Upcoming Spotlight Night features songwriters, actors and a profile of an American humorist and raconteur at The 5th Avenue Theatre
SEATTLE, WA –The 5th Avenue Theatre’s next installment of our popular Spotlight Night series focuses on our upcoming production of A Christmas Story: The Musical!. Spotlight Night features the show’s hot young composer/lyricist duo, an introduction to the show’s cast and a behind-the-scenes look at Jean Shepherd, the legendary radio raconteur whose stories inspired the film on which the musical is based.
Hosted by The 5th’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, this popular free event gives theater patrons a peek behind the curtain at the history, lore and creation of Musical Theater, with a special focus on upcoming shows at The 5th.
The evening features an interview with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriters for A Christmas Story: The Musical!, and known as the “first Musical Theatre stars of the YouTube generation.” After meeting as undergraduates at the University of Michigan in 2005, the two collaborated on their first musical, Edges, which went from a college workshop to more than 100 productions across the US and Canada. The show also won the pair the prestigiousJonathan Larson Award, making them the youngest artists to ever be so honored. Pasek and Paul will talk about the process of creating new music for a well-loved story and will perform songs from Edges, A Christmas Story and their upcoming projects James and The Giant Peach and Dog Fight.
This is also an opportunity to meet the remarkable cast of A Christmas Story: The Musical!, including 5th Avenuefavorite Anne Allgood, who plays Mother in the show, and Broadway veteran John Bolton, whose career includes roles in Spamalot, Curtains, Contact and Titanic. The children of the show will also make appearances, including Clarke Hallum, the Olympia youth who was chosen to play Ralphie Parker after a nation-wide search.
Armstrong will also provide a brief recap of the life and work of Jean Shepherd, a complex and fascinating humorist, writer and performer. Shepherd found early fame in radio, collaborated with jazzman Charles Mingus and filmmaker John Cassavettes, was the inspiration for the protagonist of Herb Gardner’s play A Thousand Clowns and Shel Silverstein’s song “A Boy Named Sue,” and co-wrote and narrated the film A Christmas Story, which to his delighted surprise became a modern American classic.
Spotlight Night begins at 7:00 PM on Tuesday November 9. The event is free, but attendees must reserve their tickets. They can do so over the phone by calling 206-625-1900/toll-free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), in person at the box office at 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, or online at 5thavenue.org.
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