The Colony Theatre in Burbank (Heather Provost, Producing Artistic Director) has announced a new production of the musical Calvin Berger with preview performances beginning on February 16, 2023. Opening is set for Saturday, February 18, at 8pm. Calvin Berger has book, music, and lyrics by Barry Wyner and will be directed by Ovation Award-winner Richard Israel. Musical director is Anthony Lucca.
Loosely based on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, the musical Calvin Berger is the contemporary and hilarious story of unrequited feelings, love notes, and physical insecurity among high school seniors. Smitten with the beautiful Rosanna, Calvin is paralyzed by self-doubt due to the size of his nose. No words of encouragement coming from his quirky best girlfriend Bret seem to help. Rosanna finds her head turned by the good-looking new student, Matt, who is painfully shy and unable to voice his mutual attraction to her. Hoping to forge a closer relationship to his love, Calvin offers to pen Matt’s eloquent love notes to Rosanna. As deceptions unravel and truths are revealed, Calvin is about to learn that sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose.
Said Provost, "I am thrilled to bring this musical to The Colony stage. The music is fantastic, the story is timeless, and the contemporary element of a present-day high school setting makes it a wonderful piece of theatre — especially with Richard Israel directing and the entire dream team we've put together."
Said Israel, “Calvin Berger is a joyful retelling of the Cyrano story, and it's a rarely produced, under-the-radar gem of a musical. Set in a modern-day high school, the show takes us through the triumphs and tragedies of adolescence in a propulsive and hugely entertaining way. It is fresh, funny, and wonderfully resonant, and I'm honored to be partnering with The Colony to introduce it to Los Angeles audiences.”
Artists & Cast
Barry Wyner (Book, Music, and Lyrics) has written several musicals including Austin the Unstoppable, The Counselor, Sugar Plum, Stop! and Something to Say. He has composed music for several world premiere plays, a BBC Radio play, The Actor's Studio, AMDA, 78th Street Theater Lab, and more. He has won the Kleban Prize, Jerry Bock Award, Richard Rodgers Award, and Noel Coward Prize. He is a member of the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop.
Richard Israel (Director) is an LA and New York-based director specializing in the development of original musicals. Directing highlights include Violet (LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Best Direction of a Musical), Floyd Collins (Ovation Awards for Direction and Outstanding Musical), 110 In the Shade (Ovation Award for Outstanding Musical), and Avenue Q (Ovation Award nomination for Best Musical). He is currently working on the development of several original musicals including A Very Brady Musical (working with the original series creator Lloyd Schwartz) and King of Pangaea, which was recently presented at the NAMT Festival of New Musicals. He is proud to have been the on-set theatrical coordinator for the multiple Emmy Award-winning HBO series Big Little Lies, directing all the Avenue Q theatre sequences in the series. He is the recipient of the LA Drama Critics Circle Career Achievement Award for Directing.
Anthony Lucca (Musical Director) is an award-winning music director, orchestrator, and arranger. World premieres include Bronco Billy (Skylight Theatre Company, LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Direction), Mutt House (Kirk Douglas Theatre), Cult of Love (IAMA Theatre Company), Into Light (short film), and various workshop productions of new musicals in LA and New York. He recently music directed productions of Something Rotten! and Mamma Mia! for 5-Star Theatricals, Sideways in Concert (Via Reggia Productions), Evita in Concert (Palos Verdes Performing Arts Center), Miracle on 34th Street, She Loves Me (Actors Co-op), Honeymoon in Vegas (Musical Theatre Guild), and Assassins (Red Blanket Productions, StageRaw Award nominee). He is also music director and conductor for performing arts grade schools and colleges in both LA and New England. As a guest artist, he has worked with middle school, high school, and collegiate, and teaches and music directs for the Rubicon Theatre Company's Summer Youth Program and is an adjunct faculty member at USC School of Dramatic Arts.
Heather Provost (Producer) is a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Award-nominated producer. Critically acclaimed hits on Broadway include Reasons To Be Pretty by Neil LaBute (three Tony nominations including Best Play) and the musical [title of show] (Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical). She produced the hugely successful Under My Skin segment of ‘The Pink Campaign’ on Broadway for which all proceeds went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Provost produced the short film Harmony starring Jason Alexander and the feature film Racing Colt (which she also co-directed). She produced three seasons of the It’s Showtime series at The Colony Theatre and was the Creator/Director of Camp C.R.E.A.T.E. at The Colony for which she was recognized by the California Legislature for her service. Also at The Colony, she directed and produced Driving Miss Daisy starring Donna Mills. Other producing credits include Chix 6 and the series Penelope P.C.S.A. starring Dave Foley. She was associate producer on the feature films To The Beat! and its sequel To The Beat! Back to School. She recently co-wrote A Joyous Christmas starring Natalie Knepp, Michael Rady, and Bonnie Bedelia for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries as well as Hallmark’s hit Season for Love starring Autumn Reeser and Marc Blucas, which dominated the weekly cable ratings and became one of Hallmark’s most popular summer movies of all time. She is currently in active development on multiple projects for both Hallmark and Stargazer Films as well as an upcoming rom/com feature film for MarVista Entertainment. She recently sold a rom/com series to a popular streaming app and is currently in pre-production on the feature suspense/thriller Among which she co-wrote and will also co-direct, as well as the soon-to-be released crime drama podcast, Hope Haven.
Corinne Miller (Bret) received her BFA in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School. Most recently, she played Nina in In the Heights at The Rubicon Theatre Company. Past credits include Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, The Last Five Years (Cathy), Hands on a Hardbody (Heather), and Spring Awakening (Martha). She also sang backup for Kristin Chenoweth at the Ridgefield Playhouse.
Jordan Quisno (Matt) carries a BFA in musical theatre and has been seen and heard on the stage, screen, and voiceover. Currently, he can be heard on the Disney animated series Ghostforce.
Frankie A. Rodriguez (Calvin) is best known for playing Carlos on the Emmy-nominated Disney+ series, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which just wrapped production on its fourth season. TV credits include Will & Grace and Modern Family. Theatre roles include Beethoven in Dog Sees God, Jack in Into the Woods, and Tobias in Sweeney Todd.
Jasmine Sharma (Rosanna) is a South Asian-American actor/writer/activist based in Los Angeles. Recently, she was seen in The Wolves (McCarter Theatre Center), Wives (Aurora Theatre Company), and she worked with The 24 Hour Plays both as an actor and a writer. Her writing has recently been produced by Jackalope Theatre and Moxie Arts NYC, and the world premiere of her play Radial Gradient is currently in rehearsals at Shattered Globe Theatre in Chicago. For the 2022-23 season, she is a Reel Sisters Fellow and part of the IAMA Emerging Playwrights Lab.
Alex M. Calle (Scenic Design) award-winning designer for film, television, theatre, themed entertainment, theme parks, and public art installations all over the world.
Martha Carter (Lighting Design) Previous work includes Lottie Pratchett, Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Joanie Coyote (Costume Design) Previous work includes The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables on Broadway.
Julien Reneaud (Sound Design) music producer and audio engineer; credits include Die Heart, Warrior Queen, The Drowsy Chaperone.
Gabrieal Griego (Projection Design) also a producer, writer, and director of theatre and film.
John McElveney (Properties Design) Garry Marshall Theatre, Sierra Madre Playhouse, Academy Awards
Julia Donlon (Production Stage Manager)
Ashley Erikson (Marketing manager & Graphic Designer)
Michael Donovan, CSA (Casting)
Show Photos
