UB Department of Theatre and Dance to Perform "City of Angels"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University at Buffalo will present the musical "City of Angels" in a full production with orchestra Nov. 14-18.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Nov. 14-17 and 2 p.m. Nov. 17-18 in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. "City of Angels" has music by Cy Coleman, best known for his musical "Sweet Charity." The show, with lyrics by David Zippel and a book by Larry Gelbart, tells the story of an award-winning writer of detective fiction, Stine, who has come to Los Angeles to create his first screenplay.

Set against the backdrop of Senator Joseph McCarthy's Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood Blacklist, this inventive, daring musical explores Stine's creative and political struggles as he tries to bring the adventures of his alter-ego, the dashing private eye Stone, to the film noir screen. "City of Angels" features an exhilarating jazz-based score, sophisticated comedy and a Hollywood fraught with danger and sexual temptation.

Guest director Erica Gould, one of the co-artistic directors of the New York theater company, The Fire Dept, has directed world premiere productions of Neil LaBute's plays "autobahn" and "Stand Up." She is currently developing the music theater adaptation of Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities." She has directed such noted artists as Olympia Dukakis, Harry Lennix, Bebe Neuwirth, Bill Pullman and Liev Schreiber. Her work has been seen at prominent theaters across the country, including New York Theatre Workshop, Circle Rep, Town Hall, The Shakespeare Theatre, and the American Conservatory Theatre.

Nathan R. Matthews, director of music theater at UB, will music direct/conduct the production. As the founding producing artistic director of New York's Riverside Opera Ensemble, he has helmed events that included the participation of Leonard Bernstein, David Del Tredici, and Harolyn Blackwell. On Broadway he was music associate for Children and Art, the Stephen Sondheim 75th-birthday gala; and he served as Mark Hamill's keyboard coach for "Amadeus," directed by Sir Peter Hall. Matthews has served on the music staff of the Santa Fe Opera. He has worked with artists such as Ann Blyth, Dixie Carter, Anne Hathaway and Jane Powell. In Western New York, Matthews has music directed/conducted at UB, the Irish Classical Theatre Company ("A Man of No Importance") and Artpark ("Smokey Joe's Café").

The cast of UB students includes Arin Dandes, Kelly Jakiel, Eliza Maher and Tim Voit of Buffalo, as well as Katie Hart, Travis Taber, and Christopher Howard. Many of these students have become known to Buffalo audiences during their student years through their many appearances at local theaters including Musicalfare and Artpark.

Tickets for City of Angels are $16 general admission and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students (of any school) must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount.