Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre - The 25 th Anniversary Season Presents The Cat in the Castle
For 25 years, MUHLENBERG SUMMER MUSIC THEATRE (SMT) has created original stage productions, combining the talents of professional and emerging artists to create “Broadway at home in the Lehigh Valley.”Tuesday, June 28, 2005 01:59 PM
Each season, SMT presents not only 3 main stages, representing the best of American Musical Theatre, but also its annual children’s musical, bringing the experience to younger audiences across the region to inspire future artists and build future audiences. The children’s musical theatre attracts over 4,000 children, family, and friends each year. This summer, SMT presents Bill Solly’s The Cat in the Castle, directed by Joseph Stefanelli, which opens June 29 and runs through August 6. Performances are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10am & 1pm and Saturdays at 10am.
Stefanelli is a recent graduate from Muhlenberg and marks his 4 th season with SMT, having been featured in Once Upon a Time in New Jersey and assistant directing the SMT productions of Godspell, The Fantasticks, and Damn Yankees. He also recently directed the Muhlenberg Theatre Association’s production of Catholic School Girls, which was performed at the Region II American College Theatre Festival and received a nomination for Nationals at the Kennedy Center. The Cat in the Castle features both new and familiar faces to Summer Music Theatre. Hugo and Mimi are played by Will Porter and Kim David and Queen Gloria XIV is played by Jill Diamond, all of whom make their SMT debuts this season. Two returning actors to SMT are Joel Frank, who plays Ptommy the pterodactyl, and Michael Biren, who plays Lord Chamberlain Ham Hamwich, both of whom were seen in SMT’s Annie Get Your Gun last season.
First premiering in 1974, The Cat in the Castle is the silly story of Hugo and Mimi, two New York cats who stow away on an ocean liner, get thrown overboard, and end up in a fascinating but frightening kingdom. Queen Gloria XIV, who rules over the kingdom, is allergic to cats and orders her pet pterodactyl, Ptommy, to exterminate them mercilessly. While Hugo wants to leave the kingdom as fast as he can, Mimi, being a curious cat, smuggles herself into the castle by hiding in Lord Chamberlain Ham Hamwich’s coat. Chaos and disaster unfold in the castle, but Hugo, Ptommy, and the children in the audience come to her rescue in this fun and interactive show. With an energetic cast and amusing musical numbers, The Cat in the Castle invites its young audience to engage with the story and each other as they watch this charming tale unravel.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:
The Cat in the Castle was Bill Solly’s first children’s musical and ran for an unprecedented 3 years Off Broadway in New York City at the 13 th Street Theatre. A member of the Dramatists Guild, Solly began his career in Canada, writing for stars like Robert Goulet. In England, he wrote for Maurice Chevalier, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and many others, and had five productions in London's West End, including Danny La Rue. With co-author Donald Ward, Solly has produced The Great American Backstage Musical along with six other musicals, including the 1975 Off Broadway hit Boy Meets Boy, which has been revived often. On his own, Solly has written many musicals for children, of which the best-known is The Cat in the Castle, and in New York he runs BSCT (The Bill Solly Children's Theatre).
Season Ticket Information
The 2005 subscription season of Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre also includes the 3 main stages of George M! , Leonard Bernstein’s Candide , and My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra . George M! celebrates the life and work of George M. Cohan, Broadway’s most famous song and dance man and opens the season, running from June 15 to July 3. Candide, a hilarious adaptation of Voltaire’s novelette and winner of 5 Tony Awards in 1974, is onstage July 13 to 31. The Lehigh Valley premiere of My Way, conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson, is onstage July 27 to August 14.
Contact the Box Office at 484-664-3333 or visit the summer theatre website at www.summerbroadway.org to request a season brochure or to purchase tickets . The Box Office in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets for all shows are available online at any time. Mastercard and Visa are accepted for ticket purchases by phone or web.
