Pasadena Playhouse presents HAM: A Musical Memoir and Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin

THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE, IN ASSOCIATION WITH SUZI DIETZ, PRESENTS THE OFF-BROADWAY HIT “HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR” WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY SAM HARRIS, MUSICAL DIRECTION BY TODD SCHROEDER, DIRECTED BY KEN SAWYER AND BILLY PORTER

3 PERFORMANCES ONLY!

JULY 9 AT 2 PM & 8 PM AND JULY 10 AT 2 PM AT THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE

The Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director), in association with Broadway producer Suzi Dietz, announced today that they will present Tony Award-nominee and multi-platinum recording artist Sam Harris' critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR.  Directed by Ken Sawyer (Founding Member of The Road Theatre Company) and Billy Porter (Tony Award-winner for Kinky Boots), the musical comedy takes us from a conflicted childhood in Bible-Belt Oklahoma to the dizzying roller coaster ride of a life in show business and the precarious balancing act of fatherhood. The production features musical direction by Todd Schroeder. HAM will play a limited engagement of three performances only on Saturday, July 9 at 2 pm and 8 pm and Sunday, July 10 at 2 pm at The Pasadena Playhouse (39 S. El Molino Avenue).

“I had the pleasure to see HAM several months ago and I was entertained, delighted, and very moved by the show,” said Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse. “It is a pleasure to welcome Sam to The Playhouse for this special presentation.  In song and story, the show wittily and movingly depicts the journey that has created a dazzling performer who so generously shares his gifts with his audiences.”

Writer and actor Sam Harris said, “I’ve never written or performed anything this personal. The book, HAM, is stories about my life. The show, HAM, is playing it out – all the characters, the original music, humor and pathos and search that we all go through in our lives — it’s a show for everyone.” He added, “And The Pasadena Playhouse is the dream theater for this show. I couldn’t be more excited.”

HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR received critical acclaim both Off-Broadway and in Los Angeles. The New York Times said, "Mr. Harris pulls out all the stops and proves himself a winner one more time," and Theater Mania adds, "Sam Harris was born to be onstage." Named a Los Angeles Times "Critics' Choice," David C. Nichols wrote, "Buoyantly entertaining. Captivating. HAM? More like filet mignon! An unmissable experience."

Based on Harris’ book HAM: Slices of a Life (Simon & Schuster), the musical originally opened Off-Broadway at Ars Nova in January 2015. It later played at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre in January 2016.

The limited engagement of HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR plays at The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Avenue in Pasadena. Performances are Saturday, July 9 at 2 pm and 8 pm and Sunday, July 10 at 2 pm. Tickets are $27 - $82 and are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org, by phone at 626-356-PLAY (7529) or in person at The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, 39 South El Molino Avenue. The Box Office is open Tuesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm during non-performance dates.  On performance dates the Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Sunday.  For more information, visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

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BIOGRAPHIES

SAM HARRIS (Writer/performer), the Tony-nominated, multi-million selling recording artist, playwright, composer, director and best selling author, first burst onto the scene as the premiere winner of Ed McMahon’s Star Search.  Before American Idol, before The Voice, 25 million viewers tuned in every week to watch Sam beat back the competition and triumph each time. Sam became the first singer since Judy Garland to claim “Over the Rainbow” as his own. Jimmy Fallon called this legendary performance, “One of the best musical performances I’ve ever seen ever aired on television ever!”

Harris went on to tour the country, selling out prestigious engagements at Carnegie Hall and with The Boston Pops. Broadway called and Sam answered.  He starred in Cy Coleman’s The Life (Tony nomination), the smash hit The Producers, the revival of Grease and has also starred as Jesus, Emcee, Pippin, Joseph and Jolson.  He has appeared on talk shows from Leno to Fallon to Oprah – the last, on her historical “Music to Heal Our Hearts” show right after 9/11. Oprah said, “Sam could make Jesus walk through the door!” Sam returned to New York and co-wrote Liza’s at the Palace, which received a Tony Award for best special theatrical event.  Sam co-produced the PBS special Love Letter to New York and was a musical supervisor on the Michael Jackson’s 30 Year Anniversary Special at Madison Square Garden.  He has written several musicals, created a television sitcom, and has toured the globe in concert. He has nine studio CDs to his credit – gold records included.  Sam is listed as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Sam Harris is a national treasure.

KEN SAWYER (Director) is an award-winning director whose work spans a wide range of venues with projects that include musicals, plays, and experimental theatre. The majority of his directing career has focused on developing new works.

Sawyer is a founding member and former artistic board member of The Road Theatre Company, one of the first companies to reside in the now flourishing NoHo Arts District. Expanding his work to other producing companies, he continues his interest in developing new and exciting work.  Highlights include collaborating with Emmy Award winner Paris Barclay on the Vietnam era musical One Red Flower, with rock icons Charlotte Caffey (the GoGos) and Anna Waroonker (That Dog) on Lovelace: The Rock Opera, with Stephen Schwartz and David Stern on the development of Snapshots, and with Colin Escott on development of the Broadway hit The Million Dollar Quartet.

Sawyer is also an accomplished award-winning sound designer and continues to look for opportunities to explore and create exciting theatre with like-minded collaborators.

BILLY PORTER (Director) is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, composer, actor, playwright, and director. He won the 2013 Tony Award for Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance in Kinky Boots. Other Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, Smokey Joe’s Café, and Dreamgirls. Porter’s off-Broadway and regional credits include Angels in America, Romance in Hard Times, The Merchant of Venice, House of Lear, Radiant Baby, Birdie Blue, Going Native, Jelly’s Last Jam, Topdog/Underdog, Songs for a New World, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line and Chicago. His solo show, Ghetto Superstar: The Man That I Am, debuted at The Public Theater in 2005. Directing credits include The Wiz and Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Music of Stevie Wonder, and Being Alive, a musical celebration mixing the canons of Sondheim and Shakespeare and combining them with musical styles of the African-American experience. He won a NAACP Theatre Award for Best Director of a Musical for Once on This Island at Reprise in Los Angeles, where he also conceived and directed a musical revue entitled The Soul of Rodgers. Last spring he directed George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum at Boston’s Huntington Theatre. Other directing credits include Five Guys Named Moe, Altar Boyz, and Rent.

TODD SCHROEDER (Music Director) began playing piano at the age of four. His musical family introduced him to everything from Claude Debussy to Neil Diamond to Ray Charles to Elton John to Jerry Lee Lewis. This variety of influences led to a wide range of musical accomplishments as composer, producer, arranger, musical director, and performer. Schroeder has musically directed for Harris for over 20 years including appearances at Carnegie Hall, The White House, with The Boston Pops, and at many other prestigious venues. His original music has been featured in films and on television. He co-wrote Roter Mond: The Braveheart Musical and he co-composed music and lyrics for Unbeatable: A Bold New Musical (which he also directed in 2013). Schroeder has recorded four of his own CDs. In addition to his work with Harris, Schroeder has musically directed/written/arranged for and performed with such artists as Angela Lansbury, Nell Carter, Jason Alexander, Rita Coolidge, and David Burnham. He is the musical director for Universal Studios Japan and is the founder of The Todd Schroeder Young Artist Grant, an annual scholarship presented to graduating high school students wanting to pursue careers in the arts.

 
THE NATIONAL HIT COMES TO THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE DIRECTLY FROM NEW YORK
 
HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN Directed by Trevor Hay Begins July 21, 2016

PASADENA, CA (June 13, 2016) – The Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director), Eva Price, Samantha F. Voxakis and Karen Racanelli present HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN, the musical story of an immigrant boy who gave the country its voice. The critically-acclaimed hit, direct from New York’s Town Hall, plays July 21 - August 7, 2016, with the official press opening on July 22, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.  The director is Trevor Hay, who collaborated with performer/creator Hershey Felder, on An American Story, Abe Lincoln’s Piano, Hershey Felder as Franz Liszt and The Pianist of Willesden Lane. The new play with music features lyrics and music by Irving Berlin and book by Hershey Felder.
 
Hershey Felder brings to life the remarkable story of Irving Berlin, “America’s Composer.” From the depths of anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia to New York’s Lower East Side, and ultimately all of America and the world, Berlin’s story epitomizes the American Dream. 
 
Featuring the composer’s most popular and enduring songs from “God Bless America” and “Always” to “White Christmas” and beyond, Hershey’s masterful creation of character and musical performance is an unforgettable journey. As Jerome Kern famously said, "Irving Berlin has no place in American music – he is American music."
 
Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse, says, “Hershey has appeared in various guises several times on the stage of The Playhouse.  The success of those previous engagements has made for consistent requests for his return to our venue.  I am pleased to welcome him back to our stage, this time recreating the persona and the work of one of America's greatest and most popular songwriters.  The ‘Cheek to Cheek’ combination of Mr. Berlin and Mr. Felder filling our summer nights with their distinctive music will, I am sure, take our audience to Heaven!”
 
Hershey Felder adds, “The Pasadena Playhouse is a national treasure and historic theatre with lovely acoustics. Being in that space and sharing the music and story of America’s greatest songwriter - with a very special audience - will be a way to go back in time to the Hollywood and New York of a very magical time.”
 
HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN has received critical acclaim nationwide. “Felder is the impresario whose relationship with audiences is long-standing intimate and mutually adoring. Felder does his good guy proud,” said Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune and “Absolutely Dazzling,” raves The Huffington Post.
 
David C. Nichols of the Los Angeles Times, who designated the production a Critics’ Choice says, “That indefatigable purveyor of composers, Hershey Felder, applies his singular blend of musical biography, character study and piano virtuosity toward the iconic songwriter. The empathy, showmanship and craft on tap may just be the best match of historical figure and performing artist yet.”
 
The creative team for HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN includes Hershey Felder and Trevor Hay (Scenic Design), Richard Norwood (Lighting Design), Andrew Wilder and Lawrence Siefert (Projection Design), and Erik Carstensen (Sound Design & Production Manager). The show is produced by Eva Price, Samantha F. Voxakis and Karen Racanelli.
 
The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101.  The performance schedule is Wednesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the first two weeks of the engagement, priced from $22.00 to $102.00, are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org; by calling The Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529; or visiting The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, Tuesday – Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. during non-performance dates.  On performance dates the Box Office is open Wednesday – Saturday from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday.  Tickets for the final week of HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN will go on sale at a later date. For more information, visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

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BIOGRAPHIES:
 
HERSHEY FELDER (Irving Berlin/Playwright/Scenic Co-Design) Mr. Felder created and performed George Gershwin Alone, which played on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre, in the West End at the Duchess Theatre, and in theatres around the country. His Composers Sonata—George Gershwin Alone; Monsieur Chopin; Beethoven, As I Knew Him; Maestro Bernstein; Hershey Felder as Franz Liszt in Musik, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin—has been presented at dozens of theatres across the U.S. and around the world. His compositions and recordings include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano; and An American Story for Actor and Orchestra. As director, he premiered Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane at the Geffen Playhouse in 2012 and produced and created scenic design for Taylor Hackford’s Louis and Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara.  Mr. Felder has been a scholar-in-residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Kim Campbell, the first female Prime Minister of Canada.
 
TREVOR HAY (Director/Scenic Co-Design) directed the world premieres of An American Story For Actor and Orchestra, Abe Lincoln's Piano and Hershey Felder As Franz Liszt In Musik.  He is Associate Director for Mona Golabek's The Pianist of Willesden Lane.  Former member of the historic Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where, at the age of nine, his first position was selling Old Globe memorabilia. Over the next 32 years, Mr. Hay went on to various aspects of production on more than 80 presentations, including the Broadway productions of Jack O'Brien's Damn Yankees, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Twyla Tharpe's The Times They Are A-Changin'. Included in his 23 seasons at the Old Globe were eleven seasons of the Summer Shakespeare Festival Repertory, as well as work on Tracy Letts' August: Osage County, directed by Sam Gold, and Hershey Felder's George Gershwin Alone, Monsieur Chopin and Maestro Bernstein.