APPLAUSE

[NoHo Arts District, CA] – The Group Rep proudly presents the Tony Award-winning musical APPLAUSE with the book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse.

Tony Award-winning APPLAUSE Takes Center Stage at the Group Rep

The musical is based on the 1950 film ALL ABOUT EVE which received (at that time an unheard of) 14 Academy Award nominations and took home six wins, including “Best Picture” and “Best Adapted Screenplay.”

The basic showbiz story is about an earnest, respectful understudy who endears herself to a Broadway actress, and then engineers a way to go on in place of the star and steal all the thunder. The musical adaptation team is topflight: Strouse (wrote ANNIE) and Adams who wrote BYE BYE BIRDIE. Comden and Green also wrote many hits for stage and screen, including the classic SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN.

APPLAUSE opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway on Mar 30, 1970. The musical starred Lauren Bacall, Len Cariou and Penny Fuller. Bonnie Franklin sang the show-stopping title song.  APPLAUSE ran on Broadway for 896 performances.

The musical garnered several awards and nominations:

Nominated for ten 1970 Tony Awards, it won four (including Best Musical).

APPLAUSE won two 1970 Theatre World Awards for Best Actor and Best Featured Actress, and also won three 1970 Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Director, Choreography, and Performance.

What critics have said about APPLAUSE:

“Bright, witty, direct, and nicely punchy… the whole show is sharp and fun.” – Clive Barnes/ The New York Times

“After I saw the show, I fell in love with the whole production, the Charles Strouse music and the Lee Adams lyrics. It was a show at which you left happy, with melodies running through your head. It had a long run on Broadway and a successful road trip.” – Richard Connema/Talkin’ Broadway

“…a snapshot of its specific time, with a rich star part and a handful of fun numbers that enliven the otherwise great clash of Margo Channing and Eve Harrington, something always worth exploring — a rich drama of the thee-ah-tuh.” – Jackson Upperco

“…the music is joyous…I’ve met a lot of Eve Harrington’s in my life, and I love this story for telling this tale of this actress who will do anything for a part in a play. We have all met and have been Eve or Margo one time in our lives.”– Colden Lamb

The Cast

The Group Rep production stars Leslie Stevens as Margo Channing and Savannah Mortenson as Eve Harrington. Leslie Stevens played Anne in the 1983 Original Broadway cast of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES and Norma’s girl in the 1995 VICTOR/VICTORIA Broadway production with Julie Andrews. Savannah Mortenson recently starred in the Group Rep’s well received productions of MY SPIRITS SOAR as Lady Lucinda Canterville and Shelby in STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

The cast features the talents of Tom Allen, Mia Catalano, Lee Grober, Doug Haverty, Zak Herman, Allison Jakubowski, Damon Kirsch, Angie Lin, Hisato Masuyama, Connie Mellors, Darrell Mondaine, Ken Patton, Lloyd Pedersen, Judy Rosenfeld, Mike Sabatino, Avan Seals, Jennifer Skiffington and Melissa Strauss.

The Team

The creative team includes Carter Vickers (Set Design), Devin Harris (Lighting Design), John Harvey (Sound Design), Shon LeBlanc (Costume Design), Wendy Dale Young (Prop Master), Shelby Hopkins (Assistant Director), Richard Allen (Music Arranger), Gerald Sternbach (Rehearsal Pianist), Becca Sweitzer (Choreographer), Wendy Dale Young (Assistant Director), Shelby Hopkins (Assistant Director & Stage Crew), Cathy Tomlin (Sound Mixer/Stage Manager), John Ledley (Light Board Operator), Gerald Sternbach (Rehearsal Pianist) and Cynthia Payo (Assistant Costume Design), Kristin Stancato (Webmaster/Online Marketing), Denise Downer (Marketing), Doug Haverty (Graphic Design), Doug Engalla (Promotional Video & Photography) and Nora Feldman (Publicity).