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Dorothy J. Esser Foundation

62nd Season 2004-2005

ALL PERFORMANCES AT 7:30 P.M.



PERFORMANCES: September 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 2004
The world's greatest love story takes to the streets in this landmark Broadway musical that is one of the theatre's finest accomplishments. Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' is transported to modern-day New York City, as two young idealistic lovers find them- selves caught between warring street gangs, the 'American' Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. Its exciting, sophisticated score by Bernstein and Sondheim is often considered Broadway's finest, its songs part of the nation's musical heritage. As originally staged by the legendary Jerome Robbins, the show is an impressive showcase for accomplished dancers.
Opened in September 1957 and ran 732 Performances.
MUSICAL NUMBERS: Maria * Tonight * America * Cool * I Feel Pretty * Somewhere * Gee, Officer Krupke! * A Boy Like That *
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Arthur Laurents
Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, based on a concept by Jerome Robbins
REVIEWS and CAST




PERFORMANCES: November 18, 19, 20, 26, 27 &
December 3, 4, 2004
East versus West makes for a dramatic, richly textured and ultimately uplifting tale of enormous fascination. It is 1862 in Siam when an English widow, Anna Leonowens, and her young son arrive at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. The King is largely considered to be a barbarian by those in the West and he seeks Anna's assistance in changing his image, if not his ways. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and, eventually, respect one another, in a truly unique love story. Along with the dazzling score, the incomparable Jerome Robbins ballet, "The Small House of Uncle Thomas," is one of the all-time marvels of the musical stage. MUSICAL NUMBERS: I Whistle A Happy Tune * Hello, Young Lovers * Getting To Know You * I have dreamed * Shall We Dance?
Music by Richard Rodgers; Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on 'Anna And The King Of Siam' by Margaret Landon
CAST and REVIEWS

PERFORMANCES: February 24, 25, 26, March 4, 5, 11, 12, 2005
A classic love story is brought up-to-date in one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time. In Miss Saigon, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michael Schönberg (the creators of Les Misérables), along with Richard Maltby, Jr., bring Puccini's Madame Butterfly into the modern world in a moving testament to the human spirit a nd a scathing indictment of the tragedies of war. In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, an American soldier and a Vietnamese girl fall in love, only to be separated during the fall of Saigon. Their struggles to find each other over the ensuing years ends in tragedy for her and a fighting chance for the child he never knew he had. An international sensation, Miss Saigon is an epic, daring pop opera that is universal in its emotional power even as it deals with controversial, contemporary issues. Its sung-through pop-inflected score gives a multi-ethnic cast of strong pop singers an opportunity to shine, in show- stopping numbers like "I Still Believe," "Why God Why?" and "The American Dream." Meanwhile, its fluid cinematic structure gives directors and designers a field day. Raw and uncompromising, Miss Saigon is an intensely personal story of the losses we suffer and the sacrifices we make in a world gone mad. Opened in April 1991. MUSICAL NUMBERS: The Heat Is On In Saigon * The Movie In My Mind * The Transaction * Sun and Moon * The Morning of the Dragon * The American Dream
Lyrics by: Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg

CAST and REVIEWS   PHOTOS


PERFORMANCES: May 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, 2005
STARRING LAURENCE PAXTON
This classic story has enchanted children since its publication in 1911. Orphaned in India by cholera, an 10year-old girl, Mary Lennox, is sent to live in Yorkshire with her only living relatives--an embittered, reclusive hunchback, Archibald and his invalid son. Still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife Lily (who died ten years earlier during childbirth), and distraught over the condition of his bedridden son, Archibald casts a dark shadow over the manor until Mary discovers a secret garden that had once belonged to Lily. By nursing this garden back to life, Mary somehow restores life to her grieving uncle and his sick son. Flashbacks, dream sequences, a strolling chorus of ghosts, and some of the most beautiful music ever written for the Broadway stage dramatize this compelling tale of regeneration.
MUSICAL NUMBERS: A Girl In the Valley * It's a Maze * Show Me the Key * The Girl I Mean to Be * Come to My Garden * How Could I Ever Know?
Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman; Music by Lucy Simon
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett

CAST and REVIEWS  PHOTOS




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