THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

www.tuts.com

Presents

"MISS SAIGON,"

March 20 - April 1, 2001

at The Arena Theatre

TUTS BECOMES FIRST COMPANY IN U.S. TO SECURE RIGHTS TO PRODUCE "MISS SAIGON"



"In a place that won't let us feel, in a life where nothing seems real, I have found you. In a world that's moving too fast, in a world where nothing can last, I will hold you...." Sam McDermott (Chris) and Emy Baysic (Kim) sing touching love songs in Theatre Under the Stars' "MISS SAIGON" Now Showing at the Arena Theatre from March 20th through April 1st, 2001. Photo by Bruce Bennett.


HOUSTON, TEXAS…Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) becomes the first company in America to secure the rights to produce Miss Saigon, the award-winning musical that opens TUTS' 2001 Season from March 20-April 1, 2001 at the Arena Theatre (7326 Southwest Freeway). Inspired by Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon recounts the moving story of a young Vietnamese woman who falls in love with a U.S. Marine. TUTS' production of this worldwide hit trails the closing of the Broadway production, which grossed more than $1.3 billion internationally and was the sixth-longest-running show in Broadway history.

Winner of three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and four Drama Desk Awards, Miss Saigon is based on the book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, featuring lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. and music by Claude-Michel Schonberg. Boublil and Schonberg were also responsible for the musical re-telling of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Through their musical and lyrical compositions, Boublil and Schonberg together with Maltby are successful in conjuring up steamy nights, crowds, lust and the danger of Saigon 1975. Songs such as "I Still Believe" and "The Last Night of the World" evoke the love and pain experienced by the doomed lovers.

Since its World Premiere in 1989, Miss Saigon has played in seven different languages, in 11 countries and 70 cities. Bruce Lumpkin will serve as director and choreographer for TUTS' version of Miss Saigon. Previous TUTS' productions directed by Lumpkin include Grand Hotel and Gigi. Miss Saigon also includes many performers who are re-creating their Broadway roles such as Hinton Battle (John), who is the only living male to be a three-time Tony Award-winner, including one for Miss Saigon; Emy Baysic (Kim), who has also performed Off-Broadway in Séance for an Edge Dancer; Sean McDermott (Chris) whose other Broadway credits include the role of Danny Zuko in the recent Broadway revival of Grease and James Lapine's Falsettos; Edmund Nalzaro (Thuy), who also understudied for the Miss Saigon National tour; Joseph Anthony Foronda (The Engineer), who also originated the role of Lord Buntaro in the Broadway production of James Clavell's Shogun: The Musical; and Misty Cotton (Ellen), who also performed the role of Ellen in the first National Tour.


"You are Sunlight and I, Moon joined here bright'ning the sky with the flame of Love, made of Sunlight, Moonlight." Sam McDermott (Chris) and Emy Baysic (Kim) sing touching love songs in Theatre Under the Stars' "MISS SAIGON" Now Showing at the Arena Theatre from March 20th through April 1st, 2001. Photo by Bruce Bennett.


Miss Saigon recounts the moving story of a young Vietnamese woman, Kim, who falls in love with a U.S. Marine, Chris. When U.S. troops pull out of Saigon, Chris is forced to leave Kim behind carrying their unborn child. Three years later, a now-married Chris returns to Saigon to meet his son.

Single tickets for Miss Saigon ($18-$57) are available on-line at www.tuts.com using TUTS' E-Ticket system; by phone at (800) 678-5440; or in person at either the TUTS box office, 2600 Southwest Fwy. (weekdays 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.), or the Arena box office on days of performance. Performances are 8 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday; and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Sunday.

Sponsors of TUTS' production of Miss Saigon include Conoco, Burlington Resources, Arthur Andersen LLP, Chase Bank of Texas, EIM Valve Controls, and TCP Holdings. Air transportation is provided by Continental Airlines, the official airline of Theatre Under The Stars. Media sponsors are KPRC-TV/Channel 2 and the Houston Chronicle.

Theatre Under The Stars is Houston's acclaimed musical theatre production company founded in 1968 by Frank M. Young. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and has since performed there each summer, giving Houston forty-one lavish musicals such as South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof and The Who's Tommy. Since its founding, TUTS has produced more than 200 major musicals including many local, national and world premieres and is currently represented on Broadway with Beauty and the Beast. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 600 students annually.

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"A Song, played on a solo saxophone, a crazy sound, a lonely sound, a cry that tells us Love goes on and on. Played on a solo saxophone, it's telling me to hold you tight and dance like it's the last night of the world." Sam McDermott (Chris) and Emy Baysic (Kim) sing touching love songs in Theatre Under the Stars' "MISS SAIGON" Now Showing at the Arena Theatre from March 20th through April 1st, 2001. Photo by Bruce Bennett.


MISS SAIGON


DATES: March 20 - April 1, 2001

VENUE: Arena Theatre (7326 Southwest Freeway)

SHOW TIMES: Tuesday-Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.;
Sunday, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

PRESS NIGHT: Thursday, March 22

PRICES: Single tickets are $57 - $18.

PURCHASE TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased by calling 800-678-5440. Tickets
are also available at TUTS Tix, 2600 Southwest Freeway (no
service charge), at the Arena Box Office or at any
Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets can also be bought and printed
on-line using TUTS' E-Z-CLIX E-TIX System at
www.tuts.com.

SHOW DESCRIPTION: Theatre Under The Stars becomes the first company in America to secure the rights to produce Miss Saigon, the award-winning musical inspired by Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly. Miss Saigon recounts the moving story of a young Vietnamese woman, Kim, who falls in love with a U.S. Marine, Chris. When U.S. troops pull out of Saigon, Chris is forced to leave Kim behind carrying their unborn child.
Three years later, a now-married Chris returns to Saigon to meet his son. Winner of three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and four Drama Desk Awards, Miss Saigon is based on the book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, featuring lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. and music by Claude-Michel Schonberg.

CAPTION/AUDIO: Audio Described performance is Sunday, April 1, 2001 at
2 p.m. Open Captioned performance is Sunday, April 1, 2001 at 7:30 p.m.

CORPORATE SPONSORS: Conoco, Burlington Resources, Arthur Andersen LLP, Chase Bank of Texas, EIM Valve Controls, TCP Holdings and Continental Airlines

MEDIA SPONSORS: KRPC-TV, Houston Chronicle


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CHRIS: "On the other side of the earth, there's a place where life still has worth, I will take you." KIM: "I'll go with you." Sam McDermott (Chris) and Emy Baysic (Kim) sing touching love songs in Theatre Under the Stars' "MISS SAIGON" Now Showing at the Arena Theatre from March 20th through April 1st, 2001. Photo by Bruce Bennett.


CAST BIOS

JOSEPH ANTHONY FORONDA The Engineer
Joseph recently appeared on Broadway as The Engineer and was an original cast member of Miss Saigon's First (original cast) and Second National Tour. On Broadway, he originated the role of Lord Buntaro in James Clavell's Shogun: The Musical which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Regional credits: The Fantastiks (El Gallo), The Mikado (Ko-Ko), Side By Side by Sondheim, Jacques Biel, Pippin (West Coast Premiere), The Most Happy Fella with John Raitt (California Music Theatre). A graduate with honors of San Jose State University's Music Department. Joseph has also completed the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Musical Theatre Workshop.



EMY BAYSIC Kim
Credits include Broadway: Miss Saigon (Kim). Regional: Children of Eden (Aysha - Paper Mill Playhouse Original Cast Recording), The King and I (Tuptim). Off Broadway: The Last Hand Laundry in Chinatown (La Mama), Séance for an Edge Dancer (Riant). Film: Pepe's Letters, Body of Correspondence, Bye Bye Pearl of the Orient, Barrio Fiesta. Television: "ER", "Chicago Hope", "Resurrection Boulevard." Solo Cabaret: Back to Baysic. Love and blessings to God, family, friends, and Noel.



HINTON BATTLE John
Hinton is the only living male performer with three Tony Awards for his work in three successful Broadway shows, namely Sophisticated Ladies (1981), The Tap Dance Kid (1984), and Miss Saigon (1992). He has also received The NAACP Award and the Fred Astaire Award for his work in The Tap Dance Kid. Other Broadway shows Hinton has starred in include Dancin', Dreamgirls, Chicago, Ragtime and many others. Choreography credits include television's "Sister, Sister," commercials for Coca Cola, working with famous choreographer Debbie Allen on two Academy Awards shows, The Joni Mitchell Project, and The Pepito Story as performed by the Kennedy Center's children's ballet (a dancing troupe with whom Hinton is particularly proud to have worked). Hinton has worked with many other luminaries such as Steven Spielberg and has performed for such luminaries as the President of the United States at the Kennedy Center 25th Anniversary Special. In1995 at the 67th Annual Academy Awards, Hinton performed Elton John's nominated song "Circle of Life," leading to a record deal with Interscope Records.

SEAN MCDERMOTT Chris
Broadway: Miss Saigon (Chris) with Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce, Falsettos with Mandy Patinkin, Starlight Express (Rusty), and the revival of Grease (Danny Zuko). Off-Broadway: The Boys in the Band (Larry). Regional: The Pajama Game (Sid Sorokin), South Pacific (Lt. Cable), Chess (Freddie), West Side Story (Tony), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus). Television: "Guiding Light" (Hart Jessup), "The Tonight Show." Sean has also sang for the President of the United States on two separate occasions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and for Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, at a command performance. Recordings: "New York Nights" and most recently "My Broadway," including songs from Miss Saigon. Checkout Sean's website at www.seanmcdermott.com.



MISTY COTTON Ellen
Misty played the role of Ellen on Broadway and with the 1st National Tour. Other credits include: Les Miserables (Eponine), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator), Funny Thing … Forum (Philia), Plain & Fancy (Hilda), Triumph of Love (Princess Leonide), Baby (Lizzie), Grease (Sandy), Little Moon of Alban (Brigid Mary), Rimers of Eldritch (Patsy), What the Butler Saw (Geraldine). She is a American Academy of Dramatic Arts Graduate.



EDMUND NALZARO Thuy
Edmund played Thuy on Broadway and understudied on the touring company. Television: NBC's "Today Show" and MSG Network's "March of Dimes Special." Vocalist for City Heat and F.A.M.E. bands. An accountant from Dipolog, Philippines, Edmund and two of his children are immortalized in stained glass at the Edison, NJ train station, thanks to artist J. Kenneth Leap.



BRUCE LUMPKIN Director/Choreographer
Bruce began his direction career as resident director for TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre. This experience brought him to the attention of director/choreographer Tommy Tune. Under Tune's wing, and later as his collaborator, Bruce learned the ropes of the musical by overseeing his productions of My One and Only, Nine and Grand Hotel. Bruce advanced through the ranks and eventually found himself co-director of the acclaimed West End production of Grand Hotel. Bruce's Off-Broadway hit Summer '69 played to full houses at the Douglas Faribanks Theatre on 42nd Street. Favorites: a revisionist look at Cabaret (for which he won the "Barrymore Award" for Best Director and Best Musical); the world premieres of Dodsworth starring Hal Linden and Grossinger staring Gavin Macleod. Bruce continues to develop new works - to name a few, a musical version of the film Time After Time, Honky Tonk Angel, The Patsy Cline Story, and Tanny, a musical based on the wife of George Balanc.


Theatre Under the Stars Presents "MISS SAIGON" in their New 2001 Season