The Crescent City Youth Lights Theatre has a coup: "The Dream on Royal Street," an early musical by Alan Menken ("Little Shop of Horrors," "Beauty and the Beast," "Pocahontas," etc.), with lyrics by David Rogers and a book by June Walker Rogers that re-sets Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a Royal Street hotel during Mardi Gras. Menken is expected to see the production during its run. Titania(Desne Jones) and Oberon(Sammie Jackson) are a night-club act; the fairies are their back-up singers, the Fly-By-Nights; Puck (Harold Jenkins) is their manager; Bottom(Tyler Chetta) the doorman; Lysander (Ben Dalferes) a desk clerk, ...Read More
The Crescent City Youth Lights Theatre has a coup: "The Dream on Royal Street," an early musical by Alan Menken ("Little Shop of Horrors," "Beauty and the Beast," "Pocahontas," etc.), with lyrics by David Rogers and a book by June Walker Rogers that re-sets Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a Royal Street hotel during Mardi Gras. Menken is expected to see the production during its run. Titania(Desne Jones) and Oberon(Sammie Jackson) are a night-club act; the fairies are their back-up singers, the Fly-By-Nights; Puck (Harold Jenkins) is their manager; Bottom(Tyler Chetta) the doorman; Lysander (Ben Dalferes) a desk clerk, etc. All are played by teenagers. Jan. 12 to 28 at the NORD Ty Tracy Theatre in Gallier Hall, 545 St. Charles Ave. Call 598-3800
~~~~~~~~~~~ Special Addendum~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. Alan Menken LOVED the Crescent City Lights cast's performance. His very own performance of his greatest hits brough tears to the eyes of everyone in the audience at the end of a magical night. Added to the photo gallery for the show here on StageClick is Mr. Menken signing autographs for Puck (Harold Jenkins) and Rex (Thomas Ribando). Special Benefit Performance of The Dream on Royal Street featured an appearance by the Oscar-winning composer, Alan Menken!
Mr. Alan Menken took time out of his busy schedule ( working on five musicals!) to be the honored guest at the NORD Crescent City Lights Youth Theater production of his musical, The Dream on Royal Street, on Thursday, January 25th.
The Dream on Royal Street was composed at the same time as The Little Shop of Horrors. Mr. Menken had only seen one other production of the work and that was over 20 years ago. He was charmed that the show was being performed by a teen cast in New Orleans during the Carnival season and in Gallier Hall the site of over a hundred years to toastings between the King of Carnival and the Mayor of New Orleans.
As lagniappe, Mr. Menken generously offered to play and sing a medley of his hit songs. Wow!
Musical lovers from across New Orleans came out and supported this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the master of musical hits at the keyboard!
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