Sneak a Peek of A Christmas Story: The Musical!

If you happened to attend Spotlight Night September 16, you were privy to a surprise world premiere from A Christmas Story: The Musical! performed by composer and lyricist team Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. If you hadn't heard of Broadway's hottest young songwriters before, chances are you were scouring the search engines for more shortly thereafter (or maybe that was just our staff...). The charming pair so entertained our audience that we received several requests for videos of their performance -- and, despite it being a little early for Christmas, we happily obliged! Here is the FIRST clip of their performances. Stay tuned for more performances and backstage interviews to come!

Spotlight on In the Heights: Videos are UP!

For those of you who didn't catch our first Spotlight Night of the season, here's a preview of what you missed!

Broadway producer Kevin McCollum (Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights) shared his trade secrets on what makes a Tony Award-winning best musical and gave a preview of the upcoming Broadway tour of In the Heights. Check out interview clips below -



And stay tuned for more Spotlight Night clips, including performances from A Christmas Story: the Musical! composer and lyricist team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul!

Top 10 Reasons to Come to Spotlight Night!

Tomorrow night (Thursday, September 16) is the first Spotlight Night of the season! For those of you still debating whether to sign up for your FREE tickets (yes, they're free, so what's the debate about?) here are 10 reasons to log on and sign up now:

10. It's FREE! Spotlight Nights are a mini-production from The 5th. That means you get the same top-notch talent, entertainment and experience you've come to expect from The 5th, but best of all, it's absolutely FREE!

9. You'll get the inside gossip. Host Executive Producer & Artistic Director David Armstrong has been known to get pretty excited during Spotlight Nights, and when David gets excited about a production, he sometimes spills the beans on top-secret info. (And by "sometimes," we really mean often...) That means you'll get behind-the-scenes gossip and news before anyone else!

8. Special offers.

7. Premiere performances! Last season Legally Blonde composer and lyricist Laurence O'Keefe performed a sneak peek of his new work Heathers -- and our Spotlight Night audience was the first in the world to hear it! Expect more of the same this season, starting tomorrow night...

6. Did we mention it's free?

5. Eric Ankrim. The Gregory Award nominee and upcoming star of Oklahoma! will perform with upcoming 5th Avenue performers Cayman Ilika, Jennifer Sue Johnson and

4. Billie Wildrick. Star of countless 5th Avenue productions such as On The Town, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George, the songstress will preview songs from the upcoming season, including Vanities: A New Musical.

3. The Theatre. While many of our admin staff enjoyed sunshine-filled activities outdoors this summer, many of the crew were hard at work inside the Theatre during the three-month break. Be the first to see the fruits of their labor as we unveil a surprise!

2. Kevin McCollum will be there. If you haven't yet heard of the Broadway hall-of-famer, tomorrow is your chance to hear first hand what it's like to produce some of Broadway's hottest hits. Kevin's repertoire includes the Tony Award-winning productions of Rent, The Drowsy Chaperone, Avenue Q and In the Heights.

1. Surprise guests! Due to the nature of show biz, airlines make a killing off some of our illustrious guests and their ever-changing schedules...which means some of our guests won't be announced until they arrive at the event. Trust us, it's worth the wait!

Availability is limited -- sign up for your FREE tickets now at 5thavenue.org!

Sneak Peek at the Sailors - "New York, New York"

Get a sneak peek of The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of On The Town! From the creative team who brought Seattle the wildly popular productions of West Side Story and Cabaret, director Bill Berry and choreographer Bob Richard partner again with Seattle's exciting Spectrum Dance Theater to bring Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins dance spectacular to life. Get ready for an unforgettable night On The Town this madcap comedy is one helluva show!

Featuring performances by Joe Aaron Reid, Matt Owen and Greg McCormick Allen, the following is a clip from Spotlight Night, hosted by David Armstrong.

Spotlight Night on On The Town & Candide!

Reserve your FREE tickets now to Spotlight Night, online, over the phone at 206-625-1900 or in person at the box office.

Monday, March 22 at 7pm

Spotlight Night on On The Town & Candide

The final Spotlight Night of our 2009-2010 season will take you behind the scenes of two of “the greatest musicals you’ve never seen” -- On The Town and Candide, as well as preview this spring’s exciting Seattle Celebrates Bernstein Festival

Act 1

Seattle Celebrates Bernstein!

Over the next four months an unprecedented consortium of 19 of the region’s leading arts organization with join forces to celebrate the life and music of legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein. David Armstrong will provide a sneak peek of the incredible potpourri of concerts, theatrical performances, lectures, film screenings and special events that will make up this unique, first-of-its-kind citywide arts festival.

Act 2

The Best Of All Possible Worlds: Bernstein On Broadway

In this music-filled segment a host of our Seattle’s finest singers will help us review the life and glorious songs of Leonard Bernstein – featuring selections from his legendary Broadway musicals and other theatrical works including West Side Story, Wonderful Town, Trouble In Tahiti, Mass, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, On The Town and Candide. With musical performances by Greg Allen, Anne Allgood, Candice Donehoo, Mary Jo DuGaw, Brandon O’Neill, Matt Owen, Sarah Rudinoff, Billie Wildrick and guest artists Laura Griffith, Joe Aaron Reid and the Seattle Woman’s Chorus.

Act 3

I Can Cook Too: Serving Classic Musicals To A Modern Audience

Candide’s director, David Armstrong, and On The Town’s director and musical director, Bill Berry and Ian Eisendrath, will give you an inside look at how they approach the challenges and rewards of whipping up classic “Golden Age Of Broadway” musicals to meet the taste of a contemporary audience.

Spotlight Night Tuesday 1/5 - South Pacific & Legally Blonde!

Don't miss the next Spotlight Night at The 5th Avenue Theatre!
These popular free events take you behind the scenes of our upcoming production.

Reserve your tickets in advance by calling 206-625-1900 or stopping by the box office.
You can also reserve your tickets online here:http://bit.ly/8NBVpA

Three of the most important people of the American Theatre will be on our stage for this special free evening: songwriter Laurence O'Keefe, Tony-Award winning producer Hal Luftig and Seattle's Own Tony-award winning director, Bartlett Sher.

ACT 1: “Oh, My God You Guys!”
Meet the Co-Composer/Lyricist and the Lead Producer of Legally Blonde The Musical.

Legally Blonde songwriter Laurence O’Keefe and Tony Award-winning producer Hal Luftig will take us behind-the-scenes of the creation of this big, hit Broadway musical based on the popular film. O’Keefe will play and sing excerpts from his musicals (including the cult favorite Bat Boy) and Luftig will share experiences of his 20-year career as the producer ofBroadway hits such as Thoroughly Modern Millie, Movin’ Out, the current Broadway revival of West Side Story and the upcoming Catch Me If You Can.

ACT 2: “Some Enchanted Evening”
The Rebirth of a Classic Musical

Director Bartlett Sher’s smash-hit Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific brought spectacular new life to a musical that hadn’t been revived on Broadway since its original production in 1949. Join Sher—the outgoing artistic director of Seattle’s Intiman Theatre and resident director at Lincoln Center Theatre—as he discusses how he and his team made a classic come alive for a new generation.ACT 3: “A Grand Night for Singing”The Art and Artistry of Rodgers & HammersteinSouth Pacific’s creators, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, revolutionized the American musical by creating what they called “the musical play.” The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong will tell the story of this legendary team, from their early shows with other collaborators to their historic partnership, their timeless shows and their enduring effect on the musical theater. Featuring musical performances by some of Seattle’s finest singers including Patti Cohenour, Jessica Skerrit and Eric Ankrim performing selections from Oklahoma!, Carousel, Flower Drum Song, Cinderella, The King and I and The Sound of Music.

Spotlight Night is sponsored by US Bank.
Performances and guest appearances are subject to change.
Facebook event page here: http://bit.ly/7OUODv