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The works of Rodgers and Hammerstein have amazed and enthralled audiences for decades. Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute (HBTI) is transporting audiences back to 1862 Siam with the Tony Award-winning classic The King and I, playing July 12 through July 21, 2013. This captivating and timeless treasure of wills, wits and wisdom has been enchanting audiences for over 60 years. Set against an exotic background, The King and I is the moving true story of a young English widow and her son who travel to Siam to tutor the King’s children. The lush Rodgers and Hammerstein score includes “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance,” “I Whistle A Happy Tune,” “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” and “Hello, Young Lovers.”
The production features a cast of 45 students ages 6-20, including Klara Hricik (Shaker Heights) as Anna, Jerry Shepherd (Cleveland) as The King, Lauryn Hobbs (Shaker Heights) as Tuptim, Mark Oet (Solon) as Lun Tha, Christina Ciofani (University Heights) as Lady Thiang and Neil Kelly (Beachwood) as The Kralahome. All the members of the cast are students of the newly formed Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute and hail from the entire Northeast Ohio region - Avon to Medina to Painesville.
The King and I will be directed by Fred Sternfeld. Mr. Sternfeld’s most recent production featuring children and teens, Les Miserables: School Edition, won a Broadwayworld.com award as “best musical revival” in the Cleveland region for 2011. Sternfeld, whose numerous and award-winning directing credits include Yellowman (Karamu), A Little Night Music (FPAC), Ragtime, the musical (JCC/Tri C), Fiddler on the Roof (Cain Park) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Beck Center), is also the Executive Artistic Director of HBTI. “Our large cast, featuring some of the area’s most talented young people, are doing an amazing job at rehearsals finding the nuances of this beautiful and moving piece,” says an enthusiastic Mr. Sternfeld. The production staff also includes Bebe Weinberg Katz as choreographer and costume designer, Elaine Siegel as music director, Ron Newell as set designer, Scott Chapman as light designer and Carlton Guc as sound designer.
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In addition to The King and I, HBTI will be producing the musical theatre phenomenon Jekyll & Hyde from August 9-18, directed by Bob Russell.
The Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute was created by the Performing Arts Department of the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights for students 1st grade – college. Mr. Sternfeld says, “At HBTI, training is our focus. As educators for the arts our emphasis is on the process the performer goes through. Our goal is to supply our students with the tools to succeed in any audition or performance situation.” HBTI is offering three sessions (June 17-July 5, July 8-26 and July 29-August 9; Monday-Friday, 9:00am-3:30pm) that will consist of coursework in drama, dance and music. HBTI has been created to give young people interested in the performing arts a place to get high level training from working artists and professional level production experiences.
Visit www.hb.edu for complete description of dates, courses and registration as well as a listing of HB's many other summer offerings.
Performances for The King and I will be Fridays and Saturdays, July 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 7:30pm and Sundays July 14 and 21 at 2:00pm at Hathaway Brown School, 19600 North Park Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122. Tickets range from $10-15 and can be purchased online at www.hb.edu/tickets, by calling 216-932-4214 x7270 or at the door (if available) the day of the performance.
