Preview of Altar BoyzRaleigh Little Theatre Preview “Altar Boyz” is a rock concert performed in real time Raleigh Little Theatre will present Altar Boyz, a new Off-Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguilla, on Oct. 2-4, 8-11, 15-18, and 22-25 in its Cantey V. Sutton Theatre. Conceived by Marc Kessler and Ken Davenport and performed in about 90 minutes, without intermission, Altar Boyz made its Off-Broadway debut, directed by Stafford Arima, on March 1, 2005 at New World Stages Stage IV, where it is still running. It won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical and the 2009 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Long-Running Off-Broadway Show. “In this day and age,” says long-time RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons, “we're always looking around for new stuff that doesn't involve helicopters and chandeliers, if you get my drift. It's great to find something that's all about theater and not about spectacle. That being said, this show has some fairly spectacular elements to it -- it is, after all, a rock concert performed in real time. So, there are some pretty spectacular lights, projections, and effects. It's a lot of fun and has some eye candy.” He adds, “I think at this point Altar Boyz is the longest-running Off-Broadway musical, not including The Fantasticks and it won a fair number of Off-Broadway theater awards. The theater is one block Off-Broadway in the 50s, so it feels like a Broadway show.” Fitz-Simmons says, “The performance takes place in real time on the final night of the 2009 ‘Raise the Praise' tour by the Altar Boyz, who are a Catholic boy band. It is their job, on this tour, is to lead as many souls to salvation as they can. They keep track of that, during the course of the concert, with a gizmo called the ‘soul sensor.' They have a wonderful track record of saving virtually everybody who comes to see them in concert; and they hope that tonight will be no different, although that proves to be a thorny issue.” He adds, “Altar Boyz is a charming piece; it is a feel-good piece. As Sabina says in The Skin Of Our Teeth, ‘It's good entertainment with a message you can take home with you.' I think one of the things that surprised me is, it's got a really engaging script. You really get to know these boys. It's not just a bunch of songs strung together in a revue.” The RLT cast for Altar Boyz includes Jason Cooper as Matthew, Tyler Rollins as Mark, James Ilsley as Luke, Jonathan Skinner as Juan, and Matt Gromlich as Abraham. Fitz-Simons says, “Abraham, who is Jewish, got into the band, because the boys are not the brightest bulbs in the array and they needed somebody who could write lyrics. [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Juan] are sweet, but they are dumb as a bag of rocks. They needed somebody with a little bit more intellectual acumen -- hence Abraham. “Over the course of the evening,” Fitz-Simons says, “the group sings songs in several different pop genres, including standard boy-band funk, rap, salsa, techno, and some lovely pop ballads. And there's a lot of dance.” In addition to director Haskell Fitz-Simons, the RLT creative team for Altar Boyz includes assistant to the director Anna Rains, choreographer Freddie-Lee Heath, musical director Julie Florin, technical director Jim Zervas, set and lighting designer Rick Young, costume designer Vicki Olson, properties mistress Ann-Marie Crosmun, sound designer Todd Houseknecht, and stage manager G. Paul Slovensky. “Casting is a huge issue,” Fitz-Simons claims. “You've got to find five boys who can really nail that five-part harmony. It's really a dance show as well, so they've got to be able to deliver the vocals while dancing full out.” He adds, “For the first time almost ever, young men with legitimate chops in singing are turning out in droves for auditions. That's a new phenomenon for us. I think the musical-theater jock is kind of stealing some of the thunder from the football jock at their schools, and that's great for us. So, we were looking for something that would give them an opportunity. They are part of our community.” Fitz-Simons says. “Altar Boyz is a rock concert, so getting the mix and the balances right is very challenging. It's got to be loud, but not too loud. Of course, getting the lighting and the effects has been challenging, too. In fact, Rick Young, who is the lighting and scenic designer, is going to be on the light board for every performance, because there's no way to write down all the cues. He's sort of a character in the show, because he's sitting there, practically on stage, for the whole show, running the light board. “Yes,” says Haskell Fitz-Simons, “it's been a challenge [to stage Altar Boyz] and an exciting one. But I'm very happy with our solutions, and I'm looking forward to getting an audience in here.” He invites Triangle theatergoers to “Come on in and experience Altar Boyz it is like a rock concert. It ain't going to be Mozart. But the music is wonderful,” Fitz-Simons says. Raleigh Little Theatre presents Altar Boyz Friday-Saturday, Oct. 2-3, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 8-10, 15-17, and 22-24, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 11, 18, and 25, at 3 p.m. in RLT's Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27607. TICKETS: $20 ($17 students and seniors 62+), except $10 all seats on Oct. 4th. BOX OFFICE: 919/821-3111 or http://www.etix.com/. NOTE 1: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh, NC (http://www.artsaccessinc.org/) will audio-describe the 3 p.m. Oct. 4th performance. NOTE 2: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and assistive listening assistive listening devices are available for all shows. SHOW: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/performances/09-10/altar.html. PRESENTER/VENUE: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/. OTHER LINKS: The Musical: http://www.altarboyz.com/ (official website) and http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=4085 (Internet Off-Broadway Database). You are here: Home > Reviews and articles about the theatre's productions > Preview of Altar Boyz |