CLOSER THAN EVER: Lodestone continues its final season with a musical inspired by stories of life, love and friendship.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Lodestone Theatre Ensemble continues its tenth and final season with a revival of CLOSER THAN EVER, a musical revue in two acts with words by Richard Maltby, Jr. and music by David Shire, running August 8 – 30, 2009 at the GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506, located inside George Izay Park). The show will be directed by Lodestone Co-Artistic Director Chil Kong – who directed Lodestone’s acclaimed 2007 production of THE MIKADO PROJECT – and will feature an all Asian American cast. Musical direction is by Akira Nakano (A Concerto for Claire).
“Lodestone has always been known for ‘edgy’ material so it may seem odd that we’re producing a traditional musical” says Kong, “but these songs have a lot of interesting layers to them—there’s a genuine pain and darkness that I want to explore more fully than any previous production. Plus, this show is rarely produced since its songs are so difficult, yet Lodestone’s always been about taking on challenges. I couldn’t think of a better way to do that in our final year than to tackle this.”
CLOSER THAN EVER premiered off-Broadway in 1989 in a production directed by Maltby and Steven Scott Smith. The revue won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and was nominated for multiple Drama Desk Awards. CLOSER THAN EVER features self-contained songs which deal with such diverse topics as aging, mid-life crisis, second marriages and unrequited love.
“The theme of our final season is beginnings and endings,” says Co-Artistic Director Philip W. Chung. “These songs really speak to that, so the show is a perfect fit as we close things down and look beyond Lodestone.”
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble will be shutting its doors at the end of 2009. CLOSER THAN EVER will be its penultimate production followed by the world premiere in November of GRACE KIM & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, the company’s final show.
CLOSER THAN EVER stars Sharline Liu (Flower Drum Song), DT Matias (A Chorus Line), Blythe Matsui (Miss Saigon), Paul Nakauchi (The King & I revival in London’s West End), Erin Quill (Broadway’s AVENUE Q) with EJ Arriola, Jully Lee, Jiehae Park and Miley Yamamoto.
Performances are Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm., August 8 - 30, with low-priced previews on August 6 and August 7 at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for students/seniors and $12 each for reserved groups of ten or more. Tickets for the August 8 Opening Night Gala including a post-show reception are $30. All Sunday matinees (except August 30) will be pay-what-you-can admission with a $1 minimum.
For more information, call the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble hotline at (323) 993-7245 or visit www.lodestonetheatre.org, http://www.facebook.com/lodestonetheatre.
Founded in 1999 by Philip W. Chung, Alexandra Chun, Chil Kong and Tim Lounibos, Lodestone is committed to providing a forum for Asian Pacific American artists in all aspects of the theatre arts. Lodestone seeks to challenge limited perceptions of Asian Pacific Americans through the creation of original theatrical productions as well as a fresh retelling of established works.
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a Company-in-Residence at GTC Burbank. For more information on GTC Burbank check out www.gtc.org
