconic performers of all time, Judy Garland!” END OF THE RAINBOW will begin previews on Wednesday, August 8; will open on Sunday, August 12 at 5:30 pm and perform through Sunday, September 2, 2018, at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.
Angela Ingersoll’s “powerful, breathtaking performance” (Broadway World) as Judy Garland returns to Southern California in Peter Quilter’s Tony-nominated END OF THE RAINBOW. It’s December 1968 and Judy Garland is about to make her comeback….again. In a London hotel room, with both her new young fiancé and her adoring accompanist, Garland struggles to get “beyond the rainbow” with her signature cocktail of talent, tenacity and razor-sharp wit.
Featuring some of Garland’s most memorable songs, “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want To Do it),” “For Me And My Gal,” “The Trolley Song,” ”The Man That Got Away,” and, of course, “Over the Rainbow,” this savagely funny play offers a unique insight into the inner conflict that inspired and consumed one of America’s most beloved figures.
Recommended for audiences 12 and older.
ABOUT THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
MICHAEL MATTHEWS (Director): Cabaret (Celebration Theatre), The Graduate (Laguna Playhouse), End of the Rainbow (McCoy-Rigby/La Mirada),12 Angry Men (Laguna Playhouse), Failure; a Love Story (CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre), Billy and Ray (Laguna Playhouse), Dream Boy (LA Premiere), Failure; a Love Story (Ovation Award Best Director) (LA Premiere), Sons of the Prophet (LA Premiere), Psyche; a Modern Rock Opera (World Premiere), Rabbit Hole (McCoy-Rigby/La Mirada), Funny Girl (3D Theatricals, Ovation Nomination Best Director), Peter Pan; The Boy Who Hated Mothers (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; LA Premiere), Very Still and Hard To See (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; World Premiere), The Color Purple, The Musical (Ovation and LA Weekly Awards Best Director and Best Production, Musical), What’s Wrong With Angry? (Ovation Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play), Take Me Out! (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director), The Women of Brewster Place, the Musical (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director, Ovation Award Best Production, Musical; West Coast Premiere), Stupid Kids (LA Premiere), Beautiful Thing (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production, Play), The Bacchae (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production, Play), Broadway: Butley (Assistant Director). Chicago: What’s Wrong With Angry? (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), In The Blood (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), Porcelain (Jeff Nomination, Best Director), The Judas Kiss (Chicago Premiere), Being 11 (World Premiere), and…for colored girls who have considered suicide…. International: The Bacchae (Edinburgh Theatre Festival, 2010). Michael is the recipient of the 2015 LADCC Award for Career Achievement in Direction and was nominated for Artist of the Year by the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance in 2018.
PETER QUILTER (Playwright) plays have been produced in 40 countries around the world and translated into 30 languages. He has had three successful shows in London’s West End, a hit run on Broadway, and has twice been nominated for the Olivier Award – for Best New Play and Best New Comedy. End Of The Rainbow had its world premiere at the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia in 2005. This was followed by productions in dozens of major cities, including Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, and Berlin. In 2010/2011, the show played a sold-out run in London before transferring to Broadway in 2012. The show ran for 176 performances at the Belasco Theatre, had a rave review in the New York Times, and received three Tony Award nominations. Peter is also the author of the much loved Florence Foster Jenkins comedy, Glorious! The play premiered at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End and has since been seen by over two million people in theatres across five continents. The play was part of the inspiration behind the recent movie about Florence starring Meryl Streep.
JON STEINHAGEN (Musical Director/Anthony) is thrilled to be making his Laguna Playhouse debut in End of the Rainbow; he previously appeared in the role in the Porchlight Music Theatre and McCoy Rigby Entertainment (at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts) productions. Jon has received four Joseph Jefferson Awards and eleven nominations for his work in Chicago theater as writer, actor, and music director, and won the Julie Harris Playwriting Award for his comedy The AnalyticalEngine.
Jon is an alumni Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists and a member of the Dramatists Guild. His plays and musicals have been produced nationally and in the UK, significantly the musicals The Next Thing and The Teapot Scandals and the plays Blizzard ’67, Successors, Devil’s Day Off, and the ACES trilogy. Favorite roles include The House of Blue Leaves (Artie), Sweet Smell of Success (J.J. Hunsecker), Mack & Mabel (Mack Sennett), 1776 (John Dickinson), Hedda Gabler (Judge Brack), The Odd Couple (Felix Unger),Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (Big Daddy), and The Man Who Came To Dinner (Sheridan Whiteside). He has authored a collection of stories, The Big Book of Sounds, and a forthcoming novel, The Hanging Artist.
ANGELA INGERSOLL (Judy Garland) garnered Chicago’s Jeff Award nomination, a Time Out Chicago Award nomination, and “Top Performances of the Year” honors from both Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times for her star turn as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow at Porchlight Music Theatre. A recipient of numerous awards and nominations, her theatre credits nationwide include: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Hedy LaRue) Marriott Theatre; Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) Notre Dame Shakespeare; The Game’s Afoot (Daria) Drury Lane Theatre; The Great Gatsby (Myrtle) Indiana Repertory; The Merry Wives of Windsor (Mistress Quickly), Richard III (Lady Anne) Chicago Shakespeare Theater; South Pacific (Nellie) Light Opera Works; Carousel (Julie) Madison Rep; The Secret Garden (Martha) Porchlight Music Theatre; Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza), Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), Jekyll and Hyde (Lucy),The Philadelphia Story (Tracy), and The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy) Playhouse on the Square. Comedy: Second City Hollywood. Television: Chicago PD (NBC). Angela and husband Michael Ingersoll produce the Artists Lounge Live concert series. Her many national concert credits include recently partnering with Garland’s son for Joey Luft and Angela Ingersoll Celebrate Judy Garland. Ingersoll also stars in her filmed concert Judy Garland: Come Rain or Come Shine, coming soon to Public Television. angelaingersoll.com.
The cast of END OF THE RAINBOW will also feature (in alphabetical order); Zachary Ford and Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper.
The Design Team for END OF THE RAINBOW is as follows: Scenic Design by Stephen Gifford; Lighting Design by Steven Young; Sound Design by Josh Bessom; Original Costume Design at Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago by Bill Morey & Props Design by Terry Hanrahan. Casting is by Julia Flores, and the Production Stage Manager is John W. Calder III.
The season is generously underwritten by The Hale Family.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
END OF THE RAINBOW will begin previews on Wednesday, August 8; will open on Sunday, August 12 at 5:30 pm and perform through Sunday, September 2, 2018, at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.
Performances will be Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Thursdays and Saturdays at 2 pm & 7:30 pm; Sundays at 1 pm $ 5:30 pm. There will no performance on Thursday, August 16 or Thursday, August 30 at 2 pm; Tuesday, August 21 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, August 18 at 2 pm or Sunday, August 26 at 5:30 pm.
Tickets range from $75 – $105 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. Prices subject to change. The box office is open Mondays – Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until showtime on performance days); Sundays: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.
Founded in 1920, the historic Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is proud to be an active participant in the celebrated Laguna Beach arts community. From classic plays and musical comedies to the current off-Broadway smash, cutting edge and traditional music exhibitions, dance festivals and stand-up comedy performances, Laguna Playhouse brings the magical experience of the performing arts direct to over 80,000 patrons each season.
Laguna Playhouse educational programming includes year-round classes, productions by and for children and teens (Youth Theatre) and is one of the few companies in the region that offer a curriculum-based professional theatre-touring program, TheatreReach, which aligns with the California State Standards for literature, history and performing arts curriculum.
Laguna Playhouse has been recognized in 2017, 2016 and 2015 as one of Orange County Register’s “Best of OC” in the category of Live Theatre, and has been recognized by OC Hotlist in their “Best Theatre Group” winning first place in 2017 and 2016. The Laguna Playhouse has featured many talented performers on stage, including Ed Asner, Leslie Caron, Hershey Felder, Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith, Val Kilmer, Gregory Harrison, Dan Lauria, Hal Linden, Wendie Malick, Rita Rudner, Charles Shaughnessy, French Stewart, Loretta Swit, and Bette Davis.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Niedle
David Elzer
DEMAND PR
