A Victorian Musical Thriller
World Premiere
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Duane Nelsen
August 3 – 21, 2011
Original photography by Craig Mitchelldyer
The PennyWise Music Hall is home to an illusionist who saws women in half while real murders are taking place on the streets outside. Reporter Chester Talbot sets out to unravel the mystery, but what he sees may not be what it seems. A truly original take on a well known story that provides suspense, surprises, and a refreshing approach. Broadway Rose is pleased to present the world premiere of this thrilling new musical.
Parental guidance suggested.
Performances held at the Deb Fennell Auditorium, 9000 SW Durham Road, Tigard.
Title Sponsor
Media Sponsor
The Oregonian
Sponsored by
Portland Spirit
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Cast
Isaac Lamb (Chester Talbott) was previously at Broadway Rose in Forbidden Broadway and is thrilled to be working with the company again! Isaac is a native Portlander and a proud company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre. For several years Isaac starred in the national tour of Defending the Caveman, Broadway’s longest running one-person show. Locally, Isaac has performed with Third Rail in The Lying Kind, Kiss Me Like You Mean It, and The Wonderful World of Dissocia; Portland Center Stage in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Artists Repertory Theatre in Assassins and Vitriol & Violets (2009 Fertile Ground); and Lakewood Theatre Company in Into the Woods and Lend Me a Tenor. In 2007 he won a Drammy Award for the role of Gaston in Northwest Children’s Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast. He also directs theater and film, including Broadway Rose’s teen summer workshop.
Audrey Voon (Mary Kelly) is happy to be back with Broadway Rose after debuting with the company last summer as Tuptim in The King and I. Other favorite roles include: Léonide in Triumph of Love, Ginger in Zombie Prom, Isabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music. She is also a member of the Portland Opera Chorus and is thrilled to have worked with Opera Theatre Oregon and Mock’s Crest Productions. She received her B.A. in music from University of Portland in 2009 and has since enjoyed performing and teaching in Portland. She teaches voice and piano through her studio and choir at local schools. Audrey is also an instructor at Ethos Music Center, where she recently established their first-ever musical theater class.
Amy Jo Halliday (Mrs. Ratkin). National Tour: Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. Regional Favorites: Anna in The King and I (Broadway Rose), Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (Pixie Dust Productions), Mrs. Lyle in The Ghosts of Celilo (Artists Repertory Theatre), Josephine in Arizona Theatre Company’s production of H.M.S. Pinafore (AriZoni award), Marion in The Music Man and Guinevere in Camelot both with the Oregon Symphony, Ruthie/Ned in Bat Boy: The Musical (Portland Center Stage), Nursemaid in Street Scene, and Melanto in The Return of Ulysses (Portland Opera). Amy Jo has been a guest soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Music and the Spoken Word), Phoenix Symphony, and Oregon Symphony (Pops & Classical series). She has been heard on national television as the singing voice for a Mountain Dew commercial. Amy Jo has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a masters degree from Portland State University. She lives in Keizer with her husband and their four beautiful children.
Bruce Blanchard (John Pizer, a.k.a. Willy) is thrilled to be making his debut at Broadway Rose. Local credits include: Archibald in The Secret Garden (Lakewood Theatre Company), Biff in Death of a Salesman (Artist Repertory Theatre), multiple roles in Eating Raoul (Live On Stage), Pish Tush in The Mikado (Mock’s Crest), Lancelot with Oregon Symphony, and Fred Graham/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate (Musical Theatre Company). National: Ensemble/Singer in Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing (1st national tour, Broadway), Smudge in Forever Plaid (Broadway, Detroit, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Johanesburg, S.A.), multiple roles in Forbidden Broadway (national tour, Off-Broadway), Narrator in Opal (Lambs Theatre/Off Broadway), Ensemble/Cover Stone(Broadway), and Combeferre/U.S. Javert in Les Misérables (2nd national, Broadway). Television: John Mossberg in Leverage (“The Studio Job” opposite John Schneider), Detective Jerry Peterson in As the World Turns, and Dr. Stephen Barkely in All My Children. Bruce has his M.F.A. from the University of Mississippi and his B.S. in history from Corban College.
Josh Stenseth (Eddie) is a North Dakota native who studied theater, music, and improvisation in Minnesota before migrating to Portland. Josh is also a puppeteer, working with Tears of Joy Theatre, Comedy Sports, and The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. He currently improvises on the Curious Comedy house team “Uncle Peanut.” This fall, Josh will return to the Broadway Rose stage in the role of Austin in I Love You Because (September 22 – October 16). Josh is excited to be making his Broadway Rose debut with Ripper.
Rebecca Teran (Kate Eddowes) returns to Broadway Rose with a vengeance! You may remember her last role as “Miz Streisand” and other various Broadway hacks in last season’s Forbidden Broadway. Other Portland credits include: Erica, Carnies: The Musical (Action/Adventure Theater); Genvieve, The Baker’s Wife (Lakewood Theatre); Colleen, Find Me Beside You (Many Hats Collaborations); Woman 2, Songs For A New World (STAGED!/Milagro Theater); Princess Areola, Wild Space A Go-Go (WildSpace Pro.); Silly Girl, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast (Pixie Dust Pro.); Prepared Fresh (Endless Summer Festival); and Lenore, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Broadway Rose Theater Co.). Favorite roles include Shelley in Bat Boy: The Musical and Little-Becky-Two-Shoes in Urinetown: The Musical. Rebecca earned her B.F.A. in musical theater from Shenandoah Conservatory.
Olivia Shimkus (Long Liz Stride) is thrilled to be making her Broadway Rose debut. She has performed locally in musical and dramatic productions for the Magenta Theater (Vancouver, WA), Portland Actors Ensemble, and the Portland Revels. Regional theater credits include children’s theater productions for the Bristol Riverside Theater and the Delaware Valley Community Theater, both in Pennsylvania. Local film and television credits include numerous short films and regional commercials. Olivia graduated from Indiana University with concentrations in vocal performance and theater.
Gary Norman (Sgt. Neill/Ensemble) is thrilled to return to the Broadway Rose stage, having last appeared in Chicago as the MC. He was seen most recently in Theatre Vertigo’s critically acclaimed production of The Adding Machine in the role of Mr. Zero. He was a member of Theatre Vertigo for seven years and appeared in many of their shows including The Long Christmas Ride Home, Romance, and Valparaiso. He has appeared on stages all over town, mostly in non-musicals like The Receptionst (COHO), Telethon (Portland Playhouse), and Hamlet (COHO). His love for musicals, however, has been there from the beginning. Favorite productions he has been in include La Cage Aux Folles, Cabaret, West Side Story, Mame, and Man of La Mancha, among others.
Jennifer Davies as Sarah Talbott
Rani Lightle as Annie
Megan Misslin as Polly
Holly Wigmore as Nelly
Ensemble:
Nathan Boese
Matt Brown
Jeremy Garfinkle
Sammuel Hawkins
Darren Hurley
Blake Isaac
Annie Kaiser
Chrissy Kelly-Pettit
David Smidebush
Timo Strahl
Brian Tennison
Show Dates
Wednesday, August 3, 7:30 PM PREVIEW
Thursday, August 4, 7:30 PM OPENING NIGHT
Friday, August 5, 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 6, 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 7, 2:00 PM
Thursday, August 11, 7:30 PM
Friday, August 12, 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 13, 2:00 PM
Saturday, August 13, 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 14, 2:00 PM
Thursday, August 18, 7:30 PM
Friday, August 19, 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 20, 2:00 PM
Saturday, August 20, 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 21, 2:00 PM
Creative Team
Created by Duane Nelsen
Directed by Abe Reybold
Musical Direction by Alan D. Lytle
Set & Lighting Design by Gene Dent
Costume Design by Shana Targosz
Prop Design by Deb Dahling
Sound Design by Dan Hallberg
Duane Nelsen (Author/Composer) is a Chicago-based playwright and composer and an alumni writer of the National Alliance for Musical Theater in NY, where Ripper was presented in 2009. Other shows include Dreamers, The Last Charade, Division Street and the new musical comedy Spa. He began his career as composer-in-residence at Off-Broadway’s Equity Library Theater, writing scores for The Comedy of Errors and Deathtrap. As a jingle writer for 15 years, he scored national television ads for the country’s top advertisers, including McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Disney, Pillsbury, Bose, and many others. He also writes concert music which has been performed by orchestras here and abroad. With his wife, Catherine Hug, he has two boys, Matthew and Colin. He is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.
Read Duane’s thoughts on producing the world premiere of Ripper.
News & Reviews
Tigard’s Broadway Rose stages ‘Ripper,’ a world-premiere musical about a guy named Jack
By Marty Hughley, The Oregonian, Jul. 28, 2011
“From the first time I started researching it, I felt that it was a story that sung,” says Nelsen, a Chicago composer and TV jingle writer who has worked on the project since the late 1990s. “There are a lot of stories that have drama, but not everything has that quality of demanding to be put in song.” Read the rest here.
‘Ripper’ is literally ripped from the news headlines
By Barbara Sherman, The Regal Courier, Jul. 27, 2011
The true story of Jack the Ripper, who in the fall of 1888 murdered five East End London prostitutes and was never apprehended, might seem like a strange subject for a musical…Read the rest here.
World Premiere Musical Ripper to Debut at Broadway Rose Theatre
By Adam Hetrick, Playbill.com, Jul. 26, 2011
Duane Nelsen’s musical thriller Ripper, based on the Jack the Ripper murders that gripped London in the late 1800’s, will get its world premiere staging in Tigard, OR, at the Broadway Rose Theatre Company…Read the rest here.
The NEA funds a ‘Ripper’ at Broadway Rose
By Barry Johnson, Oregon ArtsWatch, Jul. 11, 2011
Broadway Rose Theatre Company received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Access to Artistic Excellence program….Read the rest here.
Notes on "Ripper" from the creator, the director, and the music director
A note from the creator, Duane Nelsen:
Duane Nelsen
In the autumn of 1888, five East End London prostitutes were murdered in the span of about 10 weeks. The killer was never found. More than a hundred years later, the mystery of Jack the Ripper’s identity lingers in our consciousness not because we don’t know who he is, but because he could be anyone.
Neighbors, friends, and lovers are all suspects. Some are driven to find the truth. Others stop at nothing to obscure the facts and manipulate the situation to their own advantage. The many ways that people survive in a climate of fear—for better or for worse—is what drives the show and gives it modern relevance.
From the reporter who covers the story and the magician who runs the brothel, to the police and, of course, the prostitutes, an intricate plot unfolds that interweaves magic and mayhem, the lively nightlife of the music halls, and the ever-present danger of a killer lurking in the shadows.
Producing a new musical as large as Ripper requires a courageous producer and an adventurous audience. I’m thrilled to be premiering this new show at Broadway Rose. Join us on this exciting journey into the darkest alleys of Victorian London. But beware: what you see may not be what it seems!
– Duane Nelsen, author/composer
A note from the director, Abe Reybold:
Abe Reybold
I am looking forward to Ripper this summer, as it will be the first time I’m directing a world premiere musical for Broadway Rose Theatre Company.
So what does that mean exactly? Well, we are starting from scratch with script, score, concept, design, costumes, casting requirements, orchestrations, you name it- it’s new and untried. I’ve directed lesser known musicals before and have learned that the less you know about a show can sometimes be liberating. Without the familiarity of an original production, the text along with research and imagination becomes even more essential to solving the creative puzzle that is a show.
Ripper is set in Victorian London in the late 1880s. Previously I have worked on musicals set in the same time and place including Jekyll & Hyde, Sweeney Todd, and Scrooge. My research on those shows has proved helpful with this project and includes a wonderful book by Daniel Pool called What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew – From Fox Hunting to Whist – the facts of Daily Life in 19th Century England. (“Whist” by the way, is the ancestor of the card game “Bridge”). One of the most useful books I have is called The Victorians-A World Built to Last. It is a large coffee table book from 1974 and is filled with diverse information and incredible photographs, artwork and illustrations. I am greatly inspired by visual connections. Because the Jack the Ripper Case is so well documented and written about, (Philip Sugden and Paul Begg are recommended) one could read about it for years on end. For the musical, Duane’s twist on the case is historically accurate in many ways but also takes liberties for dramatic effect. The “unsolved” nature lends itself to re-imagining the story and Ripper is a truly exciting and original musical mystery. For those worried about content, it is highly romantic and hardly gruesome. Also magic plays an interesting role in the show so researching Victorian magicians and their methods has been useful. At this point, getting to know the script and score as intimately as possible is my challenge. From there, all creative and pragmatic decisions are made.
The most immediate next step is working with scenic designer Gene Dent to create the world of the play. Using the script, research, necessity and inspiration as a guide, I know it will be an exciting theatrical environment for us to bring Ripper to life. I hope you’ll come and be a part of it!
– Abe Reybold, Director (November 2010)
A note from the music director, Alan D. Lytle:
Alan D. Lytle
The music team is coming together for Ripper this summer!
Duane and I have had ongoing conversations since last summer about the orchestrations for this show. Duane is creating the orchestrations specifically for this world premiere production with Broadway Rose. Our orchestra pit will include 11 local, professional musicians–a record number for a Broadway Rose show!
To get the most color from the orchestra, some of the players will be asked to juggle multiple instruments. We are making decisions now about which instruments each player will play. For example, there’s a woodwind player who will play bassoon, oboe, and some clarinet. We even talked about whether that person should play some accordion in the show as well!
Now we’re getting set for general auditions happening in March. As the cast of the show comes together, we’ll start to see what our production of this show will look and sound like!
Last week, I received new music for a brand new opening sequence for the show. I’m not going to give much away, but let me just say that excitement is high, magic is in the air, and you’re sure to be on the edge of your seat from the first note you hear. We look forward to seeing you this summer at the world premiere of Ripper. See you from the pit!
– Alan D. Lytle, Music Director
