Lyceum Theatre

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Lyceum favorite Brendan Byrnes learns the makeup design for his character, Munkustrap.

It’s hard to believe after months of planning, our 2008 Season will finally open on Friday, June 6! And I’m pleased to tell you that all the thought and care invested by folks from coast to coast is paying off tremendously!
It’s my job to tell you this, but please believe me when I say that our production of Cats will absolutely knock your socks off! I’ve sat in on many rehearsals at this point and it is not an exaggeration to say that my jaw is consistently on the ground when I watch these brilliantly talented dancers and singers do their thing. It doesn’t hurt that our cast is full of seasoned Cats, many having spent a good deal of time on the road in the national tour of the show. In addition to our seasoned pros, we have two astounding young people, Mason McCloud (13) and Leslie Walker (10) playing the youngest of our kittens–you won’t believe how effortlessly they inhabit their roles and meld with the rest of the adult cast.

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We are also thrilled to welcome back to our stage two of our very favorite actors, Brendan Byrnes and Leslie Lorusso. Brendan’s bio will be familiar though his face likely won’t–he’s been seen here at the Lyceum in more shows than I can remember (Cabaret, Oklahoma, Chicago, Pippin, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest, to name a few) and it is a certain thrill to have his talent back in Mid-Missouri. Leslie is no stranger to Lyceum audiences, having appeared as Rosemary in How to Succeed, the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, and who can forget her hilarious turn as June Ogelthorpe in last season’s Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming. Leslie plays the bedraggled Grizabella in Cats and I’m pretty sure audiences will be buzzing for a long time about her powerful rendition of the best known song from the show, “Memory”.

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Colleen Hefflin, our makeup coordinator for Cats, flew in from Seattle last week and has been hard at work teaching our various felines the unusual and elaborate makeup designs that transform mere humans into the mysterious Jellicle cats. Our costume designer for Cats, Garth Dunbar and his amazing team, John Metzner and Darren Hansen, have been up to their necks in spandex and fur for many weeks now. Their beautiful work will truly make our Cats unforgettable.

Our Technical Director Royal Marty has been hard at work transforming into reality the fantastical vision of our resident scenic designers, Adam Miecielica and Sarah Carraher. I’m sure you’ll delight as I have when you first see the oversized junkyard they’ve created.

This will undoubtedly be a production unrivaled at the Lyceum Theatre in terms of both spectacle and talent. Give us a call before the tickets are just a MEMORY!

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