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Announcing the cast of Arizona Broadway Theatre’s Production of ‘Elf The Musical’

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It’s all happening! Elf The Musical is coming to Arizona Broadway Theatre and everyone’s a-buzz! We had a chance to meet the cast on Monday when they reported for their first rehearsal day. So, without further ado, here’s your cast of Elf The Musical:

Buddy………………………………… Adam Vargas
Walter Hobbs…………………….. Bill Saunders
Emily Hobbs……………………….. Carolyn McPhee
Jovie………………………………….. Madison Cichon
Mr. Greenway / Santa……….. Rob Watson
Michael Hobbs…………………… Tristan Klaphake / Dane Shepard
Deb……………………………………. Hannah Clarke Levine
Matthews…………………………… Jeff Tierney
Store Manager…………………… Justin Emmanuel Parker
Charlotte Dennon………………. Christie Dabreau
Ensemble…………… Blair Beasley, Halley Daigle, Danny Durr, Alyssa Ishihara, Scotty Jacobson, Tyler Pirrung, Delaney Spanko, Caleb Summers, Erika Wasko, Brody Wurr

Tickets are going very quickly for this extremely popular show so don’t wait.

Buy your tickets by CLICKING HERE or visit or call the Box Office at 623.776.8400 x0.

An Arizona Broadway Theatre Gift Guide

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If you Google what to give as holiday gifts, you might see lists like these:

  • 60 Best Gifts for Your Wife 2019
  • 55 Inexpensive Christmas Gift Ideas For 2019
  • 14 Inexpensive Homemade Gifts That Feel Extra Special
  • 12 Gift Ideas For Your Spouse If You Are On A Tight Budget
  • 21 Unique Christmas Gift Ideas for Married Couples
  • 100 Cool Christmas Gifts That Don’t Suck

But, we here at Arizona Broadway Theatre have a better list! How about this year, you treat friends, family, co-workers, and all the rest of them to a show! We have packed entertainment into every space in our theatre so that we can offer you this awesome holiday line-up:

  • Murder and a Meal Presents: The Holidays Can Be Murder* – November 14 & 21, 2019 (at the ENCORE)
  • Elf The Musical – November 22 – December 29 (Mainstage)
  • The Boys of D63 Christmas Show – December 2, 2019 (Mainstage)
  • A Broadway Christmas Carol – December 16-24, 2019 (at The ENCORE)
  • So This Is Christmas! American Idol Edition! – December 16, 2019 (Mainstage)
  • Sunday Brunch at the ENCORE Presents We3Trio – December 22, 2019 (at The ENCORE)
  • Viva Las Vegas: A New Year’s Eve Celebration – December 31, 2019 (Mainstage)

So, get out your gift list and start matching your loved ones to the shows they would enjoy! If you want to see all that is on stage at ABT or purchase tickets, CLICK HERE, then click “On Stage.” Or, as always, you can visit or call the Box Office at 623.776.8400.

Happy Holidays!

*Not a production of Arizona Broadway Theatre

A Broadway Christmas Carol At The ENCORE Features ABT Fan Favorites

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You mean there is more holiday entertainment to be had at Arizona Broadway Theatre than just Elf the Musical?! Why yes, there is! A Broadway Christmas Carol, part of our Off-Broadway at the Encore series will premiere December 16 and run through December 24, 2019. A Broadway Christmas Carol is a delicious cross between the classic Dickens’ tale and uproarious song parodies of 33 of your favorite Broadway show tunes by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and many more! Great music, great fun, and a great redemptive message to share with family and friends this holiday season!

And, the all-star cast is made up of four very talented ABT alumni:

Jamie Parnell

Jamie Parnell is currently part of The Company in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and has also appeared as Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins, Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat and Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl on the ABT stage.

 

Stephen Hohendorf, also on the stage of Sweeney Todd has also been in other ABT shows such as Fiddler on the Roof, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Mary Poppins and Camelot. Stephen was on the national tours of The Full Monty, Sesame Street Live!, and Pinkalicious.

 

Liz Fallon most recently starred as Clio/Kira in ABT’s production of Xanadu. She’s had several other starring roles in ABT shows such as, Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, and Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity.

 

Kurtis Overby, Associate Artistic Director at ABT, will no doubt bring a winning performance to A Broadway Christmas Carol. He has an extensive list of choreography credits, having won ariZoni Awards for his work on Anything Goes and 42nd Street. His performance list is also strong, including ABT’s Singing in the Rain, The Drowsy Chaperone, Cabaret and received an ariZoni nomination for his role as Bud Frump in How to Succeed…

The talented quartet will, no doubt, have you in stitches throughout the performance.

CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets today.

Announcing 2019-2020 “Off-Broadway At The Encore” Series
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It’s been years in the making, but the renovation of the Encore Room at Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) is complete and has already hosted numerous community events, private parties, Sunday brunches, murder mystery dinners, and now an all-new series of shows entitled Off-Broadway at The ENCORE.

Completed in 2018, the Encore Room at ABT was achieved through an advantageous refinance of the building, making it possible for the nearly $1 Million, 6,000 square foot infrastructure expansion to become a reality. Adjacent to ABT’s lobby, the new space features two levels, balcony seating, luxurious wood floors, beautiful lighting, great acoustics, and complete privacy.  The room is available for public rental for events, with full food and beverage service if needed. The room can be set in a variety of ways to accommodate groups from 20 to 250 people.

Arizona Broadway Theatre has a full-service kitchen and bar with professional staff on hand to service events.  Food and beverage options range from a simple box lunch to elaborate formal dinners.  Custom menus, bar packages, linens, cakes, audiovisual, DJ, entertainers, photography, ticketing, and equipment services are available upon request. Event space rental can be requested on the website at azbroadway.org.

“We dreamed of this space for years until we were finally able to make it happen,” says Kiel Klaphake, Executive Producer and co-founder of Arizona Broadway Theatre. “We are very pleased with all of the use the Encore Room has been getting over the past year and are thrilled to be bringing more high-quality entertainment to another ‘venue’ in our own space with the upcoming Off-Broadway series.”

Off-Broadway at The ENCORE showcases amazing musical theatre works (both edgy and traditional) featuring smaller casts and intimate sets perfect for the more “chameleon” style of the Encore Room. Attendees can enjoy food and bar service available for purchase before the show and at intermission.

The upcoming line-up includes A Broadway Christmas Carol (December 16 – 24, 2019); Some Enchanted Evening (February 7 – 23, 2020); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (March 20 – 29, 2020); and Next To Normal (July 10 – 19, 2020). Tickets (ranging from $49-$59) may be purchased through the Box Office online, by phone, or in person.

Arizona Broadway Theatre Rings In The Holiday Season With Elf The Musical, The Annual Community Tree-Lighting Ceremony and Toy Drive

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Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) kicks off the holidays in a big way with the wildly-popular, Elf The Musical and the Theatre’s annual Christmas tree lighting on November 22, 2019. Elf will continue to delight ABT audiences through December 29, 2019.

Based on the cherished 2003 holiday film, this hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to find his true identity. Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised by Santa’s elves, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Elf The Musical opened on Broadway during the Christmas season of 2012-2013 and has seen a number of national tours around the United States during the past five years, most notably last year’s national tour which featured ABT’s own Tristan Klaphake as Michael Hobbs. Tristan is the youngest son of ABT’s Executive & Artistic Producers, Kiel & Cassandra Klaphake, and will be reprising his role in the ABT production.

“It’s hard to believe that almost fifteen years ago in the fall of 2005 we learned we were pregnant with Tristan at the very same time we were working to open our very first production of Anything Goes,” said Tristan’s mom, Cassandra. “No doubt the little guy was hearing a ton of musical theatre from day one, but I don’t think I ever thought he would take to the craft and profession as he has. I’m a very proud mom!”

Elf The Musical has become a staple for theater-goers during the holidays, and Arizonans will be pleased to know that they can find the heartwarming yet hilarious Broadway musical right in their own backyard at Arizona Broadway Theatre.

“This holiday season is special because it marks ABT’s 15th season of bringing high-quality Broadway musical theatre entertainment to the Valley of the Sun. We always take a moment during this time of year to appreciate our community and all of the many volunteers, patrons, sponsors and donors who have made ABT what it is today,” says Kiel Klaphake, Co-founder and Executive Producer, Arizona Broadway Theatre. “It’s our hope that Elf The Musical will be a time for family & friends to gather together this holiday season!”

The annual Christmas tree lighting will take place in the lobby of Arizona Broadway Theatre at 7701 W Paradise Lane, Peoria at 5:00pm on November 22 and is open and free of charge to the public.  Not only will the community enjoy the dazzling lights of the tree and lobby decor but also a short performance of festive holiday tunes by ABT’s youth company, HyRev. HyRev is specifically for young performers ages 13-19 with some previous music theatre/dance /show choir experience, and they truly know how to share the holiday spirit. The annual toy drive also kicks off on November 22 and will run through December 29, 2019.  New, unwrapped toys are welcome and can be brought to the ABT lobby whenever the theatre is open. Toys will go to “Helping Hands For Freedom,” a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the military families of the fallen, wounded, and deployed.

ABT’s production of Elf The Musical is made possible in part through the generous support of Dr. Keith & Kim Haar of Epiphany Dermatology. As part of the Haar’s generous support, members of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital community have been invited to attend opening weekend performances free of charge.

ABT’s Season 15 Broadway Series continues in 2020 with La Cage aux Folles (January 24 – February 28 (in Peoria) & March 6 – 22 (at Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix) and Chicago (March 13 – April 19, 2020). For more information about these and other upcoming productions presented at Arizona Broadway Theatre, visit azbroadway.org or call 623.776.8400.