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Haul out the holly, it’s Christmastime once again
TheMagic of Christmas starring The Young Americans, SoCal’s longest-running holiday extravaganza, returns to La Mirada Theatre with a cast of 200, 6,000 costumes, and Santas galore
With 200 singers, dancers and musicians donning 6,000 costumes under a winter wonderland of falling snow, TheMagic of Christmas starring The Young Americans (www.YoungAmericans.org) returns to theLa Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, December 6 – 15. The Young Americans performance company tour the world bringing the performing arts into schools to empower and inspire entire communities. In a limited engagement, three international touring casts along with students from the Corona, CA-based, fully accredited, The Young Americans College of Performing Arts come together to stage the high-energy TheMagic of Christmas, Southern California’s longest-running holiday extravaganza.
The holiday spectacular with multi-generational appeal features dancing Santas, tap-dancing penguins in TheDance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, selections from Elf: The Musical, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, and a holiday reworking of Broadway jukebox musicals such as Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia! A stirring finale, which has become a Christmas tradition, spotlights the entire cast in a massed choral concert featuring excerpts from Handel’s Messiah.
A state-of-the-art 45-foot video wall presents a vibrant backdrop to 30 holiday scenes including The Holiday Inn, The Polar Express, and Adventures in a Winter Wonderland. Songs from artists like Elvis Presley, Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, the Four Seasons, and more are reworked with holiday themed lyrics and youthful enthusiasm. Traditional favorites including TheChristmas Waltz, Let It Snow!, Let It Snow!, Let It Snow!, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, and many more round out the program.
Since 1983, The Young Americans have produced a holiday show to delight Southern California audiences.
“Each year we hear from people that they saw the show as a child with their parents and grandparents and now are introducing it to their children” says Chief Artistic Officer Bill Brawley who began as a Young American performer in the 1970s. “The show is a wonderful connection for generations.”
The Young Americans, among the most celebrated of choircore groups, invented the concept of a show choir in 1962, releasing albums, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing backup on Sammy Davis, Jr.’s The Candy Man, and setting the stage for the song-and-dance ensembles seen in modern day entertainment like Glee and thePitch Perfect movies. They were even the subject of a skit on Saturday Night Live. The group also opened for Liberace and Johnny Mathis. Famous alumni include Tony Award Winner Stephanie J. Block (Cher in The Cher Show), Vicki Lawrence (The Carol Burnett Show), Eden Espinosa (Elphaba in Broadway's Wicked), Jerry Mitchell (Tony Award Winning Choreographer, La Cage Aux Follies, Kinky Boots, Hairspray), and Marc Cherry (Executive Producer & Creator of Desperate Housewives).
An Academy Award-winning documentary following the group’s tour led to the first time an Oscar was taken back. Weeks after the win, the Academy of Motion Pictures realized that the film had been shown in 1967 which disqualified it for consideration of 1968 films. Then-Academy president Gregory Peck had a contentious call with the film’s producers demanding the return of the Oscar. To this day, no other Oscar has been taken back by the Academy.
Today, multiple international casts utilize the performing arts as a vehicle to instill self-confidence, pride in accomplishment, and love of the arts. To date, more than 853,000 students from kindergarten to high school have been impacted by these programs, across 32 countries on 5 continents including Japan, Australia, South Africa, Europe, and the United States. The casts work with students of all backgrounds, not just those active in arts, over a period of three days that culminates with the students and The Young Americans putting on a show for the community. Persons interested in having The Young Americans appear at their school can contact info@youngamericans.org.
Tickets prices for TheMagic of Christmas starring The Young Americans are $ 65.00 and $ 23.00, and are available at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts box office by calling (714) 994-6310, online at youngamericans.org/magicofchristmas, or in person at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard., La Mirada, CA 90638. Special weekday matinees are on Wednesday, December 11 and Friday, December 13. Follow The Young Americans on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @TheYoungAmericans, and Twitter at @YoungAmericans. For more information on The Young Americans programs, visit www.youngamericans.org.
Performances:
· Saturday, December 7 at 2pm & 8pm
· Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2pm & 7:30pm
· Wednesday, December 11 at 2pm & 8pm
· Thursday, December 12 at 8pm
· Friday, December 13 at 2pm & 8pm
· Saturday, December 14 at 2pm & 8pm
· Sunday, December 15 at 2pm
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS
Bill Brawley, Chief Artistic Officer, The Young Americans
His international reputation as performer and Chief Artistic Officer of The Young American includes extensive touring throughout Europe, Japan, and the U.S. under the auspices of Columbia Artists, with The Music Man, Oklahoma!, Tribute to Richard Rodgers, and The Young Americans in Concert. He performed for President Ford in Washington, D.C.
He directed and choreographed major television specials with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jerry Lewis, and Liberace. Bill produced entertainment at Super Bowl XXX with Diana Ross, World Soccer with Whitney Houston, and was Director of Entertainment at Coca Cola City at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He worked with Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate), Susan Egan (Beauty & the Beast), Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde: The Musical), and Shirley Jones (Oklahoma!), among others.
Bill is Co-Founder of the successful Young Americans International Music Outreach Program that has reached more than 850,000 students and families in more than 32 countries over 5 continents. Each summer he directs and writes an original show for The Young Americans at the Summer Dinner Theatre in Harbor Springs, Michigan in addition to directing the annual Christmas spectacular. He serves as Artistic Director of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Summer at the Center educational performing arts program.
Robyn Brawley, Co-Director & Choreographer, The Young Americans
Robyn Brawley is an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, director, and master teacher who serves as Resident Choreographer and Co-Director for The Young Americans shows and at The Young Americans College of Performing Arts. Her dancing career began in her native Australia where she performed with some of the greats, including Rudolf Nureyev, Antoinette Sibley, and Jurgen Schneider. She was directed by Sir Robert Helpmann (Red Shoes) and Vera Volkava. She danced with the Australian Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, the International Dance Company – Japan, and the Russian Balalaika Ensemble.
Robyn has directed and choreographed works and shows with television, film, Broadway, and recording artists including Carol Burnett, Shirley Jones, Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate), Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde), Susan Egan (Beauty & the Beast), Hugh Panaro (Les Misérables), Khalid Freeman (Stomp the Yard), and Rick Hilsabeck and Sarah Pfisterer (Phantom of the Opera).
Her choreographed works appeared at the Royal Nottingham Theatre, England, The Operetta Theatre of Kiev, “La Plaza de Toros” in Marbella, Spain, the Minato Mirai Concert Hall in Yokohama, Japan, and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, to name a few. In 1997, she also joined the renowned Los Angeles international dance festival, Dance Excellence, where she continues to serve on the master teacher panel.
