A new musical based on a true story
Book by Anna Hamilton Phelan
Music by Barry Mann
Lyrics by Cynthia Weil
Based on the Universal motion picture Mask
Musical Staging by Patti Colombo
Directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.

March 12 - April 20, 2008

One of the most successful songwriting teams in history, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"), Academy Award-nominated writer Anna Hamilton Phelan (Gorillas in the Mist) and Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby, Jr. (creator/director of Ain't Misbehavin' and Fosse) have come together to bring you this world premiere musical.

This theatrical pop-rock musical is based on a true story of an unusual looking boy and his unconventional biker mother. She shows him how to embrace life. He shows her how to choose it.

Starring (in alphabetical order):

Michelle Duffy (Can-Can, Ovation Award-winner) as Rusty

Greg Evigan (B.J. and the Bear, My Two Dads) as Gar

Michael Lanning (Tony Award-nominated production of Civil War) as Dozer

and introducing Allen E. Read as Rocky Dennis.

Also starring:

Alec Barnes as Ericl

Brad Blaisdell as Roadkill

Katy Blake as Sirocco

Ryan Castellino as Ruben

Diane Delano as Retread

Chris Fore as Biker/Student

Sarah Glendening as Diana

Krysten Leigh Jones as Biker/Student

Mark Luna as T-Bone

Heather Marie Marsden as Zephyr

Shanon Mari Mills as Amy

Suzanne Petrela as Angel

Ethan Le Phong as Biker/Student

Jolene Purdy as Biker/Student

James Leo Ryan as John the Baptist/Rabbi

Matthew Stocke as Barstow/Mr. Simms

Quotes and Reviews
Related Links
More about the creative team

      Anna Hamilton Phelan

      Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

      Patti Colombo

      Richard Maltby, Jr.

Quotes and Reviews

“A Powerful, inspiration experience! It would be a pity to miss Mask!”
- Laurence Vittes, The Hollywood Reporter

“GO! If this can’t draw a youth audience, nothing can!”
- Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly

“Barry Mann’s melodies soar!”
- Paul Hodgins, OC Register


Related Links*
Profile on Mask make-up designer Michael Westmore
O.C. Register preview story about Mask

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil’s Official Website
Richard Maltby, Jr. on Wikipedia
Greg Evian’s Official Website
Michael Lanning’s Official Website
Internet Movie Database page on the film Mask

Blog

Facebook Page
MySpace Page


Anna Hamilton Phelan (Playwright) graduated from Emerson College with a degree in theatre arts. She began her career in New York writing audition material for actors. Her play Corsages was produced off-Broadway at the Basement Theater. Her play Remembrance was produced at the El Camino Theatre in Los Angeles. Her feature film credits include Mask which was nominated by the Writers’ Guild as best original screenplay and earned her the Scott Newman Award for realistic depiction of drug abuse in a motion picture. Her film Gorillas in the Mist was nominated for an Academy Award as best screenplay adaptation. She was cited for her contribution to the preservation of African wildlife by the Dian Fossey Fund. Her shared film credits include In Love and War and Girl, Interrupted. Her television credits include Into the Homeland for HBO. She is developing a one woman show, Well Behaved Women Need Not Apply, a series of monologues depicting women from Joan of Arc to Natalie Maines, and is currently writing the book for the musical, The One in the Middle, based on The McGuire Sisters, a popular girl group of the 1950s.

Barry Mann (Composer) and Cynthia Weil (Lyricist) It would be impossible to imagine the last four decades of pop music without the melodies and lyrics of husband and wife songwriters, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Their body of work has often been described as “the soundtrack of our lives.” Their classic songs include “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “On Broadway,” “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” “Walking In The Rain,” “Kicks,” “Soul and Inspiration,” “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “Here You Come Again,” “Just Once,” “Never Gonna Let You Go” and the Grammy nominated “Don’t Know Much.” Throughout their collaboration Mann and Weil have each worked with other writers. Cynthia penned “Running With The Night,” “He’s So Shy,” “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” and the Grammy nominated “Through The Fire” with others, as did Barry with ”Sometimes When We Touch’ and “I Love How You Love Me.” He also posed the philosophical question “Who Put The Bomp in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp” as both co-writer and performer. In addition to appearances of their classics on screen, Mann and Weil have created song scores for such films as An American Tail for which they wrote “Somewhere Out There.” That song was Oscar and Golden Globe nominated, won the Grammy for both “Song Of The Year” and “Motion Picture Song Of The Year” and captured BMI’s Most Performed Film Song Award, becoming an instant standard. Other films in which Mann and Weil original songs have appeared include, About Last Night, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Oliver and Company and Balto and Troy. “Whatever You Imagine” from The Pagemaster won Mann and Weil another Grammy nomination in 1995 and the following year they created the song score for Muppet’s Treasure Island. “You’ve Lost That Lovin Feeling“ has been honored as the most performed song of the twentieth century. It has garnered over fourteen million performances, the first BMI song ever to achieve that milestone. Additional recognition of Mann and Weil’s achievements include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters, The Clooney Foundation Award for Legendary Song Composition, BMI’s Robert Burton for the most performed country song of 1977, “Here You Come Again”, The 2003 Heroes Award from the New York Chapter of NARAS and induction into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. In 2004, Mann and Weil appeared on stage in New York in They Wrote That?, a show based on their amazing catalogue. www.mann-weil.com

Patti Colombo (Musical Staging) Pasadena Playhouse: Can-Can (Ovation nomination), Radio Gals (Ovation Award). Regional: White Christmas at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Goodspeed Opera House (2006 Connecticut Critics Circle award, Broadwayworld.com: “One of the 10 most memorable theatre moments of 2007”). Patti received an Emmy and American Choreographers Award nomination for her choreography of Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby. She also choreographed the Tony-nominated Broadway version. Patti choreographed Inaugural Galas for both President Bush (elder) and President Clinton at the Kennedy Center. Patti recently directed and choreographed Ann Margaret’s Here and Now Tour. On television, Patti has choreographed for David Hyde Pierce, Christine Baranski, Drew Carey, Martin Short and Terri Garr.

Richard Maltby, Jr. (Director) Pasadena Playhouse: Closer Than Ever. Broadway: Conceived and directed two Tony Award winning musicals, Ain’t Misbehavin (1978: Tony, N.Y. Drama Critics, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Awards; Tony Award for Best Director); and Fosse (1999: Tony, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Awards); Ring of Fire; The Johnny Cash Musical Show (2006); With composer David Shire, Director/Lyricist: Baby (1983, book by Sybille Pearson seven Tony Award nominations); Lyricist: Big (1996, book by John Weidman, Tony nomination: Best Score); Lyricist/Conceiver: Take Flight (book by John Weidman, 2007 world premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London). Co-Lyricist: Miss Saigon (1990, Evening Standard Award; 1991, Tony nomination: Best Score). Co-Bookwriter/Lyricist: The Pirate Queen (2007). Director/Co-Lyricist: American version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song & Dance (1986, Tony Award for star, Bernadette Peters). Off-Broadway: Director/Lyricist: Starting Here, Starting Now (1977, Grammy nomination); Closer Than Ever (1989, two Outer Critics Circle Awards: Best Musical, Best Score) both written with composer David Shire. Regional: Director: The 60’s Project (2006, Goodspeed Opera House). Film: Screenplay: Miss Potter (2007) about Beatrix Potter, starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor (Christopher Award: Best Screenplay). Contributes devilish crossword puzzles to Harpers Magazine. Son of well-known orchestra leader; five children: Nicholas, David, Jordan, Emily and Charlotte.

Click here for information about subscriber benefits or purchase your subscription today!

* Note that the links found on this part of the website take you to pages not monitored in anyway by Pasadena Playhouse. The views and opinions expressed on this websites do not reflect that of our theatre in any way.