The Longwood Players

City of Angels
Book by Larry Gelbart
Music by Cy Coleman
Lyrics by David Zippel

City of Angels will be directed by Katie Pickett and music directed by Julia Scott Carey, and will be performed April 23, 24, 29, 30, and May 1, at 8pm, and May 1 at 2pm, at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre in Central Square, Cambridge, MA.

Please read on for informtion on auditions, the cast of characters, a show synopsis, a tentative rehearsal schedule, and production staff openings. Please note there are both singing and non-singing roles in this show.

Audition Information

Auditions:
Tue Jan 5, 7-10pm
Thu Jan 7, 7-10pm
Tue Jan 12, 7-10pm
Sun Jan 17, 12-1pm (new!)

Callbacks:
Sun Jan 17, 1-5pm

Auditions will be held at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre, 820 Mass. Ave., Central Square. Click here for directions.

How to prepare for auditions:

Sign up for a one-hour audition slot using this form. If you wish to reserve a slot by phone, contact Vilas Sridharan at 617-877-3868.
To audition for a singing role: prepare two contrasting songs (one up-tempo and one ballad) lasting less than 2.5 minutes combined, ideally in the jazzy style of the show. Do not audition with a song from City of Angels. As we are not asking you to prepare a monologue, we will be using your song delivery as your acting audition, so really perform it.
To audition solely for a non-singing role (men only): prepare a monologue lasting approximately one minute.
Fill out this audition form and bring it with you to your audition.
Bring a head shot and resume, if available.

If you do not receive an email confirming your audition slot within 3 days, or you need to cancel or change your audition slot, please contact Vilas Sridharan at vilas@longwoodplayers.org or 617-877-3868 as soon as possible.

Auditionees may be asked to read a scene or monologue at the initial audition. Actors invited for a callback will be required to sing, dance, and perform scenes—all callback materials will be provided for you. As there will be a dance callback, please bring appropriate clothing and footwear to callbacks. Despite the fact that City of Angels is not a traditional "dance" show, it is important for all cast members to be able to move well with style and rhythm.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Vilas Sridharan at vilas@longwoodplayers.org or via phone at 617-877-3868.

Cast of characters

Note: all actors with the exceptions of those playing Stine and Stone play at least two characters (one in the “real world” and one in the “reel world”). In addition to the doubling prescribed in the script, those in supporting and ensemble roles will most likely be assigned additional characters, so versatility is a must. Actors must be able to convincingly portray the age ranges listed.

Stone (baritone/bass, age: 30-45): the quintessential film noir detective; Sam Spade, Mike Hammer, and Philip Marlowe rolled into one. Sexy, dark, witty, and cool. Every woman wants him, and every man (especially Stine) wants to be him.

Stine (baritone with strong top, age: 28-40): a novelist struggling to stay true to his work while it is being bastardized by Hollywood. Juggling the needs of his wife, his mistress, his producer, and his protagonist pushes him to the breaking point. The audience must root for this Everyman.

Buddy Fiddler/Irwin S. Irving (baritone, 35-60): a charming but cunning Hollywood producer who loves his wife but adores his mistress. Understands that Hollywood filmmaking is about sex, flash, and money, not about “art.” Evolves from an amusing contrast to Stine’s attempts at integrity to the villain you love to hate.

Lt. Munoz/Pancho Vargas (bari-tenor, 30 - 50): Munoz acts as foil to Stone, a straight-laced cop who resents the private eye’s freewheeling ways. The quasi-Latino (his race is a running joke) Munoz plays by the rules but doesn’t miss an opportunity to give Stone a hard time, with the ultimate goal of “disposing” of the outlaw Stone.

Oolie/Donna (mezzo/belter, 25-40): the jaded, wisecracking “girl Friday”. Ironically, the sardonic Oolie is the only woman in Stone’s life with whom he doesn’t have a sexual relationship, while the slightly softer-edged Donna is lovelorn and tortured by her “road to nowhere” relationship with Stine.

Gabby/Bobbi (mezzo with strong low notes, 30-40): this character pairing is probably the most challenging, as elusive, sultry lounge singer Bobbi is clearly Stine’s fantasy projection of what he would like his practical (read: cynical) wife Gabby to be.

Alaura Kingsley/Carla Haywood (mezzo/soprano, 30-45): Alaura is the ultimate femme fatale; dressed in white with legs that go on forever, she shows up in Stone’s office and turns his world upside down. She’ll kiss you as soon as kill you. Carla is the movie star who “plays” her, and is also wife to producer Buddy. A real "acting" role.

Mallory Kingsley/Avril Raines (mezzo/belter, 16-23): a teenaged sex kitten, Mallory’s disappearance is the beginning of Stone’s entanglement with the dysfunctional Kingsley family. She is the embodiment of young sexuality, a statutory risk that Stone can’t resist once she’s in his bed. Avril is the starlet who “plays” her. (Note: the actress playing this role must be open to partial onstage nudity.)

Jimmy Powers (true tenor, 25-45): a classic crooner, smooth and suave in voice and presence (though hiding a set of false teeth). Starts as a charming vocalist, ends up as a smarmy scene-stealer who drives both Stone and Stine crazy.

The Angel City Four (2M, 2F, any age): a seamless, virtuosic vocal jazz quartet, SATB, who serve as Greek chorus, “street people”, Hollywood characters, etc. All members of the quartet will have multiple other speaking and singing roles. Must have impeccable pitch, highly trained musical ear, and superb physical expression. The true lynchpin of the entire show.

Ensemble: 5-6 actors to play multiple supporting characters in both “worlds” of the show; these are not necessarily singing roles, so we encourage actors unaccustomed to musical theater to audition.

Ensemble roles include:

Peter Kingsley/Gerald Pierce/others (age 20-35)
Luther Kingsley/Werner Krieger/others (age 40+)
Dr. Sebastian Mandril/Gilbert/others (age 30+)
Big Six/Studio Cop 1/others (any age, the taller the better)
Sonny/Studio Cop 2/others (any age, the shorter the better)

Synopsis

City of Angels is the rarest of musical comedies: intricate lyrics filled with puns and crackling rhymes, sizzling music written in the contemporary jazz idiom, and a script that couples sidesplitting comedy with neo-noir intensity. Set in the glamorous, seductive Hollywood of the 40's, the world of film studios and flimsy negligees, the show chronicles the misadventures of Stine, a novelist attempting for the first time to adapt one of his texts to the screen at the behest of movie producer/director, Buddy Fidler. The “script” features Stine’s hardboiled hero, a private investigator named Stone. The show follows Stine's screenplay (the "reel" world where he manipulates projected versions of the various women in his life) as well as his "real" world adventures in love and business, culminating in a collision of two worlds.

Rehearsal Information

City of Angels will rehearse according to the following tentative schedule:

• Rehearsals begin on February 15, 2010
• Rehearsals are held Sundays from 2:30pm-5:30pm, and Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 7pm-10pm
• Tech Week begins on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Please be available all nights and weekends from then through opening.

Depending on your role, you may not be required to be present at every rehearsal. The schedule will be planned with care to ensure that you are only called when needed for that particular night’s scene work. Please be sure to list all conflicts on audition forms. Most rehearsals will be in Davis Square; some rehearsals will be in Central Square.

Production Staff

We are currently looking to fill the following production staff positions for City of Angels. If you are interested in one of these positions, please send an email stating your interest along with a theater resume to the Production Manager, Vilas Sridharan, at vilas@longwoodplayers.org. Please note that experience is helpful but not necessary, and we welcome first-time designers and staff.

Open positions:

Master Carpenter
Stage Crew
Sound Board Operator
Wardrobe Manager / Head Dresser

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