Now in its 53rd year, the Circus will kick off its first season in the Wells Fargo Pavilion with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, July 8-20. The World Goes 'Round: The Songs of Kander and Ebb follows July 22-27 with the classic baseball-themed musical Damn Yankees set for July 29 Aug. 3.
Another Lloyd Webber hit, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, plays Aug. 5-10, followed by Lerner and Loewe's Brigadoon (Aug. 12-17) and Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's The Will Rogers Follies (Aug. 19-24). The summer season concludes with Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and Terrence McNally's epic musical Ragtime, Aug. 26-31.
A host of Broadway veterans will be part of the seven-show theatre-in-the round season. Cats will feature the talents of Ken Page (Old Deuteronomy), Jacquelyn Piro (Grizabella) and Jeffry Denman (Munkustrap). The Cats company — under the direction of Leland Bell — will also include Don Alden, Jean Arbeiter, Jordan Bass, Danny Bergold, Richard Bulda, Dylis Croman, Lindsay Dunn, Megan Hart, Sloan Just, Jeff Lewis, Lauren Masiello, Michael McGurk, Michelle Pruiett, Richard Poole and Shane Rhoades. Suzanne Viverito will choreograph.
Those belting out the tunes of Kander and Ebb for the week-long run of The World Goes 'Round include Play On!'s Yvette Cason, Fosse's Jane Lanier, long-time Evita Valerie Perri-Lipson as well as Jekyll & Hyde's Joseph Mahowald and Sunset Boulevard's John Scherer. Glenn Casale will direct the production with choreography by Dan Mojica.
Crazy for You's James Brennan will head the cast of Damn Yankees as the devilish Mr. Applegate with "Days of Our Lives" star Kevin Spirtas as the robust Joe Hardy. Mary Ann Lamb — a Broadway veteran of Contact and Fosse — will step into the shoes of the late Gwen Verdon, playing the vampish Lola, and Company's Teri Ralston will portray Meg Boyd. Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs with choreography by Bob Richard. Max von Essen, who starred this past season in both Dance of the Vampires and the final company of Les Misérables, will star in the title role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Von Essen will be joined by Misty Cotton as the Narrator and Robert Gallagher as the Pharaoh. Leland Ball will serve as both director and choreographer of this Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice biblical tale.
Christopher Carl and Karen Culliver will reunite for the Music Circus' production of Brigadoon. Carl and Culliver starred as, respectively, Raoul and Christine in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Glen Casale will direct the musical, which also features Lance Roberts as Jeff and Tracy Lore as Meg; Bob Richard choreographs.
Bill O'Brien, who starred as Will Rogers in the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies, will reprise his role for the Music Circus production, which also features Elizabeth Ward Land as Rogers' wife Betty Blake. D.J. Salisbury will direct and choreograph with musical direction by David Evans.
Stafford Arima will direct the award-winning Ragtime, and the cast will be headed by Alan H. Green as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. Green, who has toured in productions of Smokey Joe's Cafe and Miss Saigon, will be joined by Into the Woods' Kerry O'Malley as Mother, Adam Heller as Tateh and Guy LeMonnier as Father. Candace Jennings will choreograph.
The Sacramento Music Circus is located at 1419 H Street in Sacramento, CA. Call (916) 557-1999 for tickets. For more information, visit www.californiamusicaltheatre.com
