Performances Magazine | Pasadena Playhouse, July 2022

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MAGAZINE

contents P1 Program Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes and donors

6 In the Wings Legends and locals under the stars at the Ford; Michael Feinstein and the Pasadena Pops at the L.A. County Arboretum; exhibitions at UCLA’s Hammer Museum.

12 Girl Power

Women have an increased profile in the performing arts for the season ahead, notably at Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Opera, Pasadena Playhouse and the Wallis.

18 Wine

Three distinctive new wineries—Akash, Altísima and Bottaia—significantly enhance the cachet of wine travel destination Temecula Valley.

Former Broadway actor Adam Hunter relocated to Los Angeles for a television series … then built a prestigious interior design practice.

26

26 Dining

20

The menu at Matu, modern new temple of steak in Beverly Hills, revolves around freerange grass-fed Wagyu from New Zealand; it also serves what may be L.A.’s best fries.

32 Parting Thought Performances’ new program platform for shows and concerts can be accessed from any digital device.

18

P. 18 COURTESY ALTÍSIMA WINERY. P. 20 ELISABETH CAREN. P. 26 EDDIE SANCHEZ

20 Design

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P. 18 COURTESY ALTÍSIMA WINERY. P. 20 ELISABETH CAREN. P. 26 EDDIE SANCHEZ

July 19 through October 9 Getty Center Museum

Kamoinge Members (detail), 1973, printed 2019, Anthony Barboza. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Eric and Jeanette Lipman Fund, 2019.249. © Anthony Barboza. Text and design © 2022 J. Paul Getty Trust

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PLAN YOUR VISIT Free Admission

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MAGAZINE

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4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

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IN TH E W I N G S

CONCERTS

LOCALS AND LEGENDS brings her soulful rock Aug. 23. Enjoy an evening with Swedish singer-songwriter José González Aug. 25. Kikinceañera: Noche de Orgullo celebrates L.A.’s queer Latinx communities with drag artists and mariachis Aug. 26. Christopher Jackson and Wayne Brady spotlight Broadway Aug. 27. Pacífico Dance Company marks its 30th year Sept. 10. 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., East Hollywood, 323.850.2000, theford.com

COURTESY L.A. PHIL

THE FORD continues its second season under the L.A. Phil aegis with music legends as well as local acts. Best Coast is a two-night party featuring the duo’s studio albums Crazy For You (Aug. 12) and The Only Place (Aug. 13).

Argentine rock band Babasónicos presents its new album Aug. 18. Female band Warpaint offers intricate guitar lines, hypnotic vocals and post-punk rhythms Aug. 19. Melissa Etheridge

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At the Ford: Kikinceañera’s Valentina and, opposite, Argentine rock band Babasónicos

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IN TH E W I N G S

ART

THE MOON SERVES the most elemental and vital functions; it has also sourced the realm of gods and myths of myriad cultures throughout history.

Drawing Down the Moon, through Sept. 11 at UCLA’s Hammer Museum, surveys its iconography through objects from antiquity to the present— including unexpected objects such as an 18th-century moon-shaped ivory rabbit from Japan—drawn exclusivity from institutional collections and artist studios of Los Angeles. Andrea Bowers, also at the Hammer and co-organized with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is the L.A.– based artist’s first museum retrospective. Bowers’ two decades chronicling contemporary history have earned her an international reputation. Largescale installations, videos and colored-pencil drawings speak to the work of generations of activists fighting for immigration rights, workers’ rights and women’s rights. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310.443.7000, hammer.ucla.edu

At Hammer Museum: Vassily Kandinsky, Heavy Circles, 1927, left, at Drawing Down the Moon; and Andrea Bowers, Radical Feminist Pirate Ship Tree Sitting Platform, 2013

KANDINSKY COURTESY NORTON SIMON MUSEUM. BOWERS COURTESY SCHÜRMANN COLLECTION, HERZOGENRATH, GERMANY

TO THE MOON AND BACK

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IN TH E W I N G S

L.A. County Arboretum concert venue. Below: Jazz vocalist Nicole Henry

MUSIC

PASADENA POPS and principal Pops conductor Michael Feinstein continue their expanded summer series at Los Angeles County Arboretum. Grammy Awardwinning singer Melissa Manchester, Jazz songstress Nicole Henry and Hairspray Live’s Maddie Baillio present American Icons: Judy Garland & Friends Aug. 13, celebrating the centennials of Judy Garland, Doris Day and Peggy Lee and the legacy of Garland and Liza Minnelli.

Michael Cavanaugh—“the new

voice of the American Rock and Roll Songbook,” according to Billboard— returns Aug. 27 with a tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John. Feinstein and company close out the season Sept. 10 with Broadway on Film, music from the best shows to transition from Broadway to Hollywood.

Vocal and dance artists include Tony Award-winning and -nominated performers Lillias White, LaChanze and Tony Yazbeck. 301 N. Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, 626.793.7172, pasadenasymphony-pops.org

COURTESY PASADENA SYMPHONY

Pops at the Arboretum

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FEATURE

GIRL

POWER WOMEN, YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD, ARE IN. / BY SHERRY STERN /

season ahead: Consider Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Opera, Pasadena Playhouse and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, for starters. ¶ According to Rachel Fine, the Wallis’ executive director and CEO, having women take the lead on projects is about both representation and a different approach to arts-making. ¶ “There are many great male leaders, of course,” Fine says, “but I do see a level of collaboration among women that I have not always witnessed [among men] from organization to organization. I don’t know if it’s inherent or not, but I certainly see that among women.”

Among the most high-profile appointments this year, Lina González-Granados becomes the first female resident conductor in L.A. Opera’s 36-year history.

González-Granados—whose position puts her in the spotlight as conductor of L.A. Opera’s season opener, a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor Sept. 17-Oct. 9—says classical music has been opening up to women but gradually, over time.

“In classical music, including

women is not a huge movement but has happened little by little,” says González-Granados, speaking recently from Spain. With her appointment to L.A. Opera, she’s the first Latina to take on a high-ranking conducting position at any large American opera house.

“I’m working so hard, I don’t have the time to think, ‘Oh my God, this is going to be a huge thing,’” she says.

“Fortunately, it’s just part of something even bigger.”

Another trailblazer, Oksana Lyniv, will be on the podium for L.A. Opera’s Tosca Nov. 19-Dec. 10.

The Ukrainian conductor—liv-

ing with uncertainty as her family remains in her war-torn homeland— last year became the first woman to conduct at Germany’s storied Bayreuth Festival, saying at the time it was “a step towards the future.”

“There is a lot of interest and support” for female conductors, Lyniv told the New York Times before her Bayreuth debut, “from the public, from orchestras, from managers and from the critics.”

“When I started studying to be a conductor, I was the only woman at the college in Lviv,” she said to a European publication. “Over and over again, I was told: ‘Why do you want

LEFT TO RIGHT FROM TOP: LUKE FONTANA, KENNETH DOLIN, FAY FOX, EBRU YILDIZ, COURTESY L.A. OPERA (2)

WHETHER BY DESIGN, OR MAYBE a proactive push, women have an increased profile in the performing arts for the

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TOP ROW FROM LEFT:

Wallis executive director and CEO RACHEL FINE Playwright CHRISTINA HAM MIDDLE ROW FROM LEFT:

Sing for Hope founders

LEFT TO RIGHT FROM TOP: LUKE FONTANA, KENNETH DOLIN, FAY FOX, EBRU YILDIZ, COURTESY L.A. OPERA (2)

CAMILLE ZAMORA AND MONICA YUNUS

Playwright RHIANNON GIDDENS BOTTOM ROW FROM LEFT:

L.A. Opera resident conductor LINA GONZÁLEZGRANADOS L.A. Opera guest conductor OKSANA LYNIV

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FEATURE

Group, a New York City theater company run by women.

She says the problem in the arts stems not from women not being involved, but from women not getting credit in what is at its core a collaborative effort.

“The fact is, for centuries women have been central to creative production and [those] women’s labor has been erased,” Schaal says. “The West is obsessed with the singular genius narrative. And that narrative is simply an eraser of all the labor that goes into any creative work.

“I think that that story is eroding,” she says, adding that the more that we understand the collaborative process, “the more the lie dissipates.”

When you run an arts organization, Fine says, it’s important to recognize the team—“the giving of credit where credit is due…. With a lot of my female colleagues, there’s

a certain modesty and humility.”

González-Granados senses a unique energy when women work together.

“Every time I work with women, there is dynamic conversation and a bouncing of ideas,” says the Columbian-born conductor. “It’s a very fluid communication that sometimes can lead you to places you never thought of.”

Across the Music Center Plaza from L.A. Opera, Center Theatre Group got some publicized prodding last year when its season featured only one female playwright across its three stages, the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Prominent artists across the board drew attention to the shortfall in interviews and on social media.

Perhaps loudest was Jeremy O. Harris, who pulled his celebrated

JACEY RAE RUSSELL / COURTESY BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP

this? It’s never going to work out.’”

As with most large opera companies, L.A. Opera’s season contains works by familiar Western European male composers—Donizetti, Puccini, Mozart and Debussy. This year, add female Rhiannon Giddens, who wrote the libretto and composed, with Michael Abels, the new opera Omar; the work gets its West Coast premiere Oct. 22-Nov. 13 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

About an actual Muslim scholar who was sold into slavery, the opera premiered in May at the Spoleto Festival under the direction of Kaneza Schaal. The New York Times reviewer described it as a “sweeping achievement.”

Schaal, who works in theater, film and opera, sees what she calls “massive inequity” across her fields.

She was, she says, fortunate to cut her teeth working in the Wooster

Christina Ham’s Nina Simone: Four Women (previous production seen here) comes to South Coast Repertory.

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Slave Play from the Mark Taper schedule until action was taken at the 11th hour.

The company announced a seismic change, a plan to schedule the Taper’s 2022-23 season with “entirely women-identifying or nonbinary playwrights” and featuring a Black, indigenous and people-ofcolor majority. Most playwrights on the Douglas season will also represent those categories.

First revealed for the Taper is Anna Deveare Smith’s groundbreaking Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, reimagined and returning to the stage where it debuted 29 years ago.

Pasadena Playhouse announced “Celebrate Sondheim” as the heart of its 2022-23 season, but before the musical theater great takes center stage the Playhouse will present two plays by Pulitzer Prize finalists: Sanctuary City by Martyna Majok and Stew by Zora Howard.

Another of Southern California’s preeminent theater companies, South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, has a long history of presenting new works, often by women, that explore social issues. That mission has been guided by founders Martin Benson and David Emmes and other artistic directors, all working for the last 28 years with managing director Paula Tomei.

SCR’s upcoming season includes

L.A. Opera’s Tosca will be led by Oksana Lyniv. Below: Lizzie Clachan’s set for Lucia de Lammermoor

The Little Foxes by 20th-century playwright Lillian Hellman and the Southern California premiere of Christina Ham’s 2016 drama with music, Nina Simone: Four Women.

Among women directors, Logan Vaughn leads Nina Simone and Hisa Takakuwa helms A Christmas Carol.

Ham, who says she enjoys “dramatizing footnotes in black history,” also works in television: She recently served as a supervising producer of HBO’s Westworld.

In 2018, she joined other women in the Kilroys, a collective of writers, artists and directors based in Los Angeles and New York who say they “are done talking about gender parity and are taking action.”

“We’ve worked to create a list for these theaters who seem to have a challenging or hard time programming women and marginalized groups of writers,” Ham says.

The latest list highlights new plays that were cancelled, postponed, or closed early due to

COVID-19, and were written by women, trans and non-binary writers of the American theater.

Despite their efforts, Ham says they have plenty more to do: “The hope was that there would be more gender equity than what we’re still seeing on stages.”

In Beverly Hills, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a theater endowed by and named for a woman philanthropist puts its commitment to inclusivity front and center.

In its Foundation Documents, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing in Beverly Hills promises “…deliberately elevating the voices of those who have not always been heard, using the platform we have to give voice to marginalized groups.”

That commitment is on display in theater, dance and music programming, and this year in a forgotten French opera composed by a woman in the 19th century.

Sing for Hope, Artists in Residence /CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

IMAGES COURTESY L.A.OPERA

FEATURE

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Welcome to the Playhouse!

SANCTUARY CITY SEP 14 – OCT 9, 2022

By Martyna Majok

SONDHEIM CELEBRATION SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE FEB 14 – MAR 19, 2023 Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by James Lapine

A LIT TLE NIGHT MUSIC APR 25 – MAY 28, 2023 Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler

BERNADET TE PETERS IN CONCERT JUN 10 – JUN 11, 2023

Tonight we conclude our 2021/2022 Season with the exuberant Freestyle Love Supreme. It’s a show that redefines what an evening of theater can be: innovative, unscripted, mind-bending and celebratory. And it's the perfect ending to our “Comeback Season” as we now forge on into our new world together.

For us, this season wasn’t just about bringing bold and exciting works to our stage, but rather, celebrating coming together as a community after so many months of isolation. We danced together to the joyful music of The Go-Go’s in a theater turned on its head; we unexpectedly returned to our screens for the digital stream of a bold new play to navigate the winter surge; returned in person (once again) for a once-in-a-lifetime performance by Holland Taylor; and discovered together that a classic play first produced in 1899 can have deep resonance in our world today.

Tonight, we conclude with a participatory show where YOU, the audience, are in the driver seat.

Making theater is always a challenge but in these pandemic times, it has been more taxing than ever. Thank you to the staff of Pasadena Playhouse for navigating this season with passion and good humor as the twists and turns of a return to stage never stopped surprising us. And a special thanks to our Front of House team and COVID safety folks who were stretched in new ways and continued to keep our artists and audiences safe this season.

And a final thanks to YOU. For being here tonight and all year long with us as we move the American theater forward together.

Enjoy the show,

STEW JUL 11 – AUG 6, 2023

By Zora Howard

DANNY FELDMAN Producing Artistic Director

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P1

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CAST ANDREW BANCROFT

RICHARD BASKIN JR

JAY C. ELLIS

ANEESA FOLDS

MARK MARTIN

KAILA MULLADY

MORGAN REILLY

JAMES RUSHIN

VICTORIA THEODORE

ANTHONY VENEZIALE

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Present

Conceived by ANTHONY VENEZIALE

Directed by THOMAS KAIL

Created by THOMAS KAIL, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, AND ANTHONY VENEZIALE

Produced by THOMAS KAIL, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, JENNY AND JON STEINGART, AND JILL FURMAN

Starring ANDREW BANCROFT MARK MARTIN VICTORIA THEODORE

RICHARD BASKIN JR. KAILA MULLADY ANTHONY VENEZIALE

JAY C. ELLIS MORGAN REILLY

ANEESA FOLDS JAMES RUSHIN

Scenic Design BEOWULF BORITT

Costume Design LISA ZINNI

Lighting Design JEFF CROITER

Sound Design NEVIN STEINBERG

Music Supervisors ARTHUR LEWIS BILL SHERMAN CHRIS SULLIVAN IAN WEINBERGER

Associate Directors CODY RENARD RICHARD PATRICK VASSEL

Playhouse Associate Producer JENNY SLATTERY

Company Manager HOLLI CAMPBELL

National Press Representative CANDI ADAMS PR

Playhouse Press Representative DAVIDSON & CHOY PUBLICITY

Advertising RPM

Social Media MARATHON DIGITAL

Tour Marketing LAURA MATALON GABRIELLA GODÍNEZ

Production Stage Manager MCKENZIE MURPHY

Technical Supervision HUDSON THEATRICAL ASSOCIATES

Playhouse Technical Director/ Production Supervisor BRAD ENLOW

General Management BASELINE THEATRICAL

Executive Producers ANDY JONES & JAMES HICKEY Pasadena Playhouse sits on the land of the Gabrielino-Tongva and Kizh people, who historically inhabited the area around present-day Pasadena. We honor their contribution to this region and give thanks for the opportunity to live, work, and perform on their unceded ancestral lands.

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CAST FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME IS RICHARD BASKIN JR. AKA Rich Midway ANDREW BANCROFT AKA Jelly Donut JAY C. ELLIS AKA Jellis J ANEESA FOLDS AKA Young Nees MARK MARTIN AKA Mandible KAILA MULLADY AKA Kaiser Rözé MORGAN REILLY AKA Hummingbird JAMES RUSHIN AKA Shifty Hills VICTORIA THEODORE AKA Gigawatts ANTHONY VENEZIALE AKA Two Touch

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME

Christopher Jackson, Thomas Kail, Arthur Lewis, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Sherman, Chris Sullivan, Anthony Veneziale

STAGE MANAGEMENT Stage Manager

McKENZIE MURPHY

Assistant Stage Manager

ANGELA M. GRIGGS

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

HELP US BUILD THE FOUNDATIONS OF FREESTYLE!

Scan this code, or head to freestylelovesupreme.com/audience, to submit a word to be used in the show!

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WHO’S WHO

PASADENA PLAYHOUSE

— Pasadena Playhouse is a place where people have gathered for over 100 years to experience bold and important theater. As the State Theater of California, our mission is to enrich people’s lives through theater, community programs, and learning.

ANDREW BANCROFT

Jelly Donut — Andrew Bancroft is a writer and performer in New York. He made his Broadway debut with Freestyle Love Supreme in 2019.

Bancroft is a co-founder of Freestyle Love Supreme Academy and a member of the band Moondrunk. As rapper Jelly Donut, he has been featured in MTV’s TRL, Rolling Stone and Time. Bancroft writes musicals and is an award-winning ad writer/creative director. He loves whales. He is grateful to Freestyle Love Supreme, his family and his friends for their love and support. IG: @mcjellyd.

RICHARD BASKIN JR.

Rich Midway — Richard Baskin Jr. is a pianist, vocalist, songwriter and actor. Favorite pastimes include exploring food, languages and cultures! He has worked with world-renowned artists, including Bobby McFerrin, George Benson, Ben Folds and Kurt Elling. Freestyle Love Supreme was his first Broadway show and he is elated to be on tour with Freestyle Love Supreme.

JAY C. ELLIS

Jellis J — Jay C. Ellis is honored to join Freestyle Love Supreme, repping LGBTQ+ perspectives in hip-hop! Off-Broadway: Black Hole Wedding (Signature Theatres), Saturday Night Fever (TRW). Regional: Passing Strange, Chess (Playhouse Square). Film: Wormwood Falling (Shreek Theatre), Poncho (by Corin Michalski), Interrogation (by Stephen Caple Jr.). Created/ Directed BARS, Hip-Hop Musical, Playhouse Square and Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music (Alma Mater). Instructor @ Freestyle Love Supreme Academy. Gratitude @ Vicky, Scott, Greg, Dr. Weagraff #BWMT! Love @ Kyle. Woof @ Bagley. Mama & Pops forever. Instagram: @Jellis14. Twitter: @Too_ JEllis. Website: jayellis.net

ANEESA FOLDS

Young Nees — Credits include Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme. Off-Broadway/NYC: Sistas: The Musical. Regional: North Shore Music Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Arrow Rock Lyceum.

National Tour: Ragtime. Film/VO: Vivo; tick, tick…BOOM! Features include Disney Channel, Sesame Street and Rolling Stone. Instructor at Freestyle Love Supreme Academy.

Much love to my team, family and friends.

Follow Aneesa’s journey @aneesafolds and aneesafolds.com. Yeeerrrr!

MARK MARTIN

Mandible — New York City-based artist, educator, speaker, and musician Mark Martin is best known for playfully blurring the lines between language and sound through his energetic and dynamic blend of beatboxing and theater. Winner of the 2016 American Beatbox Championships and the 2016 International Beatrhyme Battle, Mark has battled in and judged many international beatbox battles, including the World Beatbox Championships and the Grand Beatbox Battle.

Martin is a passionate educator—you can check out his work at theacademyofnoise. com. Martin thanks his family and friends for their support.

KAILA MULLADY

Kaiser Rözé — Kaila Mullady is the 2015 and 2018 World Beatbox Champion. She travels the world incorporating singing, beatboxing and theater to push the boundaries of storytelling and show just what the human instrument is capable of.

She is passionate about teaching others how to beatbox through her Beatbox Education Platform, The Academy of Noise.

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WHO'S WHO ANTHONY VENEZIALE

MORGAN REILLY

Hummingbird — Morgan Reilly is thrilled to be joining the Freestyle Love Supreme family! A singer/ songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Allentown, PA, her original music can be found on all streaming platforms. A world of gratitude to Mom, Dad, Ian, Peter, Marianne, German and her incredible team. Every show is for you, Grandpop. Instagram/TikTok/Voisey: @ iammorganreilly

JAMES RUSHIN

Shifty Hills — James Rushin recently made his Broadway debut in Freestyle Love Supreme. New York City-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and music director, Rushin is often at work developing new shows and new bands.

Most recently on Far From Canterbury and as Slappi/Bass in Eighth Grade President. @not_ dragging

VICTORIA THEODORE

Gigawatts — Victoria Theodore is a pianist, singer and composer. Broadway: MD The Donna Summer Musical, Playbill’s Women in Theatre (2020).

Co-Composer MARIAN (new musical about Marian Anderson). Film: tick, tick…Boom!, Twenty Feet from Stardom. Beyoncé Formation Tour, Stevie Wonder (Multiple Tours), Live At Last DVD. Keys/Voice: The New Arsenio Hall Show. Arrangements for Beyoncé, Chloe+Halle.

Stanford and Oberlin graduate. Co-founder, EnSpirits band. victoriatheodore.com

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Two Touch — Anthony Veneziale is conceiver and co-creator of Freestyle Love Supreme and Freestyle Love Supreme Academy. Founding member of American Immigrants (San Francisco). He has used improv techniques to create endeavors for television (Cartoon Network, Sesame Workshop, Boardwalk Pictures), for theater (Freestyle Love Supreme, The Freeze, American Immigrants) and for business (TED, Google, Adobe, Salesforce and many more). He is a co-founder of speechlessinc.com, an improv thinking company that helps humans create, collaborate and find their authentic voice, as well as co-founder of the Freestyle Love Supreme Academy where we use equitable play to foster diverse communities of creative voices. Stage: Freestyle Love Supreme, Servicemen. TV: Sex and the City, Looking, Kid of the Year. Special thanks to all my teachers including Caricia, Jett and Oci—the loves of my life.

THOMAS KAIL

Co-Founder/Director/Producer — Broadway directing credits include Hamilton, In the Heights, Lombardi and Magic/Bird. OffBroadway selected directing credits include the world premiere of Hamilton, Dry Powder, Tiny Beautiful Things and Kings at The Public Theater; the world premiere of The Wrong Man at MCC Theater; the world premiere of In the Heights; Brokeology and the world premiere of When I Come to Die at Lincoln Center Theater; and the world premiere of Daphne’s Dive at Signature Theatre. Broadway producing credits include Derren Brown: Secret and Freestyle Love Supreme. Television directing and producing credits include Hamilton on Disney+, Fosse/Verdon on FX and Grease: Live on Fox. Graduate of Wesleyan University.

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CODY RENARD RICHARD

Associate Director — Cody Renard Richard is ecstatic to be back with the Freestyle Love Supreme fam! Cody has worked on 14 Broadway productions, favorites include Pass Over, Hamilton, Kinky Boots and After Midnight. TV: Annie Live!, VMAs, Tony Awards, Jesus Christ Superstar Live!, Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live!, Cirque du Soleil: Paramour, OVO, Wintuk. Other favorites: Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, City Center Encores! Cody has served as adjunct faculty at Columbia, Fordham and NYU. He has been featured by CNN, Forbes, Variety and as Out Magazine’s 2020 Out 100 Honoree. CRR Scholarship program founder. codyrenard.com. @codyrenard

PATRICK VASSEL

Associate Director — Broadway: Hamilton (Associate and Supervising Director), Magic/Bird (Assistant Director). Off-Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme (Greenwich House), Hamilton (The Public Theater), Working (Prospect). Credits include In a Little Room (Ten Bones); Sorin, Six Characters… (Notre Dame); Welcome to the Gun Show (ANT Fest); Nothing Left to Burn (O’Neill Semi-Finalist, Ars Nova ANT Fest).

BEOWULF BORIT T

Scenic Designer — Freestyle Love Supreme at Ars Nova in 2005. Broadway: Act One (Tony Award), The Scottsboro Boys (Tony Nomination), Thérèse Raquin (Tony Nomination), Come From Away, Be More Chill, The New One, Bernhardt/ Hamlet, Meteor Shower, A Bronx Tale, Prince of Broadway, Hand to God, Sondheim on Sondheim, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, LoveMusik, Rock of Ages, Chaplin, Bronx Bombers, Grace, The Two and Only, On the Town, Sunday in the Park with George. Off-Broadway: 100 shows.

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LISA ZINNI

Costume Designer — Freestyle Love Supreme (Broadway and OffBroadway), West Side Story (IHI Stage Around 360 production in Tokyo), Remember Our Song and Breaking Bricks (Tulsa Ballet). Broadway associate designer of Six, School of Rock, Cats, An American in Paris, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Glass Menagerie, Hair and Rent (including the National and International Tours) and Rent: Live on Fox. Twenty years of regional and Off-Broadway design credits.

Web series Submissions Only. 3D curator for the Museum of Broadway. LisaZinni.com.

JEFF CROITER

Lighting Designer — Broadway: Bandstand, Falsettos, Holiday Inn, Something Rotten!, Penn & Teller, Newsies, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Pee-wee Herman Show, Next Fall, Mothers and Sons, among others. Off-Broadway includes Beyond Babel, Mac Beth, The Other Josh Cohen, Smokey Joe’s Café, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Tiny Beautiful Things, Cost of Living and The Last Five Years. Received Tony, Hewes and Bass Awards and Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lortel, NAACP, Ovation and AUDELCO nominations. Jeff is a producer of the 4Wall Roundtable and the animated series Light Humor.

NEVIN STEINBERG

Sound Designer — Recent Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Hadestown (Tony Award), Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Cher Show, Bandstand, Bright Star, It Shoulda Been You, Mothers and Sons, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tony Nomination), The Performers, Magic/Bird. More than 30 Broadway productions with Acme Sound Partners and five additional Tony nominations: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Fences, Hair, In the Heights.

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HUDSON THEATRICAL ASSOCIATES

MCKENZIE MURPHY

Production Stage Manager — Broadway: Mean Girls, Sunset Boulevard, Tuck Everlasting, If/Then, Cinderella, Peter and the Starcatcher, Wit, Everyday Rapture, Bye Bye Birdie, 9 to 5. Other credits include NBC’s The Wiz Live!, MTC, Signature Theatre, MCC. Thank you to Cody and my family!

ANGELA M. GRIGGS

Assistant Stage Manager — Broadway: Pass Over, Freestyle Love Supreme, Jagged Little Pill. Off-Broadway: Slave Play; Mlima’s Tale; Stuffed; Picnic; Come Back, Little Sheba. Touring: Once on This Island (National Tour). Other credits: Grow with Google Tour, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

HOLLI CAMPBELL

Company Manager — Broadway: Hamilton, The Humans, Blackbird, Dames at Sea, Gigi, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and The Glass Menagerie. Director of curriculum for Beyond the Stage Door @ beyondthestagedoor. She is a graduate of the University of Evansville and a proud New Orleanian. All my love to mom and Phil, Dad and Sue and Hannah.

MICHAEL AARONS

Music Coordinator — Broadway: Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge!, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Flying Over Sunset, Diana. Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors. Tours: Frozen, Hamilton (National Tours, Los Angeles), Pretty Woman, Dear Evan Hansen. Aarons is a partner of M2 Music with Michael Keller. M2music.nyc.

Technical Supervisors — Over 100 Broadway productions and tours.

Recent: Chicken & Biscuits; David Byrne’s American Utopia; Mrs. Doubtfire; Caroline, or Change; Girl from the North Country; Jagged Little Pill; Hadestown; Ain’t Too Proud; Hamilton; Aladdin. HTA is a member of Neil A. Mazzella’s Hudson family, which includes Hudson Scenic Studio, Sean Gorski, Christy Perez, Sam Ellis, Frank Swann, Brianne Tabak and Irene Wang.

CANDI ADAMS PR

Press Representative — Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme (Special Tony Award), Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice, Man of La Mancha with Brian Stokes Mitchell, Fortune’s Fool with Frank Langella, Fiddler on the Roof with Alfred Molina. OffBroadway: Richard Nelson’s The Michaels Abroad; Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, directed by Joel Grey. Press for The Public Theater (NY): Hamilton, Fun Home, Latin History for Morons, Seawall/A Life, Sweat, Eclipsed, Here Lies Love, Hair, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. candiadamspr.com.

BASELINE THEATRICAL

General Management — Founded by Andy Jones in 2014 and joined

by Nick Lugo, Baseline’s Broadway credits include Hamilton; Pass Over; Freestyle Love Supreme; Derren Brown: Secret; The Cher Show; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; The Last Ship. Off-Broadway: Audible Theatre at Minette Lane, The Enigmatist.

National Tours: Hamilton. Recently established Beyond the Stage Door, a no-cost educational intensive created to prepare underrepresented undergraduates for theater management careers. baselinetheatrical.com.

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WHO’S WHO

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

Co-Founder/Producer — Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winning songwriter, actor, director and producer. Creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning Hamilton and In the Heights. Additional Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme (2020 Special Tony Award recipient), Bring It On: The Musical (co-composer/colyricist, Tony nomination for Best Musical) and West Side Story (2009 revival, Spanish translations). Recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. Emmy Award winner with Tom Kitt for their song “Bigger” from the 67th Annual Tony Awards. Mr. Miranda, and The Miranda Family, are active supporters of initiatives that increase people of color’s representation throughout the arts and government, ensure access to women’s reproductive health and promote resilience in Puerto Rico. TV/ film: Hamilton (2021 Emmy Award), His Dark Materials, Fosse/Verdon, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2018 Emmy nomination), Saturday Night Live (2017 Emmy nomination), Sesame Street, The Electric Company, House, DuckTales, 200 Cartas, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Moana (Grammy Award for Best Original Song), Mary Poppins Returns, In the Heights and Vivo. Additional 2021 film releases: tick, tick…BOOM! (film directorial debut) and Disney’s Encanto.

JENNY & JON STEINGART

Producers — Theater: Freestyle Love Supreme (Special Tony Award); Sir Patrick Stewart’s A Christmas Carol; Mean Girls; Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish; and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Film/ TV: We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (Hulu), Black Dynamite (Sony Film/Adult Swim TV). Co-founding partners of the Japanese animation studio Ultra Super Pictures (Trigger, Sanzigen, Ordet and Liden films) and Freestyle Love Supreme Academy.

They are also the founders of Ars Nova, New York City’s premier theater for emerging artists and new work.

JILL FURMAN

Producer — Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme (Special Tony Award), Hamilton (Tony Award), In the Heights (Tony Award), Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Heiress, Seminar, West Side Story, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox and Fortune’s Fool. Film/ Television: Hamilton (Emmy Award), In the Heights and We Are Freestyle Love Supreme. In 2011, Furman received the Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Theater Producing. Furman is a co-founding partner of Freestyle Love Supreme Academy. She is on the board of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, the Corporation of Brown University and the President’s Advisory Council for the Arts at Brown.

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

DIRECTORS

Chair Dennis Cornell

Erin Baker Sheri Ball MaryLou Boone Dennis Cornell Peggy Ebright Danny Feldman Beth Fernandez Sheila Grether-Marion Julie A. Gutierrez Cristina Hernandez Melanie Holden Jane Kaczmarek Brad King Jim McCarthy Ken McCormick Leigh T. Olivar Bingo Roncelli Jeff Smith Lilah Stangeland Ann Sunshine

Vice Chair Erin Baker Treasurer Ken McCormick Secretary Sheri Ball

CHAIR EMERITI David M. Davis David DiCristofaro Michele Dedeaux Engemann Kerry McCluggage

BOARD MEMBERS EMERITI

IN MEMORIAM

Valerie Amidon Carol Burnett Linda Griffey Ralph Hirschmann Frank Kleemann Dennis Lowe Tad Lowrey Rao Makineni Abel Ramirez Kathy Arntzen Roat Anne Rothenberg Lyn Spector Elliot Stahler Corky Hale Stoller Mike Stoller Greg Stone Leslie Tolan James Watterson Martha Williamson

David Angell Theodore Fitch Behr Betty Ann Koen Brooks Albert Lowe Margaret Sedenquist Roger Stangeland

Special thanks to Corky Hale Stoller and Mike Stoller for their extraordinary support.

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MEMBERS Donations reflect gifts given between Jan 1, 2020 and June 9, 2022. Contributions received after June 9, 2022 will be acknowledged in the next program.

PLAYHOUSE GUILD $100,000+ Anonymous (2) Erin & Jeremy Baker Terri & Jerry Kohl Dottie & Bob King Brad & Pamela King Frederick Ricci Estate $50,000+ Avery & Andy Barth Dennis Cornell Michael Mackness & Eric Sigg Sheila Grether-Marion & Mark Marion Leigh T. & Harry Olivar Bill Resnick & Michael J. Stubbs $20,000+ Anonymous Suzi Dietz & Lenny Beer Julie & Don Hopf Michele & Roger Engemann Harvey & Ellen Knell Gayle & Tad Lowrey Tracy & Ken McCormick Wendy Munger & Leonard Gumport Bingo & Gino Roncelli The Sahan Daywi Foundation Diana J. Sedenquist/Sedenquist Family Trust Lilah Stangeland Cindy Vail & Greg Stone $10,000+ Anonymous Chantal & Steve Bennett Cate Caplin Judith & Stanley Farrar Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse Heather & Paul Haaga Cristina Hernandez & Jeffrey Bernstein Hillenburg Family Jane Kaczmarek Jennifer Lee & Alfred Molina Dave & Jane Lundegard Sarah & Eric Miller Robert J. Muehlhausen Elisabeth Hunt Price Judy Waller Dr. Frank & Shelley Williams

PREMIER MEMBERS $5,000+ Anonymous Tim & Tracy Alderson Z. Clark Branson Darrell & Arline Brooke Lynn & Carl Cooper Dr. Annette Ermshar & Associates Dorothy Falcinella Brenda & William Galloway Debra L. Grieb Linda & Jay Griffey Beth & Rob Hansen Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation Donor Advised Fund William H. Hurt Alan Keith & Richard Brand Donna J. Leonhard Shelly & Dennis Lowe Diane & Craig Martin Megan Mekjian & Christian Hall Ceil & Wendell Mortimer Nick Nichols Stephen Henry & Rudy O'Claray J.R. & Chip Ossman June Thurber Paine & Garrett Paine Mary E. Petit & Eleanor Torres Laurie & Jeffrey Smith Karin & Sean Stellar Susan Stevens Robert & Lynn Traver Marianne & Gary Wallace Jinny & Scott Wilcott Robert & Deborah Wycoff $2,500+ JoJeanne & Dann Angeloff Sheri & Andy Ball Meta & Jay Berger Carol M. & Barrett P. Bingaman MaryLou Boone Annette Brandin John & Annette Brende Mary Lou Byrne & Gary W. Kearney Kevin Callahan & John Sims Julie Campoy Bill & Mary Lea Carroll Richard von Ernst & Thomas Castañeda Carol Ann Collins Joe & Dottie Clougherty Bill Cohn & Dan Miller David M. Davis Paul & Ann DeMartini Stephanie & Leo Dencik Patti & Jim Dolan Anne Dougherty & David Dobrikin Ms. Peggy Ebright Michael Enomoto, Sr. Sheldon Epps PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P11

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MEMBERS

Stephanie Flagg Ms. Vivien Stanley Foran & Dr. William F. Foran Dena Spanos-Hawkey & Philip Hawkey Susan & Ron Hoffman Richard Kaplan Cathy King-Schaefer & Wes Schaefer Christopher Kreiling Janet & David Lazier Greta & Peter Mandell Margaret & David Mgrublian Joan & Phil Miller Thomas & Samira Moran Richard Motika & Jerrie Whitfield Ainhoa Moya David S. Nagy Kenneth & Richel Nash Richard Oosterom & William Ferry Barbara & Tony Phillips Winnie Reitnouer Sarah & Daniel Rothenberg Kathy Shibata Susan J. Shieldkret Bill & Judy Shupper Donna Stevens Philip A. Swan Sharon Valdez & Don Riddell Nicole & Bernhard von Thaden Jean Christensen & Steven Warheit Gary Dahle & Derek Whitefield

PLAY IT UP DONORS $1,000+ Russell Avery Patricia Beauchamp Cynthia Bennett & Ed de Beixedon Joan Bennett Gary & Shirley Best Diana Buckhantz Paula Brand Susan Bleecker Dave & Zoie Carney Chris & Will Cathart Charles Chatelain James & Marty Childs Jerry Christoff Hannah Coan Kathleen Colburn Phyllis Crandon Martha Denzel Gail & Jim Ellis Sandy & Mark Esensten Terry Feuerborn Walt Fidler Victoria Flam Marilyn Louise Flynn Yvonne & Craig Flint James Flock Janis Frame & Sandy Zisman Dale Franzen

Betty Jo Gaddy Karen Gallagher Beth Gertmenian Julie Gutierrez Don & Denise Hahn Susan Hauk Tracy & Richard Hirrel Gary Hunter Colin Hurren Gary & Lois Ingham Ruth & Jeremy Jones Marcia & Gordon Kanofsky Amy & Alan Karbelnig John E. Kinikin Joy & Ed Klein Eugene Korney & Penny Grosz Susan Kramer Penelope & Steven Ledbetter Susan Mandel Ilene Marshall Jim & Amanda McCarthy Sue & Monty Mohrman Laura Mosqueda Lary & Mary Anne Mielke Thomas Moore Cheryl & Judd Morris Nancy Naecker Janice Ohta & Fred Weiss John Pasquin & JoBeth Williams Teresa Payton Gloria & Don Pitzer Lucy Pliskin Meenakshi Ponnusamy Lorelle Pouncey Melinda Quan Judy Regan Sarah A. Schoellkopf Mark Schuster Carl P. Siechert David & Gail Snyder Janis & Stuart Simon Ann & Steven Sunshine Paul Swerdlove John D. Taylor Shirlie Thomas Valerie Gumbiner Weiss Lynda Jenner & J. Patrick Whaley Paul Tellstrom & Carl Whidden Liz & Andy Wilson Carolyn Wilson & Patrick Connor Barbara & John Wortmann Robbie & David Zeidberg Amy Zeidler

Want to add your name to the list? Scan the QR code to donate today or visit pasadenaplayhouse.org to learn more.

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Ahmanson Foundation Ann Peppers Foundation The ASCAP Foundation California Arts Council California Community Foundation City of Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission The David Lee Foundation Dwight Stuart Youth Fund Fitzberg Foundation The Green Foundation The Helen & Will Webster Foundation Jess & Palma Morgan Foundation The Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation L.L. Foundation for Youth Los Angeles County Arts Commission Michael J. Connell Foundation Milo W. Bekins Foundation National Endowment for the Arts

Pasadena Community Foundation The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Rotary Club of San Marino The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation The Shubert Foundation US Bank The Wallace Foundation

CORPORATE SPONSORS Kaiser Permanente Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse Haute Picnic Playhouse Village Association Saso Acknowledgements reflect gifts given between Jan 1, 2020 and June 9, 2022.

Contributions received after June 9, 2022 will be acknowledged in the next program.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

GILMOR BROWN SOCIETY The Gilmor Brown Society recognizes legacy givers who have honored the Playhouse by including the theater in their own will or trust. We are grateful for the legacy of the following individuals whose generosity allows this organization to continue serving our community.

Anonymous Lenore Almanzar Ellen Bailey* In Memory of Judie Bartell Estate of Evelyn Bray Darrell Brooke Marjorie Cates Ross Clark Gary Dahle & Derek Whitefield Estate of Agnes Duncan Peggy Ebright Estate of Harriet L. Freeman Estate of Ada Gory Linda & Jay Griffey

Virginia Hawkins* Sue Haynie-Horn & John Horn* Sheila Grether-Marion & Mark Marion Doug Jones & John Sanger* Annelies Kischkel Estate of Pauline Ledeen* The Joanie Marx Trust Adele Morse William & Adele Nevins Shirli Nielson* Estate of Charles Pierce Shirley Reed Trust* Frederick Ricci*

Estate of Constance Ropolo A. Jerald Saldana Estate of Margaret H. Sedenquist* Sandra Shaw* Lyn Spector Lilah & Roger* Stangeland Estate of Bill Watters Jim Watterson* Barbara Jean Wolpert

*Gift Realized PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P13

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STAFF Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Lisa Whitney Controller ​​Jacque Myers, CPA Business Manager Kristen Hammack-Eaton Operations Manager J. Bailey Burcham PRODUCTION/ARTISTIC Associate Producer Jenny Slattery Technical Director / Production Supervisor Brad Enlow Producing Assistant Bonnie McHeffey Producing Assistant Amanda Tralle Artistic Project Coordinator / Executive Assistant Katharine McDonough DEVELOPMENT Chief Development Officer Alex Wang Assistant Director of Major Gifts Becky Birdsong Assistant Director of Development Nora DeVeau-Rosen Assistant Director of Events Sam Palmer Development Associate Pedro Armendariz MARKETING​ ​&​ ​C OMMUNICATIONS Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Kory P. Kelly Associate Director of Marketing & Communications Jessica Hird Marketing Manager Nelly Mueller Communications Manager Omar Avedanke Marketing Coordinator Abby Green Communications Coordinator Brandon Karrer Graphic Designer Spencer Berry Videographer Nathaniel Peterson Press Representative Davidson & Choy Publicity

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PATRON SERVICES Director of Patron Services & Sales Rachyl Spacca Patron Services Manager Kevin Lauver Patron Services Supervisor Shelby Amses Patron Services Associates Ani Cohen, Rafael Goldstein, Amanda Kochey, Hannah Tamkin, Theresa Wegher-Thompson, Kyndal Zakarian Audience Engagement Steven Garry, Carol Osborn House Managers Emily Minnotte, Tammi Steren, Mark Walter FRIENDS OF THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Beth Fernandez 1st Vice President Barbara Cruse 2nd Vice President Nancy Ashcraft Treasurer Lawrence Yu Secretary Sharon Zaslaw Directors Doris Arima, Raquel Burgess, Ross Clark, Barbara Cruse, Charles Hay, Barbara Jacoby, Lillias Krezel, Patti La Marr, Art Leos, Beverly Meissner, Shirley Miller, Patrick Oliva, Betty Parnell, Natalya Pashkova, Sienna Salce, Jayne Thomas, Lawrence Yu, Valerie Vallas, Maggie Chatman Co-Chair Tammi Steren Advisory Lenore Bond Almanzar, Nancy Ashcraft, Carolyn Di Pane, Sue Haynie-Horn FREEST YLE LOVE SUPREME PRODUCTION STAFF General Management Baseline Theatrical Andy Jones, Nick Lugo, Cameron Foltz, Dana Li, Dylan Pager, Beth Renoni, Emanuel Azenberg Associate General Manager James Hickey ​​Company Manager Holli Campbell Assistant Company Manager Bria Woodyard Technical Supervision Hudson Theatrical Associates Neil Mazzella, Sean Gorski, Christy Perez, Sam Ellis, Franklin Swann, Brianne Tabak, Irene Wang National Press Representative Candi Adams Press Associates Zack Reiser, Cara Weglarz

Tour Marketing Laura Matalon, Gabriella Godínez Legal Counsel Levine Plotkin & Menin, Llp Loren Plotkin, Conrad Rippy, Susan Mindell, Daniel Watkins, Emily Erstling, Kevin Hess, Cris Criswell Production Stage Manager McKenzie Murphy Assistant Stage Manager Angela Griggs Associate Directors Cody Renard Richard Patrick Vassel Associate Scenic Designer Alexis Distler Assistant Scenic Designer Romello Diamunique Huins Associate Costume Designer Abby Hahn Assistant Costume Designer Chris Hynds Associate Lighting Designer Brandon Rosen Assistant Lighting Designer Rachael N. Blackwell Associate Sound Designer Jason Crystal Associate Sound Designer Daniel Lundberg Music Coordinator Michael Aarons Moving Light Programmer Michael Sbrocchi Tour Head Carpenter Evan Rooney Production Electrician Jimmy Maloney Advance Electrician Vince Goga Advance Sound Marisa J. Barnes Lighting Director and Improv Designer Andrew Garvis Production Audio Nick Borisjuk Tour Head Audio Matt Raudabaugh Production Props Addison Heeren Wardrobe Supervisor Emily Rose Magnuson EDI Director Nicole Javanna Johnson COVID Safety Manager Bria Woodyard Producing Associate to Jill Furman Morgan Steward Assistant to Thomas Kail Mia Del Duca Assistant to Lin-Manuel Miranda Owen Panettieri

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Assistant to Jenny and Jon Steingart Irene Lazaridis Banking Signature Bank/Roberto Larrinaga Payroll Checks and Balances Payroll, Inc. Accountant WithumSmith+Brown, PC Comptroller Galbraith & Company/ Hannah Goldstein Insurance AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services, Inc./ Claudia Kaufman Advertising RPM Social Media Manager Marathon Digital Mike Karns, Melanie Pateiro, Ava Coploff, Jhanay Williams, Polina Sapershteyn Synthesizer Programmer Randy Cohen Keyboards Production Photographer Joan Marcus Merchandising TeeRico/Luis Crespo Moving Light Programmer Michael Sbrocchi PASADENA PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION STAFF Deck Chief Matt Petosa Head Electrician David Patrick Beattie Lead Audio - A1 Corey Charness Followspot Operator Keannak Parvaz Wardrobe Supervisor Diane Weisman Props Head Amy Sargent Head Carpenter Dwight Ortiz Riggers Sean Lewellyn Carpenters Nicolas Chamberlin, Marcos Friedman, Amy Sargent, Erik Gonzalez Electricians Keannak Parvaz, Sal Flores, Vsevolod Krawczeniuk, Matt Petosa, Evan Drane, Charity Lindsay, Kyle Gundlach, Darci Murphy

SPECIAL THANKS Moye Thompson, Chris Thompson, Mirimus Labs,Katherine Dumais, James Kolditz, Chris Newton Credits Scenery provided by Hudson Scenic Studio.Lighting equipment provided by 4Wall Entertainment, Inc. and audio equipment provided

by PRG Broadway.

The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

This theater operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The technical employees of the Pasadena Playhouse are represented by the INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES, MOVING PICTURE TECHNICIANS, ARTISTS AND ALLIED CRAFTS, OF THE UNITED STATES, ITS TERRITORIES AND CANADA, AFL-CIO,CLC: Local 33 Stagehands, Local 706 Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Local 768 Theatrical Wardrobe Local 800 Art Director’s Guild. The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.

The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

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IN THE THEATER

FOR EVERYONE’S SAFETY

We take your health very seriously and want to ensure you have a safe, as well as fun visit to the Playhouse. For more details on our COVID-19 policy, and for our most up-to-date guidelines, visit pasadenaplayhouse.org/covid-19.

ACCESSIBILITY

FOR EVERYONE’S ENJOYMENT

We are committed to making theater accessible to all patrons. Assisted-listening devices can be checked out in the lobby before the performance using a photo ID. The third Sunday matinee performance for every Mainstage production offers Open Captioning. For more information regarding accommodations and services, please contact Patron Services or ask the House Manager.

LATE ARRIVALS

We do not offer advisories about the subject matter for each production, as sensitivities vary from patron to patron.

If you have any inquiries regarding the content, age-appropriateness or stage effects (such as strobe lights or theatrical fog) that may affect patron comfort, please contact Patron Services or a House Manager before the performance begins.

As a courtesy to the artists and patrons, we ask you to please turn off cell phones, all electronic devices and anything that may light up the area around you prior to the performance. Please refrain from talking and any disruptive noise-making during the performance.

Neither photography nor the use of electronic recording devices is allowed during performances.

In consideration of our artists and patrons, late seating will take place during the first appropriate break in the performance at the discretion of Management.

House Management may need to direct late arrivals to alternate seats. For the convenience of latecomers, the performance in progress may be viewed and heard on the monitors in the lobby.

RESTROOMS

Restrooms, including accessible facilities, are available in the lobby 45 minutes before each performance. We invite you to use whichever restroom you are comfortable using. We offer all-gender restrooms upstairs in the Carrie Hamilton lobby. Please see House Management if you would like to be directed to these restrooms at any time during your visit.

AGE RESTRICTIONS

Children under age 6 will not be admitted into the theater. We ask that everyone in your party, regardless of age, be able to sit quietly through a performance without disrupting other patrons or the artists. Patrons of all ages must have a ticket to enter the theater and must sit in the seat indicated on the ticket.

PRODUCTION ADVISORY

CONTACT PATRON SERVICES Email boxoffice@pasadenaplayhouse.org Phone 626-356-7529 PHONE HOURS Tuesday - Saturday 12 PM - 6 PM Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM BOX OFFICE HOURS Tuesday - Saturday 12 PM - 6 PM Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM On performance days, the Box Office windows will remain open 15 minutes after the show begins.

Please note hours are subject to change due to observed holidays.

SOCIAL HANDLES @pasadenaplayhouse Pasadena Playhouse @pasplayhouse @ pasadenaplayhouse

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W IN E

Vineyards and, below, distinctive bottles at new Akash Winery

GLASS EVEN FULLER Three new wineries significantly enhance the cachet of Temecula Valley; one has a swimming pool. by BENJAMIN EPSTEIN

Ninety minutes south of Los Angeles, at the geographic heart of Southern California, is the picturesque Temecula Valley Wine Country, nearly 50 wineries nestled in rolling hills and anchored by Old Town Temecula.

The area’s first winery opened nearly half a century ago; three years ago, Wine Enthusiast magazine deemed it one of the world’s top wine travel destinations. Distinctive new Altísima, Akash and Bottaia add to the allure.

COURTESY AKASH WINERY

/ Altísima / EIGHT LOCAL families joined to create Altísima Winery, a passion project that pays homage to the area’s Spanish roots through Spanish architecture, an array of wines from Spanish grapes cultivated on 15 vineyard acres and a chic Cal-Spanish restaurant, Gaspar’s at the Vineyard, named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá.

Altísima opened in October.

Wines include whites such as Albariño, labeled “the Soñadora,” and memorable reds including a Monastrell—the grape known as Mourvèdre in France—and a Reserve Tempranillo. “Temecula is known for bigger, bolder reds and we have those,” says winemaker Chris Johnson. “But we also want to present more delicate reds, to bring the refinement that Spain does so well.”

It’s elegant and idyllic, with picturesque views in every direction.

The Gaspar’s patio and expansive lawn beyond offer ideal vantages, with the backdrop of live music, most often a Spanish guitarist or singer, on weekends. Views elsewhere on the property include a pair of neighboring wineries— Fazeli Cellars and Robert Renzoni Vineyards—whose own beauty adds to the scene.

Tasting options range from a one-hour seated experience to a tour of the estate with pairing of a half dozen wines and artisan cheeses. The olive grove is popular for private events.

Gaspar’s brings coveted jamón serrano, Spanish olives and Catalan gambas—sauteed shrimp with a spicy saffron sauce and garlic con-

fit—as well as a burger, made with a blend of Prime Black Angus short ribs and brisket plus bacon and Gruyère cheese, that has a bona fide following.

/ Akash / A PHOTO OF a vineyard was perched above the fireplace in Akash Patel’s boyhood home; bought by his father at a Temecula winery, it was a daily reminder of his family’s dream of owning its own vineyard and winery.

In 2010, his parents, immigrants who’d built a successful motel

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Thursdays through Sundays. Other experiences include yoga on the patio and picnics in the vineyards.

Adjacent to the tasting room, and sharing the patio, is Akash Brewing, where offerings include ales, IPAs and, most popular, a kettle sour using hibiscus and pineapple.

Patel is also following in his parents’ hospitality footsteps: A resort on the property is in the works.

/ Bottaia / AFTER FARMING the Brookside ranch since 1984, and operating the Ponte Vineyard since 2003, the Ponte family replanted Brookside’s most suitable blocks to Italian varietals from Aglianico to Zibibbo, built a stunning winery to produce them and in 2018 unveiled Bottaia.

The name means cask-aging room in Italian. Though best described as modern barns, Bottaia’s buildings are in fact inspired by Northern Italian luxury—the country houses of the Veneto designed by Andrea Palladio.

Palladio’s 16th-century architectural principles dictated a temple-like main building flanked by ancillary buildings, in Bottaia’s case dedicated to fermentation and storage.

Beyond the structures is a stun-

POOL AND GAMBAS, BENJAMIN EPSTEIN. ALL OTHER IMAGES COURTESY THE WINERIES

chain in New Mexico, took the first step in realizing that dream: They purchased a 20-acre parcel of vineyard land in Temecula Valley and entrusted its development to Akash—20 years old at the time and pursuing a business management/marketing degree.

“They presented it to me and basically said, ‘If you want to do this, you’ll figure it out,’” Patel recalls. “I’d seen the success my parents had achieved. I thought if they’re going to put my name on it, I’m going to make sure that name is a good one.”

Their trust was well placed; Patel started making wine in 2014 and opened Akash Winery & Vineyards with winemaker Renato Sais in 2019.

Now 31, he produces two labels: the eponymous Akash, using estatesourced grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, and Dreamville, whose bottlings include a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc and a Malbec sourced from neighboring vines. Wines from both labels have earned Wine Enthusiast scores of 90 or more.

Tastings of flights take place inside and at patio bars over looking the vineyards. Neapolitanstyle wood-fired pizza is available

ning swimming pool, open weekends through the summer, with Italian-style cabines and chaises and its own café and cocktail bar.

The vineyards extend to the horizon.

Bottaia sources about a dozen single-varietal wines, notably Montepulciano, as well as blends from its 45-acre estate vineyards.

Aging takes place in large concrete tanks and oak vats and casks.

The property offers several tasting experiences. Enjoy the wines by the bottle, glass or flight on a deck overlooking the vineyards or in a sophisticated living-room-like lounge with soaring ceilings and striking vineyard views.

Taste six estate wines from the bottle and one from the barrel as part of a one-hour experience in the cozy barrel room or five estate wines paired with charcuterie— and maybe a bonus late-harvest Montepulciano—in a cheery communal setting for up to two hours.

Be a winemaker for a day in the Wine Blending Lab: Taste four varietals of young red wine from the barrel, blend them into three separate red blends and taste again: Your favorite blend will be bottled, corked, capsuled and labeled to take home.

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POOL AND GAMBAS, BENJAMIN EPSTEIN. ALL OTHER IMAGES COURTESY THE WINERIES

The deck at Bottaia.

Opposite from above left: Altísima's tasting room and Catalan gambas at Gaspar's; the Bottaia pool and vineyards beyond.

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D ESIGN

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RESTRAINED DRAMA As one of the city’s leading interior designers, former Broadway actor Adam Hunter now sets the scenes in L.A. homes. / by roger grody /

In Pacific Palisades, Adam Hunter’s interior designs enhance a carefree indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

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D ESIGN

A

FTER A DECADE OF appearing in productions such as Les Misérables and The Lion King on Broadway, Adam Hunter relocated to Los Angeles for a television series … then built a prestigious interior design practice.

With an appreciation for both traditional and modern aesthetics, Hunter’s signature style has been aptly described as “restrained drama.”

Hunter’s mother, in addition to acting on Broadway herself, was passionate about interior design.

While growing up in suburban Chicago, he was further inspired by his neighbor, renowned designer Holly Hunt.

Examining the common threads of his two careers, he posits, “Actors and designers are both very good at reaching people— they’re able to paint pictures that inspire an audience.”

As is the case with many local

architects and designers, the city of Los Angeles is a constant source of inspiration for Hunter.

“Obviously, the climate allows us to design for an indoor-outdoor lifestyle, but there’s a great majesty of ease here, and something quite luxurious about the Hollywood lifestyle,” explains the designer from his Melrose Avenue studio.

His style is ever-evolving. “I’m getting a little more edgy and funkier,” Hunter says, “but I’m always trying to achieve something

ALL PHOTOS TREVOR TONDRO

In the Palisades, Hunter anchors a stylish lounge with an onyx-clad bar. Opposite: He creates drama near a stairway with a Bolle chandelier and contemporary art in a sleek, modern residence.

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ALL PHOTOS TREVOR TONDRO

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D ESIGN

The designer presents an edgy, eclectic aesthetic for a Santa Monica family room. Opposite: A chandelier from Michael Taylor Designs illuminates a modern Hunter-authored dining room..

accessible, finding the right note for my clients.”

He also enjoys using color, something he attributes to his time on stage. As an avid Francophile, he curates handcrafted furnishings and objets d’art from sophisticated French designers and artisans.

Commissioned by an acclaimed Hollywood screenwriter in Santa Monica—Hunter credits this particular client with furthering his evolution toward the aforementioned more edgy, eclectic style—he created an environment that represents laidback Santa Monica via New York City. A basement suite features subway tiles, brass accents and exposed plumbing, and despite its traditional façade, dramatic flourishes are exhibited throughout the home.

For a sleek residence in Pacific Palisades, steps from Riviera Country Club, Hunter leaned more traditional in order to balance the clean, modern lines of the architecture. That client adhered to a principle that Hunter describes as “trust the process,” which essentially means letting go and empowering the designer to do his best work.

The arrangement worked so well that Hunter is now designing his fourth project for the person.

“For me, this kind of relationship allows the design to evolve more cohesively and organically,” suggests Hunter. In his own residence in the Hollywood Hills, where the designer was free to express his personal aesthetics, Hunter playfully affixed those same words, “trust the process,”

to a bedroom wall in neon script.

Hunter’s clients include technology entrepreneurs and hedge fund managers, as well as celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris, Travis Barker and Christina Hendricks. He has authored branded luxury residences at Park City’s Montage Deer Valley resort and is currently collaborating with Chileno Bay in Los Cabos and the Madison Club in La Quinta.

Hunter joins designers such as Alexander McQueen and Diane von Furstenberg in creating floor coverings for the Rug Company, where his abstract “Smoke” motif is a perennial bestseller.

He also designs unique leather wall coverings for Italy’s Studioart.

Fromental, an exclusive Londonbased purveyor of handmade

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wallpaper, will release Adam Hunter-designed products in the fall.

Suggesting that wallpaper once erred toward fussy, chinoiserie expressions, Hunter explains that his contemporary designs are more nuanced, with a strong textural element.

“People tend to favor wallpaper in powder rooms—they can take more risks with kitschier designs there. My quieter concepts are appropriate anywhere in the home,” Hunter says.

“I always add a bit of magic to every space. This is just who I am,” states the actor-turneddesigner, who maintains a genuine connection with his audience.

Adam Hunter, Inc., 323.272.3232; adamhunter.com

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D IN IN G

Singular Steak Find New Zealand Wagyu and what may be L.A.’s best fries at new Matu in Beverly Hills. / by

hadley tomicki

/

Wagyu dinners at Matu can be three or five courses or ordered a la carte like the ribeye seen here.

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Los Angeles residents dwell in a meat-lovers paradise: Consider Nancy Silverton’s Italian chophouse Chi Spacca, the cavalcade of Japanese A5 beef at Alexander’s Steakhouse, and the countless strip-mall spots glorifying barbecue styles from the Korean peninsula to South Carolina.

New Matu in Beverly Hills offers another exceptional meat-centric Chic Gusto Green option: The menu at this modern temple of steak revolves around and, opposite, its Market Salad grass-fed Wagyu from New Zealand’s First Light Farms.

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The dining room and bar and, below, beef croquetas over celeriac puree.

Opposite: Hand-cut tartare

Uovo and HiHo, a burger spot that also uses First Light’s Wagyu.

Matu’s sophisticated dining room has the walnut-and-brass accents one might expect at a South Beverly Drive steakhouse. Its tables fill with couples and deal makers and its stemware fills with scarlet Cabernet.

Matu’s compact open kitchen features an Argentine-style woodfired grill. The menu rotates daily but always stars the opulent beef.

Guests can choose a three- or five-course tasting or order a la carte among permutations

including grilled, braised and high-heat-seared.

A welcoming cup of hot bone broth, cooked for 24 hours, foreshadows the Wagyu’s mouthfeel and taste. The starter might be

plump croquetas bursting with beef and braising liquids; a hand-cut tartare, available in Piemonte or Japanese style; or a housemade pasta with braised beef ragu.

FOOD IMAGES, EDDIE SANCHEZ. INTERIOR, VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS

Unlike Japan’s Wagyu, which comes from cornraised, grass-finished stock carefully monitored in pens, First Light sets its Wagyu cattle free to roam, nourished by nothing other than grass—a stress-free regimen that ultimately endows the beef with impressive marbling and distinctive flavor and results in a more healthful, humane and climate-friendly product.

The restaurant’s partners include Sushi Nozawa Group co-founder Jerry A. Greenberg; among its affiliated clan of dining businesses are Sugarfish, KazuNori, Nozawa Bar,

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FOOD IMAGES, EDDIE SANCHEZ. INTERIOR, VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS

The meal crests on sensational steaks, of course: New Yorks and ribeyes, their middles warm and red, the wood-burning grill enhancing their depth of flavor; center-cut filets kissed by the plancha’s sear; and beyond-tender beef cheeks presented over celeriac puree.

Fries cooked in Wagyu tallow are contenders for L.A.’s best; desserts hinge on flourless chocolate cake and panna cotta with café con leche. Servers are adroit, gracious and enthusiastic.

The First Light meat hits differently, delivering both buttery textures and a savor suggesting light game. As opposed to Japan’s fat-saturated Wagyu, one can easily and eagerly indulge in this beef over numerous courses and often. Matu provides the ideal setting.

239 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 424.317.5031, matusteak.com

A soaring ‘20s circus-infused immersive dinner experience by Vau de Vire Society at Vibiana

June 18 - July 24 vibiana.com

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F EAT U R E

/CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

REGULAR TICKETS

HERE’S TO YOU

97%

of audiences read the program.

6.2

million readers annually.

65%

support advertisers who support the arts.

Call us to advertise 310-280-2880 We entertain great ideas.

at the Wallis, present Pauline Viardot’s 1867 work The Last Sorcerer (Le dernier sorcier) in its U.S. premiere.

“Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus, the founders of Sing for Hope, are themselves worldrenowned sopranos with broad creative vision,” Fine says. “Bringing them on board as Artists in Residence opened up some very exciting new artistic opportunities for us next season.

“They bring tremendous synergy and artistic sensibility to the diverse projects we are undertaking together.”

From Fine’s perspective, what’s happening this year is not an aberration but a continuation.

She points to a group of two or three dozen female arts leaders who meet quarterly, a group that includes CEOs and directors in the theater, music, dance, radio worlds, and at art and culture museums across the region.

“It feels pretty exceptional to me, not just in terms of representation, but also in terms of how collegially supportive and collaborative these women are,” Fine says.

“I can’t tell you how much I admire my female colleagues in the field.”

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BEFORE HAMILTON, BEFORE IN THE HEIGHTS, THERE WAS...

Conceived by ANTHONY VENEZIALE Created by THOMAS KAIL, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, and ANTHONY VENEZIALE

Directed by THOMAS KAIL Produced by THOMAS KAIL, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, JENNY and JON STEINGART, and JILL FURMAN

From the minds of THOMAS KAIL, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, and ANTHONY VENEZIALE

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Jul 12 – Aug 7

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PARTIN G TH O U G H T

reprogra mmed!

Performances Magazine unveils a digital program platform for shows and concerts

DROP DOWN MENU Table of app contents.

SEARCH Find whatever it is you want to know—easily.

REGISTER Stay arts-engaged, access past programs.

SIGN IN Link to your performing-arts companies and venues.

THE ESSENTIALS Acts, scenes, synopses, repertory and notes.

THE PLAYERS Bios and background for cast, crew and creators.

CONTRIBUTORS Donors and sponsors who make it all possible—you!

The touchless platform provides cast and player bios, donor and season updates and arts-centric features. Audiences receive a link and code word that instantly activate the app; QR codes are posted, too.

Screens go dark when curtains rise and return with the house lights.

Updates—repertory changes, understudy substitutions, significant donations—can be made right up to showtime, no inserts necessary.

Other features include video and audio streams, translations and expanded biographies.

For those who consider printed programs keepsakes, a limited number, as well as commemorative issues for special events, continue to be produced. Collectibles!

Meanwhile, there is less deforestation, consumption of petroleum inks and programs headed for landfills. For the ecologically minded, the platform gets a standing ovation.

Theaters and concert halls reopened after a long intermission.

Stages are live, the excitement is back. Activate your link and enjoy the shows. —CALEB WACHS

COURTESY L.A. PHIL

NO RUSTLING PAGES, no killing trees . . . Of all the innovations to have come out of the pandemic, the new Performances program platform, accessed on any digital device, may be least likely to disappear in the foreseeable future.

Not only had its time come—it had been long overdue.

Performances provides the programs for 20 SoCal performingarts organizations, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Ahmanson to San Diego Opera, where the app made its debut.

WHAT’S ON What’s coming at a glance and ticket information.

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© 2022 Global Creatures. Moulin Rouge® is a registered trademark of Moulin Rouge. Photo by Matt Murphy.

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