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That Broadway sound
Broadway actors to give concerts in New Hampshire
By Heidi Masek hmasek@hippopress.com
Built in 2002, the 881-seat Stockbridge Theatre is an impressive space.
“It’s funny, because most people don’t even know that we’re here, unfortunately, still,” said Arts Facility Director Matthew Cahoon. Yet they have “all free parking in the world,” he said. The venue is part of Pinkerton Academy, and usually a third of its performances are by students, another third are rentals and the last third are presented by the Stockbridge.
This is their biggest season booked to date, Cahoon said. They have broken it into different series, including one of Broadway actors who will perform concerts at the Stockbridge.
Adam Pascal starts it off. Pascal originated Roger in Rent, and performed in Aida as Rademes, and as the Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway. He also was cast in the movie version of Rent, along with SLC Punk and School of Rock. He will be at the Stockbridge (44 North Main St. in Derry), Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. with his band to perform Broadway songs and a few original compositions. He recently released a CD.
Ticket costs range from $15 for students to $22, but Pinkerton students receive a $5 discount, so they pay $10. Call 437-5210 or see www.stockbridgetheatre.com to reserve.
“I think the students know what to expect,” Cahoon said. The Stockbridge has presented many such shows, and its members spend a lot of time promoting them to the students, he said. Stockbridge has arranged talk-backs and VIP receptions in the past. Often, they plan workshops or master classes with visiting professionals for the students. The school has been supportive of increasing the number of acts that the Stockbridge brings in, Cahoon said.
John Tartaglia, who was in the original cast of Avenue Q, has “kind of reinvented himself” as a children’s performer, Cahoon said. Currently, he’s on the Disney Channel show Johnny and the Sprites. Hence, Tartaglia stages a children’s performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, followed by a show with Broadway music at 7:30 p.m.
Composer Jason Robert Brown visits Friday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. with his band, the Caucasian Rhythm Kings. Brown composed Parade, and wrote it with Alfred Uhry. His first musical was Songs for a New World. He was the composer and lyricist for The Last Five Years. His latest, 13, which he wrote with Dan Elish, started running in New York in September.
It’s “a big deal right now amongst the high school set,” Cahoon said. It’s written to be cast with 13 13-year-olds, Cahoon said.
Brown and his band performed at the Stockbridge in December 2007 for a Yellow Taxi Productions fundraiser. “They had a great time here,” Cahoon said. Brown has a wide spectrum of show and nonshow music that he has composed, Cahoon said.
The Moore Center, a nonprofit human services agency based in Manchester, is also hosting Broadway actors, in this case at its annual meeting, which is open to the public. Paul Boynton, the president and CEO, has a son who worked on Broadway and got to know Tshidi Manye, an actress in The Lion King, said David Johnson of the Moore Center. Boynton met her and she became interested in meeting Moore Center clients, Johnson said.
She’ll be singing with Horace Rogers, who is in the touring cast of The Color Purple, and their son Mpho Manye, selections from The Lion King, Johnson said.
The theme for the evening is “Circle of a Good Life,” because the Moore Center “essentially serves people from birth to death,” Johnson said. They have a childcare center, serve people with developmental disabilities and have options for seniors.
A few weeks ago, Johnson and three staff members took three clients on a day trip to New York, where they took a backstage tour with Manye, saw the matinee and had dinner with the actress. The Moore Center wanted to connect the show and Manye’s work directly to the clients, Johnson said. They were able to find local businesses to help them get there. They chose clients who were a little older and had never had such an experience, Johnson said. Video from the trip will be shown at the annual meeting, which takes place at C.R. Sparks on Monday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $65. Call 206-2722 or see www.moorecenter.org.
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