Penny Seats Theatre Company opens ‘Sing Happy!’
From left: Kristin McSweeney, director; Thalia Schramm, Lindsay Frischmuth, Sarah Briggs, Elizabeth Jaffe, and Music Director/Arranger R. MacKenzie Lewis
Here’s a performing arts press release:
Ann Arbor’s Penny Seats Theatre Company is preparing to open its seventh season with “Sing Happy!” a celebration of the work of Broadway’s famous duo, Kander and Ebb. Four women will take the stage with showstoppers from “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and many others, while weaving a tale of strength and determination.
For the third year in a row, the group will present this winter show as a dinner-theater experience at Conor O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant. New this year: all show seating is reserved. Patrons can choose their seats when ordering online. (Seats are arranged cafe-style, in tables around a three-sided stage.) The show has sold out in past years.
Tickets are available here.
Director Thalia Schramm, who also serves as casting director/program director for The Encore Musical Theatre Company in Dexter, says she is thrilled to make her Penny Seats directorial debut with this show. “This group, this show, and these four fabulous women have been a dream for me. Our creative process was as organic and natural as any I have ever experienced! I have also been floored by R. MacKenzie Lewis’s imaginative new song arrangements and mash-ups, infusing each melody with creative meaning and context. Like many Broadway fans, I have loved Kander and Ebb since I was a child, and I jumped at the chance to help recreate and re-contextualize their body of work. The arrangements are beautiful and challenging, and the women performing them are nothing short of phenomenal. We can’t wait to bring this show to Ann Arbor.”
Fact Sheet
What: Sing Happy! : A Celebration of Kander & Ebb
When: February 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16
Dinner seatings begin at 6:00pm
Curtain at 7:30pm
Venue: Conor O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant
318 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor
Tickets: Dinner + Show: $30 Show Only: $15
Available at: www.pennyseats.org/box-office
(734) 926-5346
Cast (left to right in pictures below)
Sarah Briggs
Lindsay Frischmuth
Elizabeth Jaffe
Kristin McSweeney
Production Team
Director: Thalia Schramm
Music director and arranger: R. MacKenzie Lewis
Producer: Lauren M. London
Stage manager: Megan Paruta
