THE GLORIOUS Swinging Sixties are brought back to life this month in North Hollywood with the opening of Modrock, a new musical, at the El Portal Theatre.
As the name suggests, Modrock is set in London in the mid-1960s when the city was the epicenter of new currents of British music, fashion and culture. Where talents as diverse as the Kinks and the Animals, Mary Quant and Vidal Sassoon, David Bailey and Michael Caine where creating waves of music, fashion, style and image which would soon sweep across the world.
Modrock tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who try to bridge the bitter gap between their two tribes – she’s a Mod, he’s a Rocker, who instead of battling each other on Brighton Beach, instead find love with each other.
The show features 20 classic songs from the era, including We Gotta Get Out of this Place, For Your Love, Bus Stop, Sunny Afternoon, Time of the Season, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, You’ve Got Your Troubles, Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying and Downtown.
The ensemble cast of 12 includes Melinda Porto as Kate and Steven Good as Adam – the star-crossed lovers – as well as Harley Jay, Michael Hawley, Jade Tailor, Emily Morris and Adrianna Rose Lyons as the Rockers, and Erin Watkins, Scott Kruse, Ian Littleworth, Julia Tobey and Scott Weston as the Mods.
The director is Brian Lohmann from the book by Hagan Thomas Jones. Musical Arrangements by David O and choreography by Michele Spears.
The idea for “ModRock” came to Hagan Thomas-Jones in 2008. A documentary film producer, Thomas-Jones was developing a film on the “British Invasion” of the early 1960’s but he could not find the right book or story when it occurred to him that this unique time in cultural history would be a great setting and score for a stage musical.
Hagan-Thomas said, “Some people think only the Beatles and Stones when the British Invasion is mentioned but it was so very much more! The period between 1963 and 1966 in Great Britain produced some of the best songwriters and bands of all time. There were literally hundreds of artists, bands and songwriters who emerged from the period, many of whom remain among the most iconic of all time, and whose music still resonates with us today.”
The El Portal Theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.
Performances begin Wed. June 19th at 8pm and continue Thursday and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm and 7pm. (No performance July 4th).
Tickets are priced at $44 and $59. To bookc all (818) 508-4200 or visit www.modrockmusical.com
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