Sierra Boggess’ career is going from underwater to out of this world.
The 27-year-old George Washington High graduate has been hand-picked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to star as Christine in his “Phantom of the Opera” sequel, “Love Never Dies,” which will debut in London’s West End on March 9, it was confirmed Thursday.
Boggess, who created the role of Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” will return to Broadway with “Love Never Dies” on Nov. 11, 2010. She’ll be paired opposite British star Ramin Karimloo.
Webber has known Boggess since she originated the role of Christine in the pared-down Vegas “Phantom” six years ago. “She’s a terrific actress . . . and I know they’re an incredible fit,” Webber said. “The passion between the two of them is almost unbearable, it’s so strong.”
The sequel is set 10 years later. The Phantom now haunts the fairgrounds at Coney Island, where he’s been absorbed among the freaks and oddities there. “He’s now running the whole place,” Webber said. “Only this time, the Phantom lives above everything, instead of below.”
The sequel introduces only one new character — Christine’s 10-year-old son. It’s directed by Jack O’Brien (“Hairspray”) with lyrics by Glenn Slater (“The Little Mermaid”).
Exclusive first look: “Till I Hear You Sing”
Ramin Karimloo sings “Till I Hear You Sing” to Sierra Boggess in “Love Never Dies.”
Do the Ritchie Rap!
Now rocketing up the hip-hop charts is 78-year-old Daniel Ritchie, who’s sporting a Nuggets jersey, shades, bling and a ballcap — over a tasteful business tie, of course — in a fun video announcing the debut of the Denver Center’s new blog.
“My name is Daniel Ritchie and I’m here to say, I’m the CEO rapper of the DCPA,” Ritchie rhymes in a video eliciting chuckles throughout the local theater community.
Now, “I’m just considering whether I should leave town,” said Ritchie, who swears he’s already been stopped on the street by a stranger since the week-old video hit .
The video is the brainchild of Charlie Miller, who’s brought a breath of fresh air to the Denver Center with his monthly video podcast, “10 Minutes to Curtain,” and other multimedia innovations.
“We are, as we should be, beginning to reach out to a younger audience, which is so important with shows like ‘Spring Awakening’ coming up,” said Ritchie, who calls 24-year-old Miller both an evil genius and an emerging Denver Center superstar.
As for his boss’ feigned embarrassment, Miller says: “He likes to put up a front of being serious, but he eats this stuff up.”
Going micro-green
Denver native Thaddeus Phillips, one of the nation’s most innovative solo artists, returns to Buntport Theater to debut his two-part micro-epic, appropriately titled, “Microworld(s).” It’s billed as the first show ever to be run entirely on renewable and self-generated power sources like foot pumps that are powered by the audience before each show.
Phillips, who has gone on to international acclaim since performing “The Tempest” in a kiddie pool, performs “Microworld(s)” in a transformative white box the size of a phone booth. The work is already attracting interest from off-Broadway theaters for next season.
It’s about a Serbian intellectual named Milo and his rubber ducky as they explore life and death, time and space.
“This thing is really cool, and it’s something no one has ever tried anywhere in the theater,” said Phillips. “It gives us a look at how the theater would look in a carbon-free world.”
Part 1 opens Thursday and runs through Nov. 8. Part 2 runs March 18-April 11 at 717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388.
Briefly…
Work is finally being done on the dilapidated old Phoenix Theatre at 1121 Santa Fe Drive, but word on the street is it’s being turned into a martial-arts dojo. The Phoenix was home to the late Rivertree and Theatre Group companies, closing in 2008. . . .
And finally: The Bas Bleu Theatre is just $48,000 shy of completing its five-year, $1.5 million capital campaign to buy and renovate its home in Fort Collins; that’s remarkable given the impact the economy has had on grants and donations at theaters all over Colorado.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
This week’s theater openings
Opening Thursday, through Nov. 8: Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental’s “Microworld(s)” (at Buntport)
Friday-Nov. 7: Theatre Company of Lafayette’s “Twilight Zone Returns!”
Friday-Oct. 31: Coal Creek Community Theatre’s “The Voice of the Prairie” Louisville
Friday-Oct. 31: E-Project’s “Dracula” Lakewood
Friday-Nov. 15: 73rd Avenue Theatre’s “Ten Little Indians” Westminster
Friday-Nov. 14: Paragon’s “The Winterling”
Friday and Saturday only: Lincoln Center’s “Menopause, the Musical” Fort Collins
Saturday-Nov. 1: Vintage Theatre’s “Fat Pig” (at Aurora Fox; also Nov. 5-8 at Lake Dillon Theatre)
This week’s theater closings
Today, Oct. 11: Aurora Fox’s “The Big Bang”
Saturday, Oct. 17: Shadow Theatre’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Saturday, Oct. 17: TheatreWorks’ “New Perspectives on Disability” Colorado Springs
Sunday, Oct. 18: Arvada Center’s “Miss Saigon”
Sunday, Oct. 18: Union Colony Dinner Theatre’s “The King and I” Greeley
Sunday, Oct. 18: Town Hall Arts Center’s “Grease” Littleton
Sunday, Oct. 18: openstage etc’s “Anton in Show Business” Fort Collins
Sunday, Oct. 18: Performance Now’s “Oliver” Lakewood
Best bet: “A Raisin in the Sun”
 |
Lorraine Hansberry’s classic story a struggling Chicago family torn by how best to spend a $10,000 insurance settlement in 1954. The money could change the lives of three generations of the inner-city Younger family, but Mama’s dream of living in a better neighborhood and her daughter’s plans for medical school clash with her son’s wish to buy into a liquor store. Pride and aspirations, but at what cost? Hansberry’s breakthrough drama resonates loudly with its fearless look at ways to keep the American dream alive. Directed by Israel Hicks.
Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
Best bet: National touring production of “Wicked”
 |
The national touring production that tells the untold story of the witches of Oz returns for a third Denver visit. “Wicked” tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard’s corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba’s public fall from grace. The plot is set mostly before Dorothy’s arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” as a backstory. Through Nov. 8. Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
Most recent theater openings
“Broadway Bound” In the final chapter of Neil Simon’s autobiographical “Eugene Trilogy,” the Jerome brothers are late 1940s comedy writers, but their family is breaking up. Through Oct. 25. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., 719-634-5583 or
“Curse of the Werewolf” The Gargoyle House is cursed, and there is a werewolf on the loose. But who can it be? A silly, family-friendly Halloween farce. Through Oct. 25. Arvada Festival Playhouse, 5665 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., 303-422-4090 or
“Haunted” A theatrical exploration of Colorado’s most notoriously haunted locations and uncommon events. Through Nov. 7. Presented by the Firehouse Theater at the John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Place, 303-562-3232 or
“Oliver” Charles Dickens’ tale of an orphan boy’s adventures in the dirty streets of London. Songs include “Consider Yourself” and “I’d Do Anything.” Through Oct. 18. Presented by Performance Now at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, 303-987-7845 7845 or
“The Sunset Limited” In a run-down tenement, two men without names — one black, one white — battle over the nature of existence, using only words as their weapons. By Cormac McCarthy (“No Country For Old Men”). Through Oct. 24. Presented by Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., 303-440-7826 or boulder
“Why We Have a Body” A surreal comedy about a private investigator specializing in cheating husbands. The play skips freely from airport bars to feminist nightmares to Joan of Arc. Can Lili find meaning in the chaos? Through Oct. 24. Presented by Square Product Theatre at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder,
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The new-look Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue. This week: Read about the premature closing of the Aurora Fox’s “The Good Body” over rights issues. .
