Portland Center Stage and an award-winning team of Broadway veterans are creating a world premiere musical based on the film ‘Somewhere in Time’- a time travel fantasy that starred the late Christopher Reeve. Dmae Roberts talks with Ken Davenport who first fell in love with the movie and aimed to create a new book for the original musical play.
Davenport lets us in on the process of getting the rights, getting backers, funding and writing & collaborating with teams of artists to stage this. Not unlike the film process, this took him 10 years to create. A must-listen for anyone who has ever wanted to create a Broadway-bound musical from scratch.
Also in this episode, we have Jo Addie president of INSITE (International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts). The fan club has just as many male and female members and hold a yearly event in costume at Mackinac Island, the location of the film . Read about the fan club and president, Jo Addie who was an actress in the movie.
More about the story:
Somewhere in Time tells the romantic story about a young playwright named Richard Collier. After the opening night of his play, an old woman mystifies him by telling him to "come back to me." This chance encounter haunts him and years later, he goes to a hotel that he visited in his youth. The playwright soon finds himself immersed in the past of the old woman and manages to meet her younger version across time where he falls in love with her.
The 1980 film of Somewhere in Time is a romantic classic, beloved by several generations of both male and female moviegoers. The world premiere musical adaptation has original music by Doug Katsaros, lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz and book by Ken Davenport. Read more about the show at the official Somewhere in Time official musical play website.
Somewhere in Time the musical has its world premiere at Portland Center Stage and stars Broadway’s Andrew Samonsky (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, South Pacific) as Richard Collier, Hannah Elless (Godspell, Mamma Mia!) as Elise McKenna, three-time Tony Award nominee Marc Kudisch (9 to 5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Robinson and David Cryer (Lend Me a Tenor, The Phantom of the Opera) as Arthur.
The ensemble cast includes Leslie Becker, Giovanni Bonaventura, Erin Burniston, Meggie Cansler, Cory English, Leslie Flesner, Lizzie Klemperer, Erik Liberman, Sharonlee McLean, Jared Q. Miller, Benjie Randall and Tad Wilson.
Somewhere in Time is directed by Scott Schwartz, whose Broadway credits include Golda's Balcony and Jane Eyre. He also directed Bat Boy: The Musical(Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Award, Best Off-Broadway Musical); tick, tick...BOOM! (Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Off-Broadway Musical); Franz Kafka's The Castle (Manhattan Ensemble Theater) and No Way to Treat a Lady(Off-Broadway). Two-time Tony nominated John Carrafa (Urinetown, Into The Woods) is choreographer.
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Somewhere in Time
at Portland Center Stage
Music by Doug KatsarosLyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz. Music by Doug Katsaros. Lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz
Based on the novel and the Universal Pictures film written by Richard Matheson, Book by Ken Davenport. Directed by Scott Schwartz.
Box Office telephone: 503-445-3700
Box Office fax: 503-445-3701
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Noon–5:30 pm; Noon–7:30 pm on performance days. For more info visit: PCS.org/somewhere
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