[NoHo Arts District, CA] – After a sold-out run at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival, the new musical “Nicky and the Angels” will play six Sunday night performances at the Whitefire Theatre from April 14 – May 19.
I was so sad I missed this show last year at the Hollywood Fringe. We did review it though and you can read that here: https://nohoartsdistrict.com/nicky-and-the-angels-review/
So it’s not surprising to find the show being produced again, given its huge success at Fringe and all the buzz it created. This time the venue is the wonderful Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. It’s a brilliant theatre for new work and the best place to see a musical like this. I’m going to see the show on Sunday and can’t wait to go back to the 80s in L.A., what a spectacular time to be young. The music! The colors! The outfits! The hair! For me, it was the very best of times…totally.
I have my own reasons for loving the 80s and musicals in general, but it’s quite a undertaking to create a new musical and make it a period piece too. We wanted to find out more about the development of the show and all the hows and whys of how it came to be. So we asked Jillana Devine-Knickel, the writer of the story and book and also one of the producers, and Ali Madelbaum, writer of the music and lyrics and also a producer.
Hi Jillana, thank you so much for giving us insight into “Nicky and the Angels,” I truly can’t wait to see it!
Where did the inspiration come from for the show?
“Nicky and the Angels” started as a semi-autobiographical one-act play called “Entrances” which I wrote in college based on my own experiences growing up in L.A. in the 1980s with my fellow theatre kid friends. I knew the storyline and the characters were perfect for a musical. They say characters in musicals sing when their emotions are too big for them to keep speaking, and those big emotions are always there in teenagers.
Why was it so important to set it in the 80s?
The real life story the show is based on took place in the early 80s, so the culture and the world that informs the characters is of that time.
Was Los Angeles a big part of the character of the show?
Definitely and always! It’s the only home the younger characters have ever known, so they grew up with the landmarks, the smells and the sounds, the light and the weather. When the three of them begin lives elsewhere at the end of the show, their worlds open up, but L.A. is still home.
Creating a musical is the most difficult theatre production, what were the biggest hurdles?
Making sure scenes work, music and choreography all get sufficient rehearsal in the limited amount of time we have! You never know what is going to need to be addressed and when, so everyone has to stay flexible and open.
This was a big hit last year at Fringe, why bring it back now and were there any changes made?
The Fringe production was the first professional, full-on production of “Nicky and the Angels,” and we learned too much from it to not give it another go with a longer run. We’re just passionate about telling this story. This time around we have a fresh, exuberant, wildly talented new cast (Sam Brock, Carmina Garay, Adam Leiva and Dalton Maltz) joining Fringe cast members Katie Silverman and Ben Larson as high school sweethearts Angie Romano and her Tommy. We also have the phenomenal young musical director Xander Ambrose making magic on the keyboard, and breathtaking new projections by the artist Ashton Nanke. Composer/lyricist Ali Mandelbaum tweaked her beautiful music and her touching, incisive lyrics as well.
What advice do you have for anyone thinking of producing a musical?
When you’re frustrated or overwhelmed, keep circling back to why you want to tell the story you’re telling. Be patient with yourself and your colleagues and have fun together.
What did you learn from this show, about yourselves, about music, about story?
I thought I would have to learn to switch from writer to director and back again as the process went on, but the great questions the cast ask me as we rehearse call on both! Also, this story is appealing to two very different audiences: teenagers who are facing the same life changes that Nicky, Courtney, and Angie are, and women of my generation who remember their first crushes and the taste of the Israeli root beer at Pink’s.
From the composer/lyricist: Ali Madelbaum.
My influences are Stephen Sondheim and David Bowie, they inspired me to create words and music, when I was around 15 years old. Hurdles: I’m a really slow writer so it took about 7 years to write 15 songs. I’m really proud of what I’ve written and composed.
I’ve learned about patience. Patience when dealing with others, patience with yourself. I’ve learned how much I appreciate all my mentors and teachers.
Thanks so much Jillana and Ali. It’s always a pleasure to talk to writers and producers, to get a little peak behind the curtain so to speak! And the city of Los Angeles deserves to be a character in a wildly creative and truthful story like this one, it’s a magical place!
When:
“Nicky and the Angels” runs from April 14 – May 19 every Sunday at 7pm.
Where:
The Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Tickets:
https://www.onstage411.com/newsite/show/play_info.asp?show_id=6942
The Team
Three classmates and alumnae of Marlborough School make up the creative team of “Nicky and the Angels”: the story and book are by Jillana Devine-Knickel, who will also direct; music and lyrics are by Ali Mandelbaum; and choreography is by Dr. Claire Anne “Daanee” Touchstone. The Musical Director is Xander Ambrose. Macy E. Kunke is the Production Stage Manager.
The Cast
The cast includes Adam Levia (Angel in “Rent” at the Chance Theater in Anaheim, NBC pilot “Isabel”), Carmina Garay (“Diary of a Future President,” “The Conners,” “PEN15”) Katie Silverman (“Grey Gardens” at The Ahmanson Theatre, “Mayans MC,” “PEN15,” “The New Girl”), Sam Brock (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream and “A Perfect Ganesh” at Theatricum Botanicum), Dalton Maltz (“Tommy and the Brothers” at the Wren Theater, “Assassins” at the Lyric Hyperion) and Ben Larson (“Hit the Wall,” “Carrie: The Musical” and “The Normal Heart” at USC School of Dramatic Arts).