OFC Creations Theatre Center | Broadway in Brighton Series 2024-2025 (2024)

OFC'sBroadway in Brighton Seriesis comprised of six professional musical productions under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson featuring performers from New York City, Los Angeles and across the country, including accomplished Hollywood actors and Tony Award nominees in starring roles.

This season’s focus is bringing beloved stories of heroes of generations to the stage, shows are not typically performed in Rochester. OFC strives to tell stories that demonstrate the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. We hope that through reflection on “stories of old” that we may better prepare ourselves to make solutions for the future.

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Subscriptions for the 2024-2025 season are now on sale!
Book the six show subscription to receive the package discount and many exclusive benefits. Subscribers can easily exchange their performance dates and times closer to the show dates by giving us a call.

Become A Season Subscriber

Save 15% with a Season Subscription!

Season Subscriptionsinclude the fullsixshow package and receive manydeluxebenefits:
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• Receive a15% discount on the ticket packagefrom now through September 29th.
  

• Receive an ongoing 10% discount at The Old Farm Café, including meals, beverages, and merchandise through the end of the season (May 2025). Available all times the café is open to the public. Not valid on tickets, tuition, and rentals.
  

• Receive $2.00 off all wine and beer at the bar throughout the evening at each Broadway in Brighton season show from September 2024 through May 2025; Including beer, wine, and champagne. Not available on other events and productions. Alternatively may opt for complimentary coffee and bottles of water
  

• Receive an ongoing 10% discounton show merchandise at all OFC performances
  

• Exchange your performance dates at any time! Call our box office and we can easily switch what day and time you attend each show
  

• Receive first choice for best seats available, as single tickets will go on sale June 1st
  

• Receive priority notice about added shows, events, and cabarets – ensuring subscribers have a chance to receive the best seats available. Including discounted season add ons below!
  

• Receive option for renewal of same seats for future seasons

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
The Boy From Oz​

Music and Lyrics by Peter Allen. Book by Martin Sherman and Nick Enright

PerformancesSeptember 12-29, 2024at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for ages 13 & up

Starring Blake McIver Ewingas Peter Allen (Full House, The Little Rascals)

and Marcia Mitzman Gaven*as Judy Garland (Tony Award Nominee, Original Broadway Casts: The Who's Tommy and Chess)

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Upstate New York Regional Premiere! It’s time to shake the maracas and dust off your dancing shoes as The Boy from Oz tells the dazzling, funny, and heartbreaking true story of singer songwriter Peter Allen. From humble beginnings growing up singing in country pubs throughout the Australian outback, Peter’s career took off without warning after being discovered and taken under the mentorship of, the one and only, Judy Garland. As her opening act, Peter relocated to New York City and quickly introduced to Judy’s daughter and future wife, Liza Minnelli.

Peter Allen rose to international stardom in the 1980s, best known for his hits including ‘I Honestly Love You,’ ‘Best That You Can Do,’ ‘Not The Boy Next Door,’ ‘Everything Old Is New Again,’ and the showstopping, ‘I Go to Rio.’ From winning an Oscar, to selling out performances in Radio City Music Hall, and receiving adulation when he returned to Australia, Peter struggled through divorce, heartbreak, failure, and navigating through the unknowns of the AIDS epidemic.

Starring Blake McIver Ewing as Peter Allen

Blake’s vast experience in the entertainment industry is derived from multiple disciplines, from film and television to live theatre and the recording studio. Blake has succeeded professionally as an actor, writer, director, producer and recording artist.

Performing on network television at age six, Blake won the title of ’92 Jr. Vocalist Champion on the original Star Search. His starring roles on hit series such as “Full House” and “Hey Arnold” led to feature films including “The Little Rascals” and gave him the opportunity to work with Steven Spielberg and Penelope Spheeris.

Blake has worked as a recording artist and session singer on soundtracks and albums for Phil Collins, Natalie Cole, Barry Manilow, Michael Jackson, David Foster, John Williams, James Horner, Jon Secada, and Sheena Easton as well as writing and co-producing his own solo album “The Time Manipulator.”

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While managing his own theatre company, YMTA, Blake directed a production of Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida” at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center and produced the critically acclaimed intimate theatrical premiere production of “The Light in the Piazza” at the El Portal Theatre.

Blake recently directed and choreographed a US tour for international cabaret superstar Ariana Savalas and two off Broadway productions for Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 12 breakout star Jackie Cox. He also spent 4 seasons as a series regular on BRAVO’s hit social commentary show “The People’s Couch.”

Starring Marcia Mitzman Gaven as Judy Garland

Marcia received a TONY Award nomination for her performance as Mrs. Walker in the Broadway smash "TOMMY” directed by Des McAnuff and was praised by music critics for her "show stopping performance" on the Grammy winning original cast recording. During her Broadway career, she starred as Svetlana in "CHESS” directed by Trevor Nunn, (Broadway Cast album), The Widow in "ZORBA" with Anthony Quinn, Rizzo in "GREASE", and starred in Cy Coleman's, "WELCOME TO THE CLUB". Off -Broadway credits include Audrey in "LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

At Lincoln Center she was mentored by opera diva Beverly Sills who recruited Marcia to star in several New York City Opera productions in their Broadway Show Series. Marcia won critical raves as Nellie in "SOUTH PACIFIC", Meg in "BRIGADOON" opposite Tony Roberts, and Mrs. Lovett in "SWEENY TODD" for Harold Prince.

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Marcia is known by Los Angeles audiences for her starring role as Mother in the American premiere of “RAGTIME”, for which she won the Ovation Award for Best Lead Actress, and starred opposite Roger Rees, as Abigail Adams in “1776” at Reprise! Also in Los Angeles, Marcia won the Ovation award and L.A. Drama Critics Circle award for Best Lead Actress as Florence in "CHESS". She was Countess Charlotte in “A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC” at the Doolittle Theatre and created the role of Mrs. Walker in La Jolla Playhouse’s hit "THE WHO'S TOMMY” before re-creating the role on Broadway.

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Film and television credits include: “MOONLIGHT MILE” with Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon, "THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES" with Tom Hanks, “FRAISER”, "ELLEN", “BABYLON 5”, "THE DREW CARREY SHOW”, "BEVERLY HILLS 90210", with recurring roles on "THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL" and in the remake of GET SMART as the evil head of "Chaos" opposite a huge Komodo dragon. Her extensive voice over work can be heard in animation (she voiced the roles of Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Hooten and Miss Hoover in “THE SIMPSONS”) and in countless commercials and promos.

Blake McIver Ewing and Marcia Mitzman Gaven will reunite on stage in The Boy From Oz, after originally performing together almost 30 years ago in the 1997 World Premiere production of "Ragtime" in Los Angeles. Marcia starred as Mother, for which she won the Ovation Award for Best Lead Actress, and Blake starred as her son, Edgar. In OFC’s The Boy From Oz, Marcia and Blake will once again perform as mother and son.

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No longer caught between the moon and New York City, the global phenomenon of The Boy From Oz makes its regional premiere in Rochester as the first time the show being performed in New York State besides the 2003 Broadway production. This electrifying story is under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson. By arrangement with David Spicer Productions www.davidspicer.com.au
*The actor is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, appearing under a special agreement with Actors' Equity Association

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
West Side Story​

Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins

Book by Arthur Laurents; Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Entire Original Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins

PerformancesOctober 10-27, 2024at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for ages 13 & up

From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the greatest love stories ever told. This Tony and Oscar Award winning masterpiece has become a timeless classic and landmark musical for audiences across the globe.

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Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is transported to the vibrant battleground of New York City’s West Side in the 1950s as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the "American" Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. Unforgettable musical numbers include ‘Tonight,’ ‘Something’s Coming,’ ‘America,’ ‘One Hand, One Heart,’ and equally mesmerizing choreography to ‘Mambo,’ ‘Cool,’ and ‘The Rumble.’

West Side Storychanged the face of musical theatre forever when it debuted on the Great White Way in 1957, the lyrics "There's a place for us, somewhere a place for us..." couldn't resonate any louder than it does today, hailed as an “indisputable, boundary-busting masterpiece” (The New York Times).

Under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson, the award winning West Side Story features a cast of professional performers from across the country. West Side Story is presented through special arrangment with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
DreamWorks
The Prince of Egypt​
The Musical
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Book by Philip LaZebnik
Based on the DreamWorks Animation Film

PerformancesDecember 5-29, 2024at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for all ages

Regional Premiere! Experience the epic emotion, soaring music and breathtaking dance ofThe Prince of Egypt,a brand new musical with music and lyrics by Grammy and Oscar winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), a book by Philip LaZebnik (Disney’s Mulan and Pocahontas), and ten new songs written by Schwartz, together with five of his songs from the adored DreamWorks Animation film. Acclaimed as “one of the greatest animated films of all time” (Evening Standard) and “a brilliant film” (The Guardian), it remains one of the most beloved animated feature films of all time.

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​Journey to Ancient Egypt, where a mother’s love leads one woman to send her child into the Nile River's unknown, and another woman to hide the truth about where he came from. The saga of Moses and his brother Ramses, two young men raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, the other exiled, finally returning to his home and fighting to free his people from the bonds of slavery. From the plagues of Egypt to parting the red seas, this is a story that will change everything, forever. Featuring a soaring score by Schwartz, including ‘All I Ever Wanted,’ ‘Through Heaven's Eyes,’ ‘Footprints on the Sand,’ ‘Deliver Us,’ and, the Academy Award winning song, ‘When You Believe.’

“This ‘Prince’ is the new king of musicals. An event to dazzle, musical theatre doesn’t come bigger than this.”

Stefan Kyriazis, Sunday Express

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Meet our Broadway choreographer, Jenny Laroche!

Jenny Laroche* a B.F.A Cum Laude graduate of SUNY Buffalo, is a Broadway, television and film actress, director and choreographer. Broadway: SMASH (Associate Choreographer), New York, New York (Associate Director/Choreographer) Summer (Original Broadway Cast) Regional: Summer (Director) Summer 1st National Tour (Associate Choreographer) Mariah Carey Christmas (Associate Director/ Choreographer), Rockettes. TV: Smash (recurring), Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Annie Live!. Film: Tick, Tick...Boom! , Annie 2014, The Merry Widow HD Live, A Very Murray Christmas, New Years Eve.

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The Prince of Egypt is not only a Rochester regional premiere, OFC Creations Theatre Center is one of the first performing arts centers in across the globe to be granted permission to present this show. Under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson, choreographed by Jenny Laroche featuring a cast of professional performers from across the country. The Prince of Egypt is presented through special arrangment with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

*The choreographer is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
Gypsy​

A Musical Fable

Book by Arthur Laurents; Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee

Original Production by David Merrick and Leland Hayward

Entire production originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins

PerformancesJanuary 30-February 16, 2025at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for ages 16 & up

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Starring Jodi Bensonas Mama Rose!
Jodi Benson* is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, the character Barbie in Toy Story, the title role in Thumbelina, as well as for her Tony Award nomination for Polly Baker in Crazy For You on Broadway

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Delaney Benson*, Jodi's daughter, will star alongside her as Rose's daughter, Louise.

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Regarded by many theatre professionals as the finest musical ever created, Gypsy is the ultimate tale of the ambitious stage mother, Rose, fighting for her daughters’ success – while secretly yearning for her own. All while June and Louise wish their mother would settle down and get married, Rose continues to pursue dreams of stardom for her girls and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

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Set across America throughout the 1920s and 30s, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born, this landmark show explores the world of two-bit show business with brass, humor, heart, and sophistication.

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The celebrated score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim boasts one glorious hit after another, including ‘Everything's Coming Up Roses,’ ‘Let Me Entertain You,’ ‘Some People,’ ‘You'll Never Get Away from Me,’ ‘If Momma Was Married,’ ‘All I Need Is the Girl,’ ‘You Gotta Get A Gimmick,’ ‘Small World’ and ‘Together Wherever We Go.’

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Under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson, this mother of all musicals,Gypsy, features a cast of professional performers from across the country. GYPSY is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com

*The actor is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, appearing under a special agreement with Actors' Equity Association

Starring Jodi Benson as Rose!

Jodi Benson is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, as well as many other Disney works. Benson also filled in for Paige O'Hara as the voice of Belle in House of Mouse and voiced the character Barbie in the second and third films of the Toy Story franchise (1999-2010), and in the Toy Story Toons short Hawaiian Vacation (2011). For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011.

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Benson gave voice to the spirited "Weebo" in Disney's live action Flubber, starring Robin Williams. For Warner Bros., she did the voice of the title character in Thumbelina in 1994, a Don Bluth animated feature film with songs by Barry Manilow. Her other projects include Secret of the Wings, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, Balto: Wolf Quest, and Balto III: Wings of Change. She appeared as Patrick Dempsey's assistant Sam in Disney's live-action feature film Enchanted. While being a Disney Legend, she also voiced Jane Doe and Patsy Smiles in Cartoon Network's Camp Lazlo. She also voiced the character Tula in Hanna-Barbera's animated series The Pirates of Dark Water.

In 1992, Benson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Polly Baker in Crazy For You. She played the narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1998.

On the concert stage, Benson has performed as a concert soloist with symphonies all over the world, including The Boston Pops, The Philly Pops (conductor: Peter Nero), The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (conductor: John Mauceri), The National Symphony (conductor: Marvin Hamlisch), Cleveland, Dallas, Tokyo, and the San Francisco and Chicago Symphonies. She starred in the Kennedy Center Honors for Ginger Rogers, and in Disney's Premiere in Central Park with Pocahontas, The Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Spectacular and Disney's 100 Years of Magic. Benson is the resident guest soloist for the Walt Disney Company/Disney Cruise Line and ambassador for feature animation.

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*Check out the Broadway in Brighton Series Add On "Together Wherever We Go: Gypsy Rose Lee - An Evening with Her Son, Erik Lee Preminger." Mr. Preminger visits OFC for one performance only sharing exclusive stories and memories of growing up with his world famous mother. Subscribers receive 10% off tickets by calling the box office. Details below.

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
Anything Goes​

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter; Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse; New Book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman

PerformancesApril 3-19, 2025at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for ages 13 & up

Packed with music, dance, and laughs, Anything Goes sets its sails regarded as delightful, delicious, and de-lovely. Cole Porter’s saucy and splendid classic musical has a whole new flair in this updated version for modern audiences.

As the S.S. American heads out to sea, two unlikely pairs set off on the course to find true love, proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of tap dancing sailors, exotic disguises, and some good old-fashioned blackmail. Peppering this hilariously bumpy ride are some of musical theatre’s most memorable hits, including ‘I Get a Kick out of You,’ ‘You’re The Top,’ ‘It’s De-Lovely,’ and of course, ‘Anything Goes.’

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“Anything Goes exists to put a daffy grin on your face... if you’re looking for sheer escape, this is your ticket!” –The Washington Post

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Under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson, featuring a cast of professional performers from across the country. This version of ANYTHING GOES was adapted from the 1987 Broadway revival, originally produced by Lincoln Center Theater.ANYTHING GOES is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
Jersey Boys​

The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, Music by Bob Gaudio, Lyrics by Bob Crewe
Performances May 8-25, 2025 at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for ages 16 & up

First Production Produced in Rochester! Oh, what a night! How did a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks become one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time?

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Jersey Boys is the smash-hit musical that gives us the true, sometimes gritty, and always spectacularly entertaining story of falsetto idol Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The blue-collar boys in the shiny Lurex suits strode onto the scene in 1965, wowing the public for 20 years with hits such as ‘Big Girls Don't Cry,’ ‘Oh What a Night,’ ‘Walk Like a Man,’ ‘Beggin,’ ‘Sherry’ and many more. But before fame and fortune came a difficult, and sometimes not entirely legal, journey to stardom.

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Since its debut in 2005, Jersey Boys has become a must-see, embedding itself in the American musical theater landscape, winning 4 Tony Awards on Broadway and proving that the rags to riches, to rags again, story is an ever-enduring theme!

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The first Rochester produced production of Jersey Boys is under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson featuring a cast of professional performers from across the country. Starring as Adam Marino as Frankie Valli who has performed this iconic role at five different professional theatres across the country. Joining Marino on stage will be Eric Schutt as Bob Gaudio. Jersey Boys is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.theatricalrights.com

Meet Our Frankie Valli!

Adam Marino has been traveling the country for the past ten years in credits such as Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Barry Mann; Village Theatre), She Loves Me-starring Bryce Pinkham (Arpad; Gulf Coast Symphony), Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli; Sierra Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, Millbrook Playhouse and The Savannah Theatre), and Scrooge No More (Ebenezer Scrooge; Busch Gardens Williamsburg). Adam is also a former member of the 1950's rock 'n' roll group "The Diamonds." Originally from Rochester, this production will be a homecoming performance for Marino. www.adamdavidmarino.com

OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series

Series Add On
Together Wherever We Go: Gypsy Rose Lee

An Evening with Her Son,
Erik Lee Preminger

Performance Thursday April 24, 2025 at 7PM at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage; Appropriate for ages 13 & up

Series Add On! If you love the greatest musical of all time, Gypsy, then join us to meet Gypsy Rose Lee’s son, Erik Lee Preminger, who will be at OFC for a one-night engagement.

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Enjoy an intimate evening of first-class and true stories about the legendary Gypsy Rose Lee. If there was ever a man with a mind-boggling life story, it's Erik Lee Preminger, the son of burlesque legend Gypsy Rose Lee and film director, Otto Preminger. Gypsy Rose Lee was a show-business phenomenon. Starting at the age of five, when she appeared in vaudeville, she went on to become a headliner in burlesque, carnivals, and nightclubs. Preminger brings her rich story to life by showcasing rare home movies, newsreel, and TV footage, so that audiences will not only get a peek inside Gypsy’s long and varied career, but a sense of the adventures that Erik shared on the road with his much-loved mother. Featuring a lively Q&A session after the show...this is sure to be an entertaining evening for all!

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This series add on is not included in the season subscription, however subscribers will receive 10% off tickets by calling the box office.

Series Add On Single Tickets

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