:: CITY KID THE MUSICAL is on the LA Stage and Scene list for one of their TOP PICKS for musicals. :: “athletic combinations of strutting, backflipping, breakdancing and getting krunk” - L.A. Weekly :: "City Kid The Musical is two hours of virtually non-stop singing and dancing, a music video come to life, featuring a tunefully accessible score and inventive choreography, performed by a sensational young cast and backed up by the best band in town." Read more of this review at lastagescene.com and click on the current reviews link! :: "'City Kid' delivers a rush of rhythm" "As it is in show business, the planets have to align, the stars have to be in congruence and producing commitments have to fall into place before a show can hit the boards. All of the above have happened, so that next Saturday, October 20, 2007 the Hudson Backstage Theatre will be hosting a press night for the newest theatrical musical presentation in Los Angeles." Check out the article about CITY KID and Adrienne Anderson on www.reviewplays.com! [10.1.07] “CITY KID” THE MUSICAL, STEVE TOMPKINS IS SET TO DIRECT A CAST OF 18 PREVIEW PERFORMANCES BEGIN OCTOBER 12, 2007 LOS ANGELES, CA (October 1, 2007) – City Kid Productions LLC, presents the Los Angeles premiere of CITY KID, The Musical at the Hudson Backstage Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd.) in Hollywood. The musical features a book and lyrics by Adrienne Anderson, whose hits include the Grammy-nominated “Déjà Vu” (Dionne Warwick) and “I Go To Rio” (Peter Allen), and music by the Grammy-nominated song writing team of Peter Bunetta and Rich Chudacoff, who have collaborated with artists such as Peabo Bryson, Patti Labelle, The Temptations, The Pointer Sisters and New Edition. Steve Tompkins, who directed the world premiere of CITY KID, The Musical at the Village Theatre in Washington, will direct a cast of 18. Preview performances begin Friday, October 12 with the official press opening on Saturday, October 20. CITY KID, The Musical is a right of passage musical about today’s youth. Jimmy, the new kid, is anxious to be accepted by the crowd. He is drawn to and befriends Anna, making an enemy of Slick, the charismatic leader of the City Kids. As the conflict with Slick escalates, Jimmy finds himself trapped in a dangerous world, forced to make choices where the consequences are deadly. “As a child growing up in New York, I had the rare opportunity to see West Side Story on Broadway. That experience changed my life,” said Adrienne Anderson. “To create a musical about kids in today's world, what a fantastic challenge. To combine the power of contemporary music and dance with serious issues has been my inspiration. If we can attract our children away from their iPods and get them into a live theater by telling their story, that's my goal.” Steve Tompkins added, “When Adrienne approached me a couple years ago about the possibility of a production in Los Angeles, I revisited the material and, what struck me most about the show was that even after ten years, the music and story were still as vibrant and exciting as ever. And the message is even more relevant today than before. Being a city kid in 2007 is probably more challenging, confusing and dangerous than it was in 1995. So, the need to tell this story of kids trying to find their way seems to me to be even greater.” “The appeal for CITY KID, to me, has always been the music. With its classic R&B roots and pop rhythms, the score is one of the most dynamic and unique musical theatre experiences I have ever had. With the benefit of having a previous production under our belt we all felt that with a few adjustments the show would be ready to come into Los Angeles,” said Tompkins. “For the last year, the authors have been reworking the material, adding new songs and revamping and tightening the script. The next step was finding the right musical director to bring these great songs to life. Patrick Gandy was a perfect fit. One of the aspects of CITY KID that makes it such a unique theatrical experience is that, not only is the show completely sung but it is also a street ballet. Chorographer Bradley Rapier, creator of one of the areas premier hip hop dance companies, The Groovaloos, will bring his incredible talents to CITY KID. The final and of course most critical element of CITY KID was finding the ideal cast to bring this amazing piece to life. Fortunately for me this is Los Angeles, home to some of the most talented performers on the planet.” The cast of CITY KID, The Musical includes: Marliss Amiea as Lena, John Keefe as Jimmy, Arielle Paul as Anna, Thomas Hobson as Slick, Jake Wesley Stewart as Danny, Tara Alkazian as Monica, Senyo “DNA-1” Amoaku as Baddboy, Brittany Carson as Rosie, Stephen Craig as u/s Danny/Jimmy, Craig Donnely as Fever, Michelle Haro as Jasmine, Melina Hicks as Niki, Alex Jorden as Mr. Doe, Jaylen Moore as Stomp, Jacob Nixon as Mikey, Mimi Vitale as Crystal, Dylan Vox as Jock, and Ty West as Roscoe. Joining the CITY KID, The Musical creative team are choreographer Bradley (Shooz) Rapier, musical director Patrick Gandy, scenic and lighting designer Alex Berry, costume designer Jeff Garner/Prophetik and Christina Wright, sound designer Eric Snodgrass, and associate director/fight choreographer Ryan Conlin. 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