American Conservatory Theatre Premieres 'I'm Still Standing'

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Fifteen young actors from across the Bay Area join musicians from San Francisco's Bird School of Music for the world premiere of the A.C.T. Young Conservatory's I'm Still Standing: A Celebration of the Music of Elton John, created and directed by A.C.T. Young Conservatory (YC) director Craig Slaight. This dynamic musical tribute features hit songs popularized by the famed Grammy, Academy, and Tony Award winner and plays at Zeum Theater, located at Yerba Buena Gardens (Fourth and Howard streets), through June 21.

This energetic, music-filled take on Elton John's greatest hits follows Bennie, a 17-year-old pop phenom who trades in Hollywood fame, a movie star boyfriend, and her outrageous diva agent Crystal Shine for the simple life at a Wisconsin high school, where she learns who she really is. The cast features a talented ensemble of young actors, including Alex Akin, Caleb Alexander, Julia Belanoff, Haley Best, Taylor Bostwick, Carrie Brandon, Rachel Cunningham, Gabriel Kenney, Courtney Lundeen, Elvin McRae, Marcelo Pereira, Emma Reese, Ryan Semmelmayer, Maranda Seney, and Katie Yeilding.

The design team for I'm Still Standing includes set designer Dean Shibuya and costume designer Jessica Peter. The production's choreographer is Christine Mattison. Music direction is by Jane Hammett with musical arrangement and piano accompaniment by Robert Rutt.

I'm Still Standing: A Celebration of the Music of Elton John continues an annual series of YC productions paying tribute to music from the great singer/songwriters of our time. Other artists previously highlighted by the YC are Sting, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney. I'm Still Standing is the YC's third collaboration with Bird in an ongoing exploration shared between two of the Bay Area's most acclaimed teaching centers for children and young adults.

Elton John's career has spanned more than four decades, and he has created some of the most revered pop and rock music of the '70s and '80s to today, selling over 250 million albums and over 100 million singles. He's won five Grammy awards, an Academy Award (Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King), and a Tony Award (Best Original Score for his Broadway musical Aida). His acclaimed musical based on the hit British film Billy Elliot opens this fall on Broadway. In 1998, John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a response to his worldwide charitable efforts in raising money for AIDS research. -- www.act-sf.org

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Posted June 14th, 2008 by ruzik_tuzik