Bloomington Civic Theatre Opens 2012-2013 Season With 42ND STREET, 8/17-9/16

Bloomington Theatre and Art Center (BTAC) today announced the tap dancing musical 42nd Street. This Bloomington Civic Theatre (BCT) production will run August 17 – September 16, 2012. 42nd Street will be directed and choreographed by Michael Matthew Ferrell, with music direction by Anita Ruth. The cast of 24 includes Larissa Gritti as 'Peggy', C. Ryan Shipley as 'Billy', Michael Fischetti as 'Julian Marsh', and Bonnie Erickson as 'Dorothy Brock'.

42nd Street is an unforgettable, tap-dancing extravaganza; a big, bold dance musical set in 1933 that celebrates the stuff that dreams are made of. This is the story of hard work, being in the right place at the right time, talent and love. It focuses on the journey of aspiring chorus girl Peggy Sawyer in the ultimate show business fairy tale where a stage struck chorine becomes an overnight star. 42nd Street is a celebration of Broadway and the people involved.

Theater historian John Kenrick commented about the original Broadway production, "When the curtain slowly rose to reveal forty pairs of tap-dancing feet, the star-studded opening night audience at the Winter Garden cheered." 42nd Street features music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, and book by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble, based on the novel by Bradford Ropes. Original Directions and Dances were by Gower Champion, and the musical was originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick.

Michael Matthew Ferrell (director, 42nd Street) is the 2007 Ivey Award recipient for Choreography and 2010 Choreographer of the Year named by Lavender Magazine. Credits include Oklahoma! (Bloomington Civic Theatre); Ragtime (Park Square Theatre); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Evita, The Full Monty, Parade, Gypsy, The Rink, and Passage of Dreams (Theatre Latté Da); You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Grand Night for Singing, and Broadway's Legendary Ladies (Ordway Center); Wizard of Oz, Annie, Babe The Sheep Pig, Tommy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Disney's High School Musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Fashion 47 (Children's Theatre Company); Cats, Annie, The Sound of Music, Camelot, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Forever Plaid, Oklahoma!, and Can Can (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres). Additionally, his work has been seen at The Minnesota Opera Company, Minnetonka Theatre, Sesame Street, Stages Theatre Company, Pantages Theatre, Disney World Orlando, and Guthrie Theatre Cabaret shows. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Alive & Kickin, the Twin Cities newest musical ensemble of Rockin' Senior Citizens!

42nd Street runs Friday, August 17 through Sunday, September 16, 2012. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. There is also a Wednesday performances on September 5 at 7:30 p.m., and a 2:00 p.m. Saturday matinee performance on September 15. The Saturday evening September 15 performance is ASL interpreted, and the Friday August 24 performance is Audio Described. Post-show 'talk-backs' with the cast and crew take place after the Sunday matinees on August 26 and September 9. All performances are held in the Schneider Theater at Bloomington Center for the Arts at 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd. in Bloomington, MN. All seating is reserved, and tickets are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors, and $23 for ages 25 and under. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center Box Office at 952-563-8575, or online at www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org.
BCT is a program of the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center (BTAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2009 from the merger of the Bloomington Civic Theatre and Bloomington Art Center. BTAC offers high quality Theater Productions, art education for children and adults, and visual arts exhibitions featuring the work of emerging and established artists from Minnesota and surrounding states.