Musical theatre has always had a deep affection for con artists. Whether it’s Evan Hansen overwhelming the Murphys or Harold Hill spinning River City into a tizzy, dubious individuals ultimately finding some sense of redemption at the hands of those willing to forgive is prime fodder for song. Wannabe rocker Dewey Finn is another example of this special con club as evidenced in composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, librettist Julian Fellowes and lyricist Glenn Slater’s charming and tuneful 2015 Tony Award-nominated musical comedy School of Rock, currently receiving an excellent local premiere courtesy of the Victoria Theatre Association’s Premier Health Broadway Series at the Schuster Center.

The national tour and local premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 2015 Tony Award-nominated musical comedy School of Rock continues through Oct. 7 at the Schuster Center. (Contributed photo)

Based on the 2003 film of the same name starring Jack Black and breezily directed by Laurence Connor, School of Rock applies the tried and true fish out of water scenario to Dewey, who gets more than he bargained for when assuming his sheepish roommate and best friend Ned’s identity when Horace Green Prep School calls for a substitute teacher. He knows nothing about traditional teaching, but is a major aficionado of rock music history which he uses to his advantage. Along the way, his adorably straight-laced and vulnerable students come to realize the importance of rock education while discovering new facets of their inherent purpose and potential as he transforms them into an impressive rock band.

Standing in the shadows of the aforementioned Black but providing a silly level of kooky all his own, Merritt David Janes is a real comedic find. His energetic, no-holds-barred take on Dewey hits all the right notes from delusional absurdity to surprising tenderness. Unsurprisingly, his best musical moments are in the classroom in rousing numbers (exuberantly choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter) including You’re in the Band and Stick It to the Man. Lexie Dorsett Sharp wonderfully counters Janes as pleasantly uptight principal Rosalie, notably sending the lovely ballad Where Did the Rock Go? through the roof in Act 2. Layne Roate, friendly and supportive, gives a terrific national tour debut as Ned, whose conflicted devotion to Dewey and his domineering girlfriend Patty (Madison Micucci, solid) strikes a chord. The knockout students, playing their own instruments with maturity and finesse and providing a moving rendition of the anthem If Only You Would Listen, consists of Arianna Pereira (Shonelle), Leanne Parks (Katie), Jacob Moran (James), Alyssa Emily Marvin (Marcy), Julian Brescia (Mason), Grier Burke (shy, big-voiced Tomika), Cameron Trueblood (Freddy), Mystic Inscho (Zack), Sammy Dell (Billy), Theo Mitchell-Penner (Lawrence), Sami Bray (hard-nosed Summer), and Gabriella Uhl (Sophie). The versatile adult ensemble consists of Tim Shea, Deidre Lang, Sinclair Mitchell, Jonathon Timpanelli, Patrick Clanton, Liam Fennecken, Elysia Jordan, Hernando Umana, and Melanie Evans.
The first-rate artistic team includes scenic and costume designer Anna Louizos, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Mick Potter, and hair designer Josh Marquette. Musical director Martyn Axe leads a top-notch orchestra.

Offering hearty laughs while providing meaningful lessons in acceptance and good parenting, School of Rock is a feel-good winner worthy of many gold stars.

School of Rock continues through Oct. 7 at the Schuster Center, Second and Main Streets, Dayton. Act One: 75 minutes; Act Two: 60 minutes. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $26-$99. Call (937) 228-3630 or visit ticketcenterstage.com.

Six entertaining musicals headline the Victoria Theatre Association’s 2018-2019 Premier Health Broadway Series at the Schuster Center.

Theo Mitchell-Penner in the SCHOOL OF ROCK Tour (Photo by Matthew Murphy)

The slate features Andrew Lloyd Webber’s spirited School of Rock – The Musical, the tender Finding Neverland, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic romance The King and I (based on Lincoln Center Theater’s gorgeous 2015 Tony Award-winning revival), Emilio and Gloria Estefan’s exuberant On Your Feet!, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg‘s Tony Award-winning megahit Les Misérables, and Grammy and Tony nominee Sara Bareilles’ sentimental hit Waitress. In particular, School of Rock, Finding Neverland and Waitress are based on their respective films.

The company of LES MISERABLES perform “One Day More” (Photo by Matthew Murphy)

The Projects Unlimited Star Attractions features The Wizard of Oz, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical based on the holiday TV classic, John Kander and Fred Ebb’s scintillating and sexy Chicago, and Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez’s Tony Award-winning irreverent hoot The Book of Mormon.
“It’s a fabulous lineup of shows,” said Ken Neufeld, VTA President and CEO set to retire in August. “Our 2018-2019 Premier Health Broadway Series will bring a variety of shows that will be enjoyable for all ages. From classic musicals Les Misérables and The King and I, to the latest from Broadway including School of Rock, the touching Finding Neverland, On Your Feet!, featuring the infectious music of Gloria Estefan, and Waitress, the new musical with words and music written by Sara Bareilles. Our Projects Unlimited Star Attraction Series brings The Wizard of Oz, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, Chicago, and the much-anticipated return of The Book of Mormon.”

The King of Siam and Anna Leonowens in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)

The Morris Furniture Company Family Series features The Ugly Duckling, The Phantom Tollbooth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Diary of a Worm, A Spider & A Fly, and The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System. There are also sensory-friendly performances available of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites and The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System.
“The 2018-2019 Morris Furniture Company Family Series include shows the whole family can enjoy,” Neufeld added. “We appreciate how these shows bring the whole family together for live theatre at the historic Victoria Theatre.”

The insightful National Geographic Live! Series, showcasing renown scientists, explorers and photographers, consists of Ellen Stofan: A Planet To Call Home, Mark Synnott: Life on the Vertical, and Florian Schulz: Into the Arctic Kingdom.

Neufeld also announced news of the forthcoming Arts Annex, which will be located at the corner of Second and Ludlow Streets across the street from the Schuster Center. Slated to open this fall, the performing arts facility will offer a black box theatre, reception area, studios, and more. The complex will also serve as the new home for Dare to Defy Productions and Playground Theatre, two troupes previously housed inside the Mathile Theatre of the Schuster Center in recent years. The Arts Annex, promoting “big ideas in small spaces,” is still looking for financial support. Interested patrons should contact the VTA directly.

An array of VTA season ticket holders, donors, sponsors, and friends were present for the Feb. 27 announcement, held at the Victoria Theatre and perhaps one of the most engaging and heartfelt announcement ceremonies in recent memory. In fact, multiple VTA campaign videos highlighted the joy of experiencing theater for the first time by way of the company’s programming. Notable reflections were offered by Betty Gould, VTA Group Sales Manager, and Fischer Barnett, a sophomore at Stivers School for the Arts seen on the Victoria stage in the Muse Machine productions of Hairspray and Hello, Dolly! In addition, Arica Jackson of the current national tour of Waitress provided a soulful rendition of I Didn’t Plan It, and Lexie Dorsett Sharp, an Ohio native and member of the current national tour of School of Rock, offered a video “shout out.”

Desi Oakley in the National Tour of WAITRESS (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Season subscriptions range from $245-$594. New Season Ticket Holders will be seated once current Season Ticket Holders’ renewals are fulfilled. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date. Renewal packets for all current Premier Health Broadway Series Season Ticket Holders will mail the morning of Feb. 28. The deadline for current Season Ticket Holders to request changes to Broadway Season Ticket packages is March 13. The deadline to renew 2018-2019 Broadway Season Ticket packages is March 16. Season Ticket sales for the Morris Furniture Company Family Series and National Geographic Live Series begin later in the spring. For more information, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit ticketcenterstage.com.

2018-2019 Premier Health Broadway Series

SCHOOL OF ROCK
Oct. 2-7, 2018– Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

FINDING NEVERLAND
Jan. 15-20, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S THE KING AND I
Feb. 12-17, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

ON YOUR FEET!
March 5-10, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

LES MISÉRABLES
April 2-7, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

WAITRESS
June 25-30, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

2018-2019 Projects Unlimited Star Attractions

Projects Unlimited Star Attractions appeal to a broad variety of audiences and may include blockbuster Broadway hits, cutting-edge off-Broadway theatre, family-friendly shows and concerts. More Star Attractions will be announced as the 2018-2019 season approaches.

THE WIZARD OF OZ
Oct. 23-25, 2018 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL
Nov. 16-17, 2018 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

CHICAGO
Feb. 1-2, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

THE BOOK OF MORMON
May 21-26, 2019 – Schuster Center
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

2018-2019 Morris Furniture Company Family Series

THE UGLY DUCKLING
Nov. 10, 2018 – Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH
Feb. 2, 2019 – Victoria Theatre
Exclusive production authorized by author Norton Juster and illustrator Jules Feiffer
Adapted for the stage by Jennifer & Landis Smith and Leslie Reidel
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Feb. 2, 2019 – Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

DIARY OF A WORM, SPIDER, & A FLY
March 23, 2019 – Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
April 27, 2019 – Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

SENSORY-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCES
These productions are specifically designed for children with an autism spectrum disorder, other sensory processing diagnoses, and other special needs. You can expect a reduction of loud or jarring sounds, the absence of flashing or strobe lighting on stage, modification of house lights during the performance, and a judgement-free environment where all patrons can feel free to vocalize or move around the theatre if they need to.

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR & OTHER ERIC CARLE FAVOURITES
November 18, 2018 -Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
April 28, 2019- Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

National Geographic Live! Series, sponsored by Subaru of American and Wagner Subaru

ELLEN STOFAN: A PLANET TO CALL HOME
February 3 & 4, 2019 -Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

MARK SYNNOTT: LIFE ON THE VERTICAL
March 10 & 11, 2019- Victoria Theatre
https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/

FLORIAN SCHULZ: INTO THE ARCTIC KINGDOM
April 14 & 15, 2019 -Victoria Theatre

https://victoriatheatre.com/season-announced/