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INVISIBLE THEATRE - PRESS RELEASE Press Contact: Cathy Johnson or Susan Claassen Administration: (520) 884-0672 Box Office: (520) 882-9721 1400 N. First Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 [email protected] www.invisibletheatre.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ETHEL MERMAN'S BROADWAY

Starring RITA MCKENZIE

Written by CHRISTOPHER POWICH & RITA MCKENZIE

Musical Direction & Orchestrations by DAVID SNYDER

Directed by CHRISTOPHER POWICH

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY!

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 7:30 PM Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 3:00 PM

The Berger Performing Arts Center 1200 W. Speedway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85745

(February 10, 2016, Tucson, Arizona); There’s No Business like ’S BROADWAY!

Rita McKenzie recreates her award winning Off-Broadway portrayal of Ethel Merman, the Queen of the

Broadway Musical, in this international smash hit. Relive those amazing tunes like ,

There’s No Business Like Show Business, Everything’s Coming Up Roses and 20 more of Broadway’s all-time greatest songs. McKenzie weaves Merman’s bigger-than-life story with her signature tunes in an absolute must-see performance.

This production is made possible in part through the generous support of Sonora Investment Management

“McKenzie channels Merman. Don’t miss this tour de force!” Times ETHEL MERMAN’S BROADWAY

Starring Rita McKenzie

Written by Christopher Powich & Rita McKenzie

The Berger Performing Arts Center 1200 W. Speedway Blvd

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 7:30 PM Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 3:00 PM

The single show ticket price for ETHEL MERMAN’S BROADWAY is $40. All seats are reserved. Additional discounts are available for groups, seniors, students and active military. Rush tickets are available for purchase at half-price one half hour prior to performance time and are subject to availability.

Tickets are available for purchase by calling the Invisible Theatre Box Office at (520) 882-9721 and are also available 24/7 online through OvationTix at www.invisibletheatre.com.

The running time is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes with one intermission.

THE INVISIBLE THEATRE

The Invisible Theatre (IT) of Tucson, a 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to producing quality theatre and arts education experiences for all facets of the community in an intimate setting that showcases local professional talent and guest artists. IT takes its name from the invisible energy that flows between a performer and audience, creating the magic of theatre. Started in 1971 as an arena for local playwrights, the theatre has expanded its programs to include adaptations of classics and recent Off-Broadway plays and musicals, while continuing to encourage new playwrights through both full productions and stage readings. Under the leadership of Managing Artistic Director Susan Claassen, Associate Artistic Director James Blair, and Associate Producer Cathy Johnson, IT is strongly committed to community service and outreach programs. The 's current season includes a six play Main Stage season, many special events, Project Pastime – an educational theatre program for the mentally challenged including a video workbook and seminars that encourage community dialogue. The Invisible Theatre, the recipient of the first Arizona Theatre Association Award for Best Producing Theatre Company, is a member of the Theatre Communications Group and has long enjoyed both local and national recognition for its strong leadership role in the arts community. Productions take place in an intimate 80-seat converted laundry building. IT celebrates this season with an even greater commitment to professionalism, artistic excellence, accessibility, freedom of expression, diverse programming and creative challenge – thus making the Invisible Theatre a very visible force in Tucson's cultural community.

2 ABOUT THE PEOPLE

RITA MCKENZIE (Ethel Merman) Launched Off-Broadway at New York’s Theater, Rita McKenzie’s personal success with Ethel Merman’s Broadway triggered an international tour, taking her throughout America to Carnegie Hall, Pasadena Playhouse, Atlantic City, Las Vegas and on an SRO eight-city tour of Japan. The production is currently planning a limited Broadway engagement. Ethel Merman’s Broadway has been dubbed the longest running one-woman show in theatrical history alongside its counterpart, Hal Holbrook’s longest running one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight. Ms. McKenzie recently completed a critically acclaimed 10-week run of Ethel Merman’s Broadway at the Nederlander’s Broadway Series at the Gem Theatre in Detroit. For the run at the Laguna Playhouse, CA, critics hailed the production and performance as one of the tops of the season. In October of 2015, the show played at NY’s famous theatre, 54 Below, for a pre-Broadway benefit. Ms. McKenzie is currently starring Off- Broadway in the revival of the musical Ruthless!. She also starred in the Los Angeles of the show at the Canon Theatre and can be heard on the Original Cast Album. Ms. McKenzie has performed in the national tour of Neil Simon’s female version of . Co-starring with Barbara Eden, McKenzie was honored for her outstanding portrayal of Olive Madison with a National nomination as Best Actress in a Touring Play. Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Eden had previously completed a successful tour of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She also recently toured with Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna in their production of Bermuda Avenue Triangle. She created the role of Phoebe Farber in Sam Harris’ production of Hurry! Hurry! ! in Los Angeles, and she played Maggie Jones in 42nd Street with Mariette Hartley. Her other starring roles include Aldonza in , Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, Belle Poitrine in Little Me, Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cleo in The Most Happy Fella, Widow Corney in Oliver!, and Nurse Custer in Whoopee! In addition, Ms. McKenzie also toured the country in Merman’s signature role as Oakley in the 50th Anniversary Production of Annie Get Your Gun opposite Glenn Yarbrough. From the Merman oeuvre, she has also played Reno Sweeney in and of course, Rose in . Ms. McKenzie has had the privilege of opening for stars such as Steve Allen, Don Knotts and Norm Crosby and she has been an acclaimed Pops guest artist with virtually every major symphony across the country. An accomplished TV and film actress, Ms. McKenzie played Alice, the housekeeper, on Fox’s “The Brady Bunch: The Final Days”, has guest- starred on NBC’s “Caroline in the City”, and will be recalled for her roles as Mrs. Littlejohn on NBC’s “”, Rita Marcus on the Family Channel’s “Big Brother Jake”, and her recurring role on “Daddy Dearest”, starring Richard Lewis and Don Rickles.

CHRISTOPHER POWICH (Director and Co-Writer/Creator) conceived and directed both the Off-Broadway production of Ethel Merman’s Broadway at the John Houseman Theater and the Pasadena Playhouse production. Powich also wrote and directed McKenzie’s nationally acclaimed Symphony Pops tribute to Ethel Merman. He directed McKenzie and Carole Shelley at the Rainbow and Stars Club in New York in the reenactment of Ethel Merman and ’s famous 1955 television medley. Powich directed the world premiere of the comedy Snap Shots by Ralph Fredericks at the O’Neill Theater in Waterford, Connecticut, as well as the Boston company. He will direct Snap Shots for an Off-Broadway run in 2016. He recently was Tour Director for the American Idols show American Stars In Concert and Associate Producer for the international dance sensation, Ballroom With A Twist. He created, directed, and performed in Class Act, a nightclub revue that toured on the East Coast. In that show, Powich continued his association with McKenzie, which started with their featured roles in The Most Happy Fella and Showboat. He also directed McKenzie’s nightclub act at Palsson’s in New York and at the famous Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. He has directed Barbara Eden and , Hal Linden, George Chakiris, Dick Van Patten and Steve Allen in A.R. Gurney’s hit show Love Letters. He is performing Off-Broadway in Ruthless! and he performed regionally in lead roles in The Music Man; Oklahoma!; The Most Happy Fella; My One and Only; Man of La Mancha; Oh, What a Lovely War; Hello Dolly!; ; ; Jazz Babies; A Face Worth Saving; and Oliver!.

3 DAVID SNYDER (Musical Director) has enjoyed a varied career that has taken him from the scoring stages of Hollywood to Carnegie Hall, where he performed frequently with the New York Pops as their arranger and pianist from 2009 to 2013. David’s theatre credits include his tenure as musical director and co-arranger for Plaid Tidings (LA Ovation Award nomination), Compose Yourself! and Bluesbird (York Theatre), and as associate conductor for Pirates! and Oklahoma! at the . He recently toured with the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Miserables, and has toured internationally with numerous productions of Forever Plaid. David wrote the score for the new musical Mr. Confidential, which premiered at NYMF in 2014 and is currently in development for a future Broadway run. He has served as pianist and/or conducted for , , Jason Alexander, , Vicki Lewis, Barbara Brussell, Rita McKenzie, , , and the Fabulous Pink Flamingos (2006 Backstage Bistro Award). His arrangements have been performed by Clay Aiken, The Manhattan Transfer, the Symphony Orchestra, The New York Pops, , and Davis Gaines, to name a few. Shows David has orchestrated include Ethel Merman’s Broadway, Shades of Bublé, The Molly Maguires, and Here To Stay: The Gershwin Experience. His film score credits include the 2002 World War II documentary “A Tradition of Honor” and “Forever Plaid: The Movie”. Among the 20- odd CD recordings he has produced, David is especially proud of Alan Paul’s “Another Place and Time,” and Christine Ebersole’s “Live at Cinegrill.” For more information, visit www.soniclandscapes.com

ETHEL MERMAN AND HER MUSICALS

She was the Queen of the Broadway Musical, La Merm! Ethel Merman, born Zimmermann, had an amazing Broadway career lasting from 1930 to 1970. introduced the former secretary from Astoria, Queens in his show in 1930, where she sang her first show stopper, “I Got Rhythm”. She held one note for sixteen measures and stirred audience into a frenzy. Her voice was called “another instrument in the band.” For her next hit show, wrote the part of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes for her. She stopped the show again with “Blow, Gabriel, Blow”, “” and the title tune. Porter adored Merman – the singer who was always “quick with a quip”. He wrote four other musicals for her: Red, Hot and Blue, Dubarry Was A Lady, and . He said “You’d better not write a bad lyric for her because they’ll hear it in the back of the balcony.”

Dorothy Fields came up with the idea of Merman as . signed on, and Annie Get Your Gun was born – one of Merman’s biggest hits. As always, Miss Merman never missed a performance. Berlin followed Annie with . Ethel won her only Tony Award for her memorable portrayal of Miss Sally Adams, “The Hostess With The Mostes’ On The Ball”. Her next musical was , which contains Ethel Merman‘s Broadway’s opening number, “(Gee But) It’s Good To Be Here”. Following that musical was Merman’s greatest triumph, Gypsy. Amazingly, she lost the Tony Award to Mary Martin in , but her portrayal of Mama Rose remains one of the all-time-greatest performances ever seen on Broadway. wanted Merman to star in his musical Hello, Dolly!. Merman declined, saying that, after Gypsy, she needed to take a break from the grueling Broadway schedule. However, she decided to play Dolly at the end of its New York run, a move which revitalized the show’s run. It was the last time Ethel Merman would star in a Broadway musical.

Her movie career was limited. Her most memorable performances were in the movie version of “Call Me Madam”, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”. She scored a triumph in her London debut concert which led to a series of symphony concerts throughout the world. She also starred in her own Las Vegas show. One of her greatest nights on Broadway was May 15, 1977 when Ethel and Mary Martin performed their one-night-only Together On Broadway show which was the culmination of their careers and truly a night to remember.

Ethel Merman and her second husband, Bob Leavitt, had two children, Bob and Ethel. She was married three other times, the most memorable time to actor for one month. In her biography, Ethel memorialized her marriage to Ernie with one blank page.

4 TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR INFORMATION: To charge tickets by phone, call our Box Office at (520) 882-9721. Visit the Box Office in the Invisible Theatre Lobby (1400 N First Avenue at Drachman). To buy tickets online 24/7, go to www.invisibletheatre.com and click on the OvationTix logo. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: The Berger Performing Arts Center is fully accessible to patrons using wheelchairs or with other mobility challenges. Seating areas to accommodate persons using wheelchairs are located in the theatre. If patrons require special seating they should inform the Box Office at (520) 882-9721.

ABOUT THIS PRESS RELEASE: This mailing list is for members of the professional media and allied organizations who have requested e-mail press releases from The Invisible Theatre. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail press releases or if there is someone else with your organization that should be added to our list, send a message to [email protected] with your request, or phone (520) 884-0672.

ONLINE MEDIA MATERIALS: Three photos of Rita McKenzie (photo credit courtesy of Ethel Merman's Broadway), and a pdf of this press release are available on our website - www.invisibletheatre.com (Press).

“Bold and brassy. A don’t miss!” New York Times

“Showstopping at its best!” Los Angeles Times

“True star power” Detroit Free Press

“McKenzie sings and people love it.” Las Vegas Sun

“You can hear McKenzie on the other side of the Rockies. Thrilling!” Denver Post

“Merman tribute belts out a winner.” Phoenix Republic

Invisible Theatre 1400 N. First Avenue at Drachman Tucson, AZ 85719 Box Office – (520) 882-9721 Administration – (520) 884-0672 Fax – (520) 884-5410 www.invisibletheatre.com

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