in LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE APO? The APO’s Don’t Rain On My Parade (Photo by Daniel Schwartz) Become Part of The American Pops Orchestra Family! Your donation will support: • more than 80 musicians every year • producing our mainstage concerts • our monthly community concert series • providing free or reduced tickets to veterans, seniors, students and others • fulfi lling the APO’s mission “to inspire new audiences to discover the wealth of material in the Great American Songbook in dynamic ways” For more information about donating to the APO, please visit theamericanpops.org/donate Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Kogod Cradle - January 6, 2018, 2 & 5 pm Te American Pops Orchestra Presents Around the World in 80 Days Starring Benjamin Lurye Nurney Mason Hilary Morrow Tiara Whaley Luke S. Frazier, Music Director Directed by Kelly Crandall d'Amboise Script Written by Claybourne Elder Media Sponsor: Community Partners: - 1 - SONG LIST Selections to include: Why Do the Wrong People Travel? It’s Not Where You Start, It’s Where You Finish I’ve Been Working on The Railroad I’d Like to Get You on a Slow Boat to China On the Sunny Side of the Street Are You Having Any Fun? When You’re Smiling You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You Give Me the Simple Life Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat Anything You Can Do Come Fly with Me Around the World - 3 - WELCOME I’m so delighted that you’re able to join us for Around the World in 80 Days! In thinking about programming for the American Pops Orchestra’s third season, I wanted to craft programs that would help our community come together around music and artists that have been a part of all of our lives, making a difference in our hearts and minds. Claybourne Elder has done a masterful job in reimagining this classic Jules Verne tale for new audiences! Clay turned this piece into a heartwarming tale of new friendships and new experiences, all brought together with so many laughs and so many classic songs. So tap your feet, sing along, laugh, dance in your seat – join our APO family and join our fun! Luke S. Frazier Founder and Conductor @theamericanpops @TheAmericanPops theamericanpops - 4 - THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA Luke S. Frazier, Music Director Jim Kelly, Personnel Manager Violin 1 Bass Percussion Sonya Chung Greg Watkins Jeremy Yaddaw Violin 2 Harp Piano Laura Frazelle Kate Rogers Luke Frazier Viola Flute Jim Kelly Brittany Foster Cello Clarinet Sean Neidlinger David Drosinos The American Pops Orchestra graciously acknowledges the generous support from our 2017-2018 SIGNATURE SEASON SPONSOR - 5 - ABOUT THE ARTISTS BENJAMIN LURYE Outstanding Ensemble), The Wiz, The (Passpartout) is proud Color Purple (Helen Hayes nomination, to make his debut with Outstanding Resident Musical); Monu- the American Pops. mental Theatre Company: Sex Swap: This past season, his A Gender Bender Cabaret (1st & 3rd performance as Freddy renditions), Day by Day: A Musical Revue Eynsford-Hill in Olney of Composer Stephen Schwartz. Theatre’s My Fair Lady was called “the product- ion’s musical high point... sung in HILARY MORROW (Fix soaring tones” by The Washington Post. the Detective) returns In the DC area, he has appeared at to the American Pops Signature Theatre in A Little Night Music after appearing in and the world premiere of Sheryl Crow Cinderella: A Magical, and Barry Levinson’s Diner; at Ford’s Theatre in Hello, Dolly!; at Olney Theatre Musical Tale last year in Sweeney Todd, Mary Poppins, Joseph following her premiere and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, performance with the and Forever Plaid; with the contemporary group as a featured soloist in She Did it opera company UrbanArias in the world Her Way in the inaugural season. She is premiere of Hilliard and Boresi’s Blue Viola and their trademark “Craigslist an acclaimed musical theatre performer Cabaret”; and at 1st Stage in Floyd Collins and soloist who most recently appeared and Parfumerie. Additionally, he has been in the 2017 Source Festival as Empress seen at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Studio Drusilla in a quirky 10-minute play. Hilary Theatre, and Adventure Theatre MTC, has performed at the famed jazz club, where he is also a teaching artist for young musical theatre performers. Birdland in New York City. She has Benjamin holds a BM from the University performed alongside such luminaries as of Maryland, College Park and can be Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Renee followed online at www.BenLurye.com. Fleming, Tommy Tune, Laura Osnes, Lea Salonga, Jeremy Jordan, Lindsay Mendez NURNEY MASON (Sir and Ashley Brown. Last winter, she toured Phileas Fogg) is an actor born and raised a musical theatre master class series for in the DC area. He underserved school children in Maine trained at the Baltimore with Maestro Luke Frazier. Other credits School for the Arts, include: Storyteller in Children of Eden at Dance Theatre of the Kennedy Center, Brünnhilde in Hugo Harlem, and received a Ball: a Dada puppet AdveNTurE!!/?1!!//, B.S. in Communication Snowella Mistletoe in A Very Pointless Studies from Towson University in 2013. Since then, he has been performing Holiday Spectacular, Charlotte Stackhouse throughout the area. Olney Theatre in Let Trump Be Trump and Isabella Center: Evita, Mary Poppins (Neleus), Andreini in a one-woman show entitled, Carmen: An Afro Cuban Jazz Musical, Oh, What Can’t A Woman Do?. She Guys & Dolls (Rusty Charlie), The received her BA in musical theatre from Producers, Disney’s The Little Mermaid American University and is a member (Flotsam); THEARC Theater: Truth: The of the National Broadway Chorus. Musical (Popple); Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Spamalot (Helen Hayes nomination, www.HilaryMorrow.com - 6 - TIARA WHALEY LUKE FRAZIER, a rapidly rising star in (Aouda) is thrilled to be the Pops world, has proven himself as performing with The both an innately musical conductor and American Pops Orchestra. a sensitive pianist. His commitment to Tiara studied Musical Theatre and English re-envisioning pops programming has Writing at West Chester quickly established him as a dynamic University of Pennsyl- force across the music community. Frazier vania. Her favorite roles has demonstrated his versatility and include Ti Moune (Once on This Island), range by conducting in venues both grand Emmie Thibodeaux (Caroline or Change, and intimate, from Lincoln Center to Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical, Helen), Lorraine Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center to the (All Shook Up), and Lil’ Inez (Hairspray). Rainbow Room. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch put it best, CLAYBOURNE ELDER calling Frazier “so talented, and sensitive (Writer) returns to the to every nuance.” American Pops after co- starring in last season’s As a testament to his mission to reimagine opening concert, I’ll pops programming, Frazier founded Be Seeing You: A World the American Pops Orchestra in 2015, War II Love Story. He is presenting all original programming. His a Drama Desk, Lucille commitment to the American Songbook Lortel Award nominee is also evident through his involvement on and a Theatre World Award winner. He starred on Broadway in Bonnie and Clyde the Board of the Great American Songbook (Buck, original cast) and Sunday in the Foundation. In demand as a clinician, Park with George (starring Jake Gyllenhaal, adjudicator, and speaker, Luke recently Soldier/George understudy). Off-Broadway addressed the National Symphony he appeared in the original companies of Orchestra’s “Summer Music Institute” Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show (Hollis), students. He appeared as the Keynote One Arm (Ollie, Drama Desk Nomination Best Actor), and in the revivals of Allegro Speaker for the National Society of Arts (Joe, Lucille Lortel Nomination, Best Actor), and Letters (NSAL) Award for Excellence Two by Two (Japheth, with Jason Alexander), in the Arts at the Kennedy Center and and Do I Hear a Waltz? (Eddie). He has also addressed the VSA, an international premiered works by Stephen Sondheim, organization for the arts and disability. Frank Wildhorn, William Finn, and Richard In addition to founding the National Maltby & David Shire, and has appeared Broadway Chorus in Washington DC, he on five cast albums. His regional credits include George in the Helen Hayes Award presented an original program honoring winning Signature Theatre revival of Sunday the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald’s in the Park with George, Wolf/Prince in birth with the DC Youth Orchestra in Moises Kaufman’s revival of Into the Woods, Spring 2017. Angels in America (KC Rep, dir. David Cromer), Oklahoma (Curly, MTW), West Mr. Frazier has worked with artists such Side Story(Tony, Tuacahn), Cinderella as Darren Criss, Vanessa Williams, Liz (Prince, KC Starlight). His film and Callaway, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mo television credits include Pete O’Malley Rocca, Lea Salonga, Laura Osnes, Eric on “The Carrie Diaries,” Flatbush Luck, Owens, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Rita and It Could Be Worse. He made his Moreno, Lindsay Mendez, Renée Fleming, cabaret debut at 54 Below and his solo show “You and Me and Sondheim” has Michael Feinstein, Christine Ebersole, played to sold out houses around the Elaine Paige, Arturo Sandoval, and Norm country and in London. Lewis, among many others. www.ClaybourneElder.com www.LukeFrazierMusic.com - 7 - THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA KELLY CRANDALL D’AMBOISE (Director) founded by LUKE FRAZIER presents is thrilled to be the Resident Director of innovative orchestral programming, The American Pops Orchestra this season. featuring groundbreaking concepts to Recent work includes choreography for the develop and inspire a new audience for APO, Newsies! at Connecticut Repertory the 21st century. This professional Theatre, Urinetown at Next Stop Theatre orchestra boasts outstanding musicians and Tick,Tick... Boom! at Convergence.