For adults and families seeking a special evening, the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre is collaborating with the Candlelight Inn restaurant, 511 Riverview Drive, Clinton, IA. On Thursday evenings with Showboat productions, Candelight Inn will offer 10% off the price of meals (beverages excluded) by showing your theatre ticket for that day.
Special parking arrangements have been made for Friday, August 7, 2015. Showboat parking will be available in the lot north of the ball park. A free shuttle for theatre patrons will run continually between the lot and the Showboat.
The fifth and final Showboat production this season is “Next to Normal,” running Wednesday, August 5, through Saturday, August 15. A rock musical, “Next to Normal” tells the story of a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects her illness has on her family. The musical contains adult themes and language, addressing such issues as suicide and drug abuse.
Opening on Broadway in April 2009 the musical was nominated for 11 2009 Tony Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. “Next to Normal” also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. The New York Times said, “It’s not just a feel-good musical, it’s a feel everything musical.”
Tickets for “Next to Normal” are available at the box office or online. Also available at the Box Office are Season Passes for the 2016 Summer Season. Clinton Area Showboat Theatre will present one comedy, three musicals, and one drama under the theme: A Season of American Classics. Included in the 2016 line-up are Neil Simon’s “Odd Couple,” “The Music Man,” by Meredith Wilson, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific,” the musical “Grease!,” and Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.” Box Office hours are: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. The Box Office is closed on Mondays. For more information, call 563-242-6760 or visit www.clintonshowboat.org.
Coming to Clinton from Pasadena, Daniella Dalli plays the role of Diana. Immediately following her performances in “Next to Normal,” Daniella will be a swing on “The Sound of Music” National Tour. Dalli appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association.
Aaron Brakefield, from Greenville, SC, plays Dan. He has his MFA in Acting from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his BA in Music and Theatre from Concord University.
Boston native Livvy Marcus plays Natalie. Showboat audiences have been treated to Livvy’s performances all season: “Cats,” Rumpleteazer; “My Way,” Woman 2; “Seussical,” Gertrude; “Steel Magnolias,”Annelle. Marcus will be a Junior at Baldwin Wallace.
Another rising Junior Musical Theatre major at Baldwin Wallace University is Jonathan Young: “Cats,”Munkastrap; “My Way,” Man 1; “Seussical,” Wickersham Brother. He plays Henry in “Next to Normal.” Jonathan is a native of Buffalo, NY.
Gabe is played by Christian Chambers: “Cats,” Rum Tum Tugger; “My Way,”Man 2; “Seussical,” Wickersham Brother. Chambers is from Chicago, IL/Kenosha, WI, and is currently pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster Conservatory. Kris Doss, a 2013 graduate of the University of Dubuque with a BA in Theatre, plays the Doctors. Seen as McCavity in “Cats,” Doss serves as Education Director for the Showboat this summer and is also Box Office Manager.
“Next to Normal” is being directed by CAST Producing Artistic Director Matthew Teague Miller.
“This is not only an entertaining Pulitzer Prize winning musical, but it also may open an honest dialogue about mental illness in our society today,” says Miller.
Music direction is provided by Matt Bean. The design team includes Amanda Warriner (costumes), Steven House (sets), and James Kyle Davis (sound.)