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La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and MB Artists, Inc. present a special world premiere of the “beatnik” horror comedy musical, Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today? This limited engagement will run on select days now through Sunday, April 2, 2023. There will be a talkback with the cast and creative team on Thursday, March 30 at 7:30 pm.
Stepping off into San Francisco in 1958, an unsuspecting jazz cafe encourages creative outlets of live poetry and jazz invigorating the art scene. Walter Paisley desperately wants to make a name for himself in the art community. But he hasn’t quite struck a chord yet as a struggling artist working as a subservient server. But when this down-on-his-luck sculptor stumbles upon a new style of art, his life takes a spinning turn into fame and glory. But the trouble is merely a stone’s throw away as the secret to his success smears into view and possibly crumbles his potential future.
“Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today?” is an uproarious ode to the best of horror comedy musicals. A love letter complimenting such memorable and energetic successes as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Evil Dead: The Musical”. Walter Paisley is surrounded by an ensemble cast of a beautiful love interest, an entitled competitor, a prospective manager, a suspicious neighbor, and a nosy detective. Has the questionable sculptor discovered a new art style the world is ready to embrace? Or has the mad artist gone too far into the whirlwind of what is and is not art? You’ll have to see and hear it to judge for yourself.
With Broadway talent both on and off the stage, this jazzy musical molds a well-sculpted centerpiece chiseled with a macabre finish. The high-energy title song will have you wagging your finger and grooving your body to the beat of the catchy melody and lyrics. A delightful earworm to the musical art community. Be drawn to the birth of the newest and best off-Broadway show in Southern California this season.
The smoothest cast that has graced the La Mirada stage comes from a wide variety of theatre and musical backgrounds. Here’s just a taste of the talent that will tap and snap their way from the stage and into your heart. Steven Booth (Broadway’s School of Rock) as “Walter Paisley”. Kingsley Leggs (Broadway’s Sister Act) as “Leonard DeSantis”. Kathy Fitzgerald (Broadway’s Wicked and The Producers) as “Mrs. Swickert”. Ashley Moniz (Broadway’s Kinky Boots and Legally Blonde) as “Beatnik Girl”.
Consisting of an award-winning creative team of professionals in their respective lines of work in Broadway, television, and animation. Book, music, and lyrics by Randy Rogel (Animaniacs, Batman, Monsters, Inc). Musical direction by Andrew Orbison (Hairspray, Sister Act). Musical supervision by Kimberly Grigsby (Broadway’s Amélie, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, The Full Monty). Orchestrations by Larry Hochman. Choreography by Connor Gallagher (Broadway’s Beetlejuice, Disney Cruise Line’s Beauty & the Beast, and Tangled). Developed and directed by BT McNicholl (Broadway’s Billy Elliot, Cabaret, and Spamalot). With a creative collaboration of this magnitude, the audience is bound to have a side-splitting treat for the eyes and ears.
Don’t miss your chance to be amongst the first audience member to witness the rise of a new off-Broadway classic. By the end of the show, you’ll be asking your friends and neighbors “Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today?”
Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; and Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm. Tickets range from $28 – $40 (prices subject to change) and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre’s website lamiradatheatre.com or by calling the box office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Group and military discounts are available. $14 student tickets are available as well. Children under 3 will NOT be admitted into the theatre. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada. Parking is FREE.
