Remember that post a couple of months ago when I told you I was looking forward to my new role as Director of Music and Education at Open Stage of Harrisburg, and that I “[couldn’t] wait to dig my teeth into FUN HOME, the amazing musical that holds the season opener slot”?

Ahem.

Well, it looks like I’m going to have plenty of teeth in this amazing work of musical theatre.  The cast list has been officially finalized, and in addition to my role as musical director for the production, I will also (thanks to an apparent paucity of 40-something baritenors in central Pennsylvania) be treading trepidatiously back onto the boards to play Bruce, Alison Bechdel’s closeted father.  This will be the first leading role I’ve tackled since Edgar in Bat Boy and Jon in Tick, Tick… Boom!, both of which were about a decade ago.  To play this rich, challenging role, and to share the stage with the folks whose auditions I was privileged to observe and accompany, will be a high point of my career I’m sure.

FUN HOME is a rare work of musical theatre—the characters are deep and vulnerable, the script is authentic and raw, and the music… oh, heavens.  I’ve only been working with the score for a few weeks and I’m already overwhelmed by the genius of Jeanine Tesori’s gifts as a theatrical composer.  (If you’re familiar with Shrek the Musical or Thoroughly Modern Millie, you already have an inkling.)

If you will be—or can arrange to be—anywhere near Harrisburg during October, please plan to join us.  We have 14 performances on the calendar (with a handful of additional dates held as pending in case tickets sell as quickly as we hope they do!) between October 6 and October 29.

But I especially hope you’ll consider joining us for the 7:30 performance on Saturday, October 7, and that you’ll purchase your ticket through UUCV.  Do that, and $10 of each ticket you purchase will benefit the LGBT Center of Central PA, and the queer folks and allies of all ages that that wonderful organization serves.  These tickets are on sale now!  You can reserve yours right here! sold out!

If October 7 won’t suit your calendar, yYou can view the full list of performances and purchase tickets at the Open Stage of Harrisburg web site, or call the Open Stage box office at 717-232-OPEN (6736).

And of course, you could make me ridiculously happy by using my new position as Director of Music & Education for Open Stage to motivate you to purchase a Season 32 subscription.  For $120 you’ll be able to see all five of the subscription series productions: Fun Home, Akeelah and the Bee, The Flick, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, and Little Women!  Season subscriptions are available right now!  (Note: season subscriptions are not eligible to support the LGBT Center benefit.)

In any case, please let me know when you’re planning to attend, and I’ll make a point of coming out to say hi after the show.  You can thank me then for encouraging you to come.

We announced our Season 32 lineup on Monday, and the excitement is mounting!  I, for one, can’t wait to dig my teeth into FUN HOME, the amazing musical that holds the season opener slot, and which will be my first official production as the OSH Director of Music and Education.  If you’re interested in auditioning for FUN HOME, or for any of the three upcoming COURT STREET CABARETs (which I’m also directing), or for any of the other amazing titles on the slate for next season, grab your calendar and head to our Season 32 Audition signup genius.  Appointments are filling up fast, and I would just love to see you there!

Honestly, if the annual Court Street Cabaret gets moved any earlier, next year’s cabaret is going to be this year!

But good-natured snark aside, the CSC is always a highlight of my year.  It’s a chance for me to work with some of my favorite cast-mates from history, and with folks I don’t ordinarily get to share a stage with.  This year’s cast list includes Alexis Dow Campbell, Allison Graham, Dani Fiore, Kara Miller, Trish Baillie, Patty Cole, Jason Whetstone, and local drag personalities Felicia O’Toole Buffington and Maxwell Treats.

Court Street Cabaret repertory includes favorites “from Broadway and beyond”—the area’s best vocalists sharing music they were born to sing, and a special “miscast” set that allows us to tilt the lens a bit on roles we have no realistic hope of auditioning for.  This year’s audience can expect to hear old and new favorites from artists like Bette Midler and The Beatles; and from composers like Stephen Schwartz, William Finn, Craig Carnelia, and Cole Porter; plus a section of “covers of covers of covers”, where we’ll re-interpret our favorite re-interpretations of favorites.

The show runs January 13 & 14 at 7:30pm in the intimate Angino Family Theatre at Open Stage of Harrisburg, 25 North Court Street, between Market and Walnut Streets, in downtown Harrisburg. Tickets are $20 General Admission or $35 for VIP. For advanced ticket purchase, call the Open Stage Box Office at 717-232-6736 or visit openstagehbg.com.

If you’re anything nothing like me, you end every year with pockets full of cash just aching to be turned into tax-deductible contributions to worthwhile non-profits.  And while I have a list of many such causes that I keep handy year-round, it’s worth pointing out that for the rest of 2016—just a few short hours now!—a generous grant is matching one-third of every contribution to Open Stage of Harrisburg, my home-away-from-home and generous East Shore studio host.  A $15 contribution is worth $20 to Open Stage.  $75 becomes $100.  $300 becomes $400.  You get the idea.  If your accountant is waggling her finger at you for saving up too much dough, here’s your chance!

But seriously.  Any gift would be appreciated beyond its impact on your wallet.

Have a safe and enjoyable New Year’s Eve, and may your 2017 be full of reminders of love, peace, and good will.