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Fantastic holiday show…delightful entertainment"
Alive with wit and humor"
(play dates: December 4 to December 28, 2008)
Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara presents a unique and refreshing alternative offering for the holiday season, the hip new musical, Striking 12. The show was conceived and composed by New York-based pop/rock/indie trio GrooveLily as "a holiday show for people who don't like holiday shows." The collaborators are Tony Award-winner Rachel Sheinkin (who wrote the book of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda. The award-winning Striking 12 begins performances on December 4, 2008 and plays through December 28, 2008.
A grumpy, overworked New Yorker decides to avoid the painful New Year's Eve party scene by spending the evening alone in his apartment. While nursing his wounds after breaking up with his fiancée, he begins to read Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, The Little Match Girl. The story comes to life through a musical fusion of rock, pop, and jazz. An outstanding trio of actor/musicians -- playing violin, keyboard, and drums -- performs all the roles in this unique hybrid of musical theater and live concert. "The lyrics are alive with wit and humor," wrote The New York Times.
"Presenting this unique and fun musical is an exciting departure for ETC," said Jonathan Fox, executive artistic director of ETC. "Striking 12 has just the right dash of cynical wit and off-beat humor. The show is truly a holiday treat for people of all ages."
"The ballads are beautiful, the up-tempo songs really rock," says Music Director Brent Schindele, who also plays the keyboards. "But the lyrics are what make the songs special, with clever humor and great rhyme schemes that are sometimes sly, sometimes whimsical, often poignant and poetic."
Striking 12 is made possible through generous sponsorship from Stephen and Carla Hahn and Montecito Bank and Trust.
Mr. Schindele marks his return to ETC, where he starred in the 2004 production of Stephen Sondheim's Marry Me A Little. He has appeared both onstage and in the orchestras of several major productions, including the recent Broadway tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as Jason Alexander's productions of Sunday in the Park with George and No Strings at Reprise. He created the leading-man parodies for the U.S. regional premieres of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) at Laguna Playhouse, Philadelphia's Prince Theater, the Colony in Burbank, and the Tony Award-winning Cincinnati Playhouse.
Playing the electric violin is Charleene Closshey. On stage since the tender age of two, Ms Closshey's more recent musical theater and opera credits include Hair, Jekyll & Hyde, Nine, Ragtime, She Loves Me, Die Fledermaus, La Boheme, and Die Lustige Witwe and Suor Angelica with the Operafestival di Roma in Rome, Italy. With strong roots in classical violin training, she has rocked the stage with Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Ricky Skaggs, Chad Brock, Patrick Wilson, Mannheim Steamroller, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and has even dueled it out with legendary fiddler Charlie Daniels. She makes her west coast debut at ETC.
Playing the drums is actor, singer, and songwriter Matt Wolpe. He has performed regionally at The Foothills Theatre, Boston Theatre Works, Pasadena Playhouse and Sacramento Musical Theatre. He attended The Boston Conservatory and The Berklee College of Music for musical theatre and songwriting. Mr. Wolpe has performed at numerous clubs across the country with various bands including The Hard Rock Cafe, The Whiskey, The Roxy, and The Paradise Rock Club. He is a regular on the internet series "Every Other Wednesday" and will be the new face and voice of Bumble Bee Tuna in 2009.
Photos: David Bazemore