In June 2000, David Frank appeared in his first musical as Tommy Djilas in Meredith Wilson's The Music Man with the Amery Community Theater. Now, almost two decades later, David once again returns to the musical, this time as Harold Hill. David joins the cast at Clear Lake Community Theater in bringing this beloved American musical to life. "I have such great memories of performing in The Music Man as a teenager. It's so much fun to do this musical, which was so impactful to me," says David. "We have a fun group of actors, and it's always great to bring a smile to the community." The Music Man will be running for one more weekend, April 5-7, 2019. Performances will be held at the Clear Lake Area Community Center Gymnatorium.
Jacob Davis from Chicago Critic saw That Lovin' Feelin' at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival and in addition to calling it a "must see" for fans of the 60's era, he wrote that it "features a stand-out cast" and a "very able band." In his summary he rates the show as "highly recommended."
For the full review, visit ChicagoCritic.com. David Wesley Frank was interviewed for the Chicago Musical Theatre festival blog to talk about the show That Lovin' Feelin'. In the interview David talks about the cast and what to expect from this year's show.
To read the post, click here: That Lovin' Feelin' The hit musical That Lovin' Feelin' is returning to the St. Croix Off Broadway stage after appearing as part of the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival.
The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, produced by Underscore Theatre Company, will be showcasing 14 new works in 2016, including That Lovin' Feelin', which will be showing at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater for four performances, August 9-12. Following the Chicago run, the cast will return to Hudson for a two-month run at the St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre at the Hudson House Grand Hotel, August 25-October 29. That Lovin' Feelin' is the musical biography of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. During an interview with a college paper, an elderly Bill recounts his rise to stardom. Young Bill Medley starts out as a doo-wop singer, but when his friend John Wimber puts him together with Bobby Hatfield, Bill and Bobby discover their common love for R&B and the Righteous Brothers are born. They quickly get signed to record their first hit, and their sound catches the attention of hit producer Phil Spector. Phil gets them to sing You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' and the group's popularity skyrockets. The stress of producing another hit leads to tension between the two singers. Can the two find a way to work together or will their differences drive them apart? The show stars Leon Hammer as the elderly Bill Medley, Brittany Oberstadt as promising young journalist Ali Hansen, Greg Lund as young Bill Medley, Joe Keith as Bobby Hatfield, and David Wesley Frank as Phil Spector. Other cast members include Lydia Keith, Yvonne Freese, Wayne Peterson, Phillip Frieler, and Peter Alexander. For more information on the Chicago performances, visit http://www.cmtf.org. For more information on the Hudson performances, visit http://www.stcroixoffbroadway.com. Following up last year's Leaving Iowa, David Frank will again be starring in a sentimental comedy in Clear Lake.
The Clear Lake Community Theater’s fall presentation will be the comedy, Over the River and Through the Woods by Joe DiPietro and published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. David Frank plays Nick, a single, Italian-American guy from New Jersey. His parents have retired and moved to Florida, but he manages to see both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner. This is routine until he tells them that he has been offered a dream job in Seattle. The news doesn’t sit well, and thus begins a series of schemes by his grandparents to keep Nick around. Over the River and Through the Woods was last performed by the theater company in 2006 and was loved so much by the community that the troupe has wanted to bring it back ever since. "This play isn't just funny, but it also has heartfelt moments that'll keep you thinking long after you leave the theater," says Frank. "We can't get through a single rehearsal without laughing, and likewise there are moments in the play where you inevitably feel a tear starting to well up in your eye." Performance dates will be October 17-19 & 24-26, with evening shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Performances will be held at the Clear Lake Area Community Center Gymnatorium. Admission prices are $8.00 for adults, $7.00 for senior citizens, and $5.00 for ages 18 & under. Two David Frank projects got a bit of airtime this week.
Alexandra Boylan, producer of Catching Faith, was interviewed by Peter Benson of ABQ Connect on KNKT Albuquerque on Tuesday. She gives an overview of the project, from its inception to the present fundraising campaign, and tells of the challenges and the joys along the way. "...the community we worked with in Chippewa Falls was so incredible! Everybody came out to support the movie, help with the movie, and we had miracle stories..." says Boylan. You can listen to Alexandra's interview here. Then on Thursday, LaMoine MacLaughlin, director of the Northern Lakes Center for the Arts and its production, Hamlet, was featured on Spectrum West with Al Ross on WPR-Eau Claire and he discusses the play, the cast, and the Center's history with Shakespeare. "Hamlet is huge!" says MacLaughlin, "and we have a very excellent young actor... he is our Hamlet." You can listen to LaMoine's interview here starting at the 24:40 mark. Local actor David Wesley Frank will be starring in Northern Lakes Center for the Arts' production of Hamlet, this summer. "It is an honor to be returning to Northern Lakes to play this awesome role," David says. "This stage is where I first began my theatrical journey, and now almost twenty years later I have the privilege of playing one of the most iconic characters in all of English literature."
Celebrating its 25th season this year, the center agreed that an ambitious project like Hamlet would be fitting for the occasion, while this production is also part of a larger international celebration as enthusiasts worldwide acknowledge the birth of Shakespeare 450 years ago. Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous tragedy, written c. 1600, and is generally regarded as the greatest play in the English language. As the complete play is also Shakespeare's longest, director LaMoine MacLaughlin chose to abridge the play for local audiences, focusing on the most well-known scenes and speeches. Among those soliloquies being performed are "O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt," "What a piece of work is a man," and "To be or not to be." Performances will be August 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets available at the door. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for students. |
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