Redlands Bowl 2001 Season
July 27th & 28th 
Programs start at 8:15 p.m. 

Musical: "Meet Me In St. Louis." Originally a 1944 MGM movie starring Judy Garland, this is a warmhearted story of a happy family's life in St. Louis, Missouri, as they anticipate the wonders of the 1904 World's Fair. Adapted for Broadway by Hugh Wheeler. Score by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. Carey Curtis Smith, producer/director; Dr. Angela Brand, music director/conductor; Jo Dierdorff, choreographer; Blue Anderson, director's assistant; Tamara Lillibridge, stage manager. Co-sponsored by the Physicians of Beaver Medical Group.

"Meet Me in St. Louis" comes to Redlands Bowl

To July Garland fans, the musical "Meet Me in St. Louis" rings happily familiar: as a 1944 movie, it starred the legendary actress and singer. In 1989, it became a Broadway musical which producer/director Carey Curtis Smith now brings to the Redlands Bowl stage on Friday and Saturday, July 27 and 28, at 8:15 p.m. each night.

"This musical is filled with familiar, up-beat tunes," explained Smith, listing "Meet Me in St. Louis" (the title song), "The Trolley Song" aka "Clang, Clang, Clang Goes the Trolley", "Skip to My Lou", "The Boy Next Door", and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." "It is truly a light-hearted story about a typical American family
in a typical American town--St. Louis--at the turn of the century," Smith said, adding, "They must deal with unexpected turmoil in their comfortable little lives when the father gets a promotion which means they will have to
leave their home behind and move to New York. And it follows the two older sisters and their teen-aged love lives. The story neatly weaves these problems together and resolves them happily in the end."

While he has taken to the Redlands Bowl stage many times as actor and singer, Smith, a multi-talented performer well-known to regional theater-goers as actor and director, makes his first appearance as producer/director of a Redlands Bowl production. He has won awards for his work at the Redlands Theatre Festival, and for Redlands Footlighters for his work directing the zany musicals "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to
the Forum" and "Little Shop of Horrors." He also has appeared at the McCallum Theater and at the Bollinger Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater in Claremont, and he is a faculty member at the McCallum Institute in Palm
Springs.

With an ensemble of 80 singers and dancers, the show, adapted for Broadway by Hugh Wheeler with score by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, stars three guest artists as the leads. Professional stage and television actress Ann Rittenhouse will play the role of the family matriarch.
Recognized for her many television commercial appearances, Rittenhouse has performed this role many times throughout California theaters, including the Music Theatre of Southern California where she was honored with a prestigious Dramalogue Performance Award.

Starring as Ester Smith--the role first created by Judy Garland for the 1944 film--, local professional actress Jennifer Young has garnered many awards for her work with Redlands Theatre Festival, Fontana Mummers,
Riverside Civic Light Opera, and Riverside Players. She toured nationally in "A Chorus Line" and she has been a featured performer and choreographer for the Delta Queen cruise lines. Riverside actor Isaac Keith Swann, starring as Grandpa Prophater, has appeared on television on "Seven Days", "ER", and "Picket Fences," and is best known and recognized as Santa Claus in commercials for Polaroid Cameras.

Yucaipa actress Jennifer Pryor as Rose Smith, Steven Sabel of Perris as John Truitt, Mary Carruthers of Redlands as Katie, Paul Jacques of Riverside as Alonso Smith, Paul Hanegan of Escondido as Lon Smith, Kelly
Paulian of Highland as Agnes Smith, eight-year-old Lauren Nightengale of Alta Loma as Tootie Smith, and Randy Bills of Riverside as Warren Sheffield round out the list of principals.

Music director/conductor Dr. Angela Brand will work with a 16-piece live orchestra, and Jo Dierdorff, a veteran of many Redlands Bowl productions, will be the choreographer and director for the ensemble of singers and dancers-turned-St. Louis citizens.

For costuming, Smith will rely on Cherie Riley and Cassandra Gray, both of whom he has worked with at Redlands Footlighters, including Smith's recent Civil War South version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Thad Riley, with support of the Footlighters Theater and scenery provided by the Theatre Company in Upland, will handle the set design and construction. This event of the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival is co-sponsored by The Physicians of Beaver Medical Group. For the Thursday, July 26, dress rehearsal, Treva Webster,
President of San Bernardino Crossroads Rotary and Director of International Circle of Care at Loma Linda Medical Center will be the intermission speaker, and members of the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce, the San Bernardino Crossroads Rotary, and the Boy Scouts of America will be intermission ushers.

For the Friday, July 27, program, Jim Bueermann, Chief of Police of the City of Redlands, will be the intermission speaker, and representatives from Arrowhead Christian Academy and Kimberly Juniors will be the intermission ushers.

For the Saturday, July 28, program, Bob Clark, President of Trimflex and President of the Redlands Conservancy will be the intermission speaker, and members of the Loma Linda Lopers will be the ushers. The Children's Festival Workshop will be held on Saturday, July 28,
at 10:00 a.m. at the Redlands Community Center, 111 W. Lugonia Ave., in Redlands. The program will feature Carey Curtis Smith and members of the cast from "Meet Me in St. Louis".

Continuing the tradition begun in 1924, this and all Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival events are open to the public at no charge, and a free-will offering will be collected at intermission. For more information about this concert, call the Redlands Bowl office at 909/793-7316 or visit the web site at www.redlandsweb.com.

To reach the Redlands Bowl between Eureka and Grant Streets in Redlands, enter the Redlands area on I-10; from the west, exit at Orange Street, turn right at the end of the ramp onto Eureka Street, proceed across Redlands Blvd. and Brookside Ave. to the Bowl area; from the east,
exit at Sixth Street, turn left at the end of the ramp onto Sixth Street, proceed to Pearl Ave. and turn right to Orange Street, turn left on Orange to Brookside Ave., turn right on Brookside to Eureka Street, and turn left on Eureka to the Bowl area. Parking is on streets in the area, or in the church and public parking lots.