Finian's Rainbow at Woodminster press release

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Oakland's Summer Theater Under the Stars
Summer 2011 – 45th consecutive season of musical theater in Oakland's beautiful Joaquin Miller Park

Press contact: Kathy Kahn, woodminsterpr@yahoo.com, 510-418-8523
Theater contact: Harriet Schlader, harriet@woodminster.com, 510-531-9597

PRESS RELEASE (For immediate release)

CALENDAR INFORMATION (September 2011)
WHAT: Finian's Rainbow
PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc.
WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland
WHEN: September 2-11, 2010
PERFORMANCES: September 2, 3, 9, 10 - 8 p.m. and September 4, 8, 11 - 7 p.m. (Thursdays and Sundays 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m.)
TICKETS: 510-531-9597, or www.woodminster.com, $26-$42 ($2 discount for children/seniors)
PREVIEW PERFORMANCE: September 1, 8 p.m., All tickets $10 at the door.
Music by Burton Lee, Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, Book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy. "Finian's Rainbow" is presented by arrangement with the Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.

Woodminster’s 45th Season Finishes with “Finian's Rainbow"
Whimsy, Romance, Political Satire, All Musical
Organization Makes Live Theatre Affordable for Local Families

August 11, 2011, Oakland, CA -- Woodminster Summer Musicals concludes its 45th season with Finian's Rainbow, presented September 2-11 at Woodminster Amphitheater in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park.

A combination of whimsy, romance, and political satire, the plot of Finian's Rainbow revolves around Finian McLonergan, who moves from Ireland to the fictional state of Missitucky in the southern U.S. with his daughter Sharon, to bury a stolen pot of gold near Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief that it will grow. A leprechaun follows them, desperate to recover his treasure before the loss of it turns him permanently human. Complications arise when a bigoted and corrupt U.S. Senator gets involved. The music is a delightful combination of Irish, Gospel, and R&B influences. Songs include well-known standards like "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" and "Old Devil Moon."

This Broadway classic has music by Burton Lee, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy. Originally produced in 1947, Finian's Rainbow was choreographed by Michael Kidd, and won 3 Tony Awards. It has had a number of revivals over the years, including a 2010 Broadway revival that received nominations for 15 major industry awards, including 3 Tony nominations and 8 Drama Desk nominations. A 1968 film version featuring Fred Astaire was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Woodminster’s Finian's Rainbow is directed by Joel Schlader. Choreography is by Jody Jaron, with vocal direction by Trente Morant. The orchestra is composed of members of Musicians’ Local #6, conducted by Richard Vetterli. The cast of 40+ represents 20 California cities. Featured are popular Woodminster actors Gene Brundage as Finian (last seen as Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady this season) and Juliet Heller as Sharon (last seen as Meg Brockie in Brigadoon in 2009) .

Finian's Rainbow will be performed on September 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11. Friday and Saturday performances (Sep 2, 3, 9, 10) are at 8 p.m., and Thursday and Sunday performances (Sep 4, 8, 11) are at 7 p.m. Tickets are $26-$42, with discounts for seniors and children, and half-price tickets for groups of 25. The organization continues its Kids Come Free program, which provides about 3,000 free tickets each season to children and teens 16 or younger. The organization also continues its $10 Preview Night, instituted in 2010, which opens the last dress rehearsal to the public for a flat $10 at the door. The Preview for Finian's Rainbow will be Thursday, September 1, at 8 p.m.

Woodminster's Kids Come Free program has, for more than 15 years, provided free tickets for children and teens 16 and younger who attend any regular (not preview) performance with paying adults. The major sponsor of Kids Come Free is Chevron. Other sponsors in 2011 are Alexander & Baldwin/Matson Navigation Corporation, Clorox, Dance/10, Mechanics Bank, Strategy & Communications, The Reach-A-Star Foundation, and Wells Fargo.

The Woodminster Summer Musicals are performed under the stars at Woodminster Amphitheater, an open-air performance facility in Joaquin Miller Park high in the Oakland Hills. The park's spectacular views and serene woodsy environment made it the perfect setting for the amphitheater, cascades, reflecting pool, and paths that were originally built as a WPA project in 1939-40. For many East Bay families, it is a long-standing summer tradition to enjoy a picnic in the park and then see a musical at Woodminster.

Producers Associates, Inc. was founded in 1967 by the late James Schlader and his wife Harriet to provide affordable live summer family entertainment in the East Bay, and to foster a love of live theatre. For more than four decades, the organization, in partnership with the Oakland Park and Rec Department, has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater. Healthy season tickets sales, attendance by groups, and special opportunities for families have made Woodminster shows the best attended performances in Oakland. Today, it sells the highest number of individual tickets of any resident performing arts organization in the city. For more information about the 2011 season or history of the organization, visit www.woodminster.com.

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