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Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas......

Now is the perfect time to select your organization’s holiday show!

Whether you’re in the market for a Christmas classic or for a show that simply and gently captures the holiday spirit, Hal Leonard Australia has a show that’s right for you.

CLASSIC HOLIDAY SHOWS

Charles Dickens' classic gets the full Broadway treatment by the Broadway team of Alan Menken ("Beauty and the Beast,"), Lynn Ahrens ("Seussical") and Mike Okrent ("Me and My Girl.") Called by The New York Times "a tonic for adults, and for children a transfixing journey," this spectacular musical extravaganza ran for  ten years at Madison Square Garden, complete with falling snow, exuberant dances by famed choreographer Susan Stroman, flying ghosts and a magnificent set which recreated the streets, graveyards, homes and buildings of Dickensian London.  In 2004, this version became the basis of an NBC Hallmark Entertainment special (teleplay adaptation by Lynn Ahrens) featuring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge, and an array of stars including Jason Alexander, Jesse L. Martin, Jane Krakowski, Geraldine Chaplin, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ruthie Henshall. But even without starry casts and spectacular trappings, this A Christmas Carol retains its emotional power and pure joy, thanks to the marvellously-told story by Ockrent and Ahrens, and the Menken/Ahrens score filled with beautiful melodies and emotional lyrics. In fact, their song "A Place Called Home" has become a holiday standard. * Conditions apply

 Kris Kringle takes on the cynics among us in this musical adaptation of the popular holiday favourite. In his inimitable style, Meredith Willson, the author of The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, tells us the classic story of the year. A white-bearded gentleman claiming to be the real Santa Claus brings about a genuine Miracle on 34th Street, spreading a wave of love throughout New York City, fostering camaraderie between Macy’s and Gimbel’s Department Stores, and convincing a divorced, cynical single mother, her somber daughter and the entire state of New York that Santa Claus is no myth.

Scrooge: The Stingiest Man in Town takes a more Victorian approach to the classic tale and features a narrator, a group of carollers, and a wide range of parts appropriate for actors young and old.

A new setting of A Christmas Carol.  Scrooge, woken on Christmas Eve by the ghost of Marley, is warned of his impending fate - to walk the earth, dragging chains in agony and shame. Scrooge is then visited by the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, who reveal the misery of Christmas for the poor. Determined to alter his miserly ways, Scrooge buys presents for his employees and raises their salaries to the amazement and delight of them all. Catchy melodies and a witty script make this ideal for primary and secondary school Christmas productions.

The Christmas Schooner, a beautiful tale set on Lake Michigan in the late 1800s, tells the story of the Stossel family and their ship, the Molly Doone. Determined to bring a bit of Old World Christmas to his cousin, Gustav Stossel begins to sail Christmas trees across the lake to the German families living in Chicago. A lovely story about the importance of family, community, tradition, and hope, The Christmas Schooner will sail into your heart and inspire generations to come.




Rock Nativity presentsthe story of the first Christmas as you’ve never seen (or heard) it before! The contemporary pop score adeptly mixes new hits and favourite Christmas classics while telling the story of Mary and Joseph, the three wise men, King Herod, and the miraculous birth of baby Jesus in the manger. 

SEASON-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES

Based on Louisa May Alcott's own family experiences (and novel), Little Women, follows the adventures of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March as they grow up in Civil War America. The beloved story of the March sisters is timeless and deals with issues as relevant today as when they were written. Now, this wonderful narrative has been brought to life as an exhilarating new musical filled with glorious music, dancing and heart. This powerful score soars with the sounds of personal discovery, heartache and hope.





When asked, many people say that She Loves Me is their favourite holiday show. Ultimately charming and perfect for any-sized theatre, She Loves Me follows the romance of Georg and Amalia, two feuding clerks in a European perfumery during the 1930s. As the seasons pass, Georg and Amalia fall in love with their anonymous pen-pals, never knowing they are actually writing to each other.
She Loves Me stems from the play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo, which also gave birth to the films “The Shop Around the Corner” and “You’ve Got Mail.”)  While the show focuses on the romance between Amalia and Georg, much of it is set in the shop at Christmastime, lending a festive atmosphere to this funny, intelligent, and endearing show.





If you are looking for a show that captures the spirit of the season without being about a specific holiday, consider Heidi, The Velveteen Rabbit, or Brandon Finds His Star. These shows work wonderfully for the holiday season and are filled with family, nostalgia, and a sense of wonder without mentioning Christmas once.

Visit our website for more information, application forms and perusal requests

CONDITIONS APPLY: Our standard Terms and Conditions apply

G2K STATE FAIR - Now Available!

From the beloved library of Rodgers and Hammerstein comes a series of authorised reduced versions of such family favourites as THE KING AND I, OKLAHOMA, CINDERELLA and ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.  In addition to these abridged classic shows, Hal Leonard Australia is now proud to announce the long awaited release of…

Getting to Know… STATE FAIR

  Rodgers & Hammerstein's only musical written directly for the screen is now available as a junior stage musical.  Set against the colorful backdrop of an American heartland tradition, Getting to Know… STATE FAIR travels with the Frake family as they leave behind the routine of the farm for three days of adventure at the annual Iowa State Fair.  Set to the magical strains of an Academy Award-winning score and augmented by other titles from the Rodgers & Hammerstein songbook, Getting to Know… STATE FAIR is the kind of warm-hearted family entertainment only Rodgers & Hammerstein could deliver!

  With durations of approximately 70 minutes, each musical in the Getting to Know Collection (G2K Collection) comes with an all-inclusive ShowKit that contains everything you need to put on the show, including fully orchestrated backing tracks! 

 This wonderful collection of abridged classics is the perfect way to introduce young people to the magic of live theatre!

Special Offer
Book any show from the G2K Collection before 30^th September 2011
and receive a 20% discount on your ShowKit! *
and any available add-ons.

  Visit our website for information, application forms and perusal requests.

  Finding it hard to make a decision?

We’re all experienced music theatre practitioners and we can always help you out!  We look forward to working with you on your next show.

With warmest regards,

Stuart Hendricks, Nikol McKail, Megan Stapleton & Neveen Byrnes
Music Licensing & Hire Department

Ph +61 3 9585 3300 • Fax +61 3 9585 8729
Email ausshows@halleonard.com.au

CONDITIONS APPLY

• Valid for primary or middle schools with performers aged 14 years and under AND who are performing on school grounds.
• Our standard Terms and Conditions apply.
• Schools wishing to perform in a venue outside their school, schools with student over 14 years of age and community groups will incur standard per performance royalty fees.  Please contact us for further details.

FAME FOREVER – Talent Springs Eternal

Father Fame to Visit Circle Players’ Production of

“FAME FOREVER – Talent Springs Eternal”

July 21 – 24, 2011 at MTSU

FAME creator David De Silva will visit Tennessee to witness his newest musical brought to life on stage by Circle Players. “FAME FOREVER – Talent Springs Eternal,” is scheduled to run July 21 – 24, 2011, at the newly renovated Tucker Theatre on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University.

The production is a regional premier that was specifically requested by De Silva after he learned of Circle Players’ success in producing large musicals and its history as a community theatre company.

When Circle Players mounted the stage production of the popular movie and TV series FAME in the summer of 2009, the show was a big hit. The musical about a group of aspiring teenage artists at a competitive performing arts school in New York in the early 1980’s resonated with Nashville area audiences and was performed in front of sell-out crowds.

The sequel to FAME was in the works at that time-- conceived and developed by De Silva with music by Steve Margoshes and book and lyrics by Ben H. Winter. De Silva wanted Circle and director Tim Larson to present “FAME FOREVER - Talent Springs Eternal” even though another two years would pass before it became a reality. Along with Larson, the show will be produced by LaTonya Turner, with choreography by Kate Adams-Johnson and music direction by Ginger Newman.

De Silva was willing to wait for Circle Players to take on his show, and he has high praise for Middle Tennessee’s oldest community theatre company.

“I think Circle Players is one of the best amateur theatre groups in the country, because of its talent, the age range of everyone involved, because of the ethnic diversity, the quality of people and their commitment on all levels of a production.”

FAME FOREVER is the story of the original musical’s characters, now all grown, and their children, who are now students at New York’s famed LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts, whose alumni are, among others, actor Al Pacino, Broadway performer Ben Vereen and actress Vanessa Williams.

David De Silva said his script is loosely based on the 1935 novella Forever by Mildred Cram. He liked the story’s idea of a creative spirit that never dies and can be reborn without a memory. In “FAME FOREVER – Talent Springs Eternal,” Carmen, a troubled drug addict who dropped out of school and died
of an overdose, gets a chance to see how her life influenced the lives of her classmates as they gather for their 20th high school reunion.

“I love the idea that life goes on, that nothing dies, everything just comes back in another form. After all, it’s a big theme in science,” De Silva said.

Compared to the original FAME, De Silva said, the sequel is much wiser, now that the characters have grown and changed. However, despite the changes and time passing, he thinks that what comes through in the story is that the big issues such as life and death are timeless.

De Silva said he is happy that Steve Margoshes, the composer of the original FAME, got involved in the sequel.

“The music is quite romantic, that’s the style of Steve Margoshes, and I am very romantic and emotional myself. There is such passion in his music. To me, there is no better composer around.”

Since the big success of FAME, David De Silva has created the Father Fame Foundation, an organization with the mission to interactively promote theatre arts in education and in life, a mission, that he said matches perfectly with Circle Players, which is producing the show in an educational partnership with Middle Tennessee State University.

“It’s very important to me that young people get to participate in the creative process, they need to get involved in every aspect of it.” De Silva said that to him, it’s not about encouraging anyone to make a living in the arts.

“ I just believe that exposure to the arts will help you become a better human being, no matter what you do in life.”

FURTHER INFORMATION:

David De Silva on YouTube discussing the Nashville production of FAME FOREVER (Length 1’44’’)


On the work of the Father Fame Foundation
http://www.famenetwork.com/