Musical comedy 'City of Angels' keeps cast on its toes
There's a good reason why the only "City of Angels" you've heard of is the movie starring Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage.
The award-winning musical comedy of the same name - which has nothing else in common with the 1998 film - is very difficult to bring to the stage.
Still, Wheaton Drama was determined to wrap up its 2008-09 season with its own version of the musical, which follows the tribulations of a writer trying to pen a screenplay version of his detective novel in 1940s Hollywood.
"I think that's one of the reasons they (Wheaton Drama) chose it," said Steve Schroeder, who is directing the production. "They wanted to give themselves a challenge."
"City of Angels" opens Friday at Playhouse 111, 111 N. Hale St., in downtown Wheaton.
Originally created by Larry Gelbart, Cy Coleman, and David Zippel, "City of Angels" had a successful three-year run on Broadway from 1989 to 1992. It won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
But after Broadway, the musical rarely has been done because of the technical challenges associated with it, according to Dawn Brown, a St. Charles resident who plays the role of Gabby and Bobbi in the Wheaton Drama production. "Still, it's really a wonderful story with wonderful music," Brown said. "And we have a terrific cast."
In the musical, audience members see both the movie the main character, Stine, is writing and the shenanigans he must deal with in the real world.
"He has to give up on his artistic vision at times," Schroeder said. "He has to battle against a very egomaniacal director/producer - not to mention starlets who keep begging him to make their parts bigger."
The biggest technical challenge is presenting both the black-and-white movie and the Stine's real world on the same stage.
"Everything happens all over the place," Schroeder said. "You will be watching one part of the stage and it will be a black-and-white movie scene. Next, you will see something that's going on behind the making of the movie."
As a result, nearly all 22 cast members must play at least two roles. And they must make multiple costume changes on the fly.
"Everything is very fast-paced," Brown said. "So staying in the moment takes a lot of energy. You can't get distracted for a second."
In addition, every cast member must be versatile enough to sing a long list of songs. Schroeder said almost every scene has music.
"And it's great music," he said. "It's all that 1940s big band sounds of jazz and swing." That also means an eight-piece orchestra must perform live during every show.
Because there are so many scenes and set pieces, eight to nine people are needed to work on the production crew every night.
Schroeder said bringing everything together is both "incredibly daunting" and "incredibly rewarding."
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> "City of Angels" Who: Staged by Wheaton Drama, Inc.</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 p.m. June 5-6, 11-13, 18-20, 25-27; 3 p.m. June 7, 14, 21, 28</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Playhouse 111, 111 N. Hale St., Wheaton</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $21; $18 on Thursdays</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 260-1820 or <a href="http://www.wheatondrama.org" target="new">wheatondrama.org</a></p>