NewsPHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Backstage and Around San Francisco With Raymond J. Lee and the Cast of New Musical Stuck ElevatorStuck Elevator, a new musical featuring a hybrid of musical theater, opera, and solo performance, receives its world premiere at San Francisco's A.C.T for a run through April 28. Raymond J. Lee (Anything Goes) shares photos documenting the backstage experience and the cast's exploration of the City By the Bay.
By
Matthew Blank
April 23, 2013
"It has been an amazing experience working on this show and bringing it to life," says Lee. "A.C.T. has been such a wonderful home for all of us and we are extremely grateful to the entire staff and crew. Although the rehearsal process had us all working really hard to figure out the best way to present this new musical, the cast and creative team definitely had a blast exploring San Francisco and taking advantage of all the great areas to explore."
"From Alcatraz to The Mission to Ocean Beach, we have had a ton of fun here in San Francisco and hope you enjoy our pictures! And please come see us in our last week of performances at A.C.T - we are all proud of this show and know you'll enjoy it!"
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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Backstage and Around San Francisco With Raymond J. Lee and the Cast of New Musical Stuck Elevator
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Backstage and Around San Francisco With Raymond J. Lee and the Cast of New Musical Stuck Elevator
Stuck Elevator, a new musical featuring a hybrid of musical theater, opera, and solo performance, receives its world premiere at San Francisco's A.C.T for a run through April 28. Raymond J. Lee (Anything Goes) shares photos documenting the backstage experience and the cast's exploration of the City By the Bay. Read the Playbill.com story.
58 PHOTOS
The cast gearing up for a music rehearsal. (L to R: Raymond J. Lee, Joel Perez, Julius Ahn, Joseph Foronda, & Marie-France Arcilla)
Raymond J. Lee
Our awesome librettist and composer Aaron Jafferis and Byron Au Yong
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A.C.T.'s Artistic Director Carey Perloff and Stuck Elevator's director Chay Yew having a fun moment between rehearsals.
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The cast hard at work learning the beautifully complex and innovative music.
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The cast posing with our AD Naya Chang in our gorgeous rehearsal space at A.C.T. with the most amazing view of the city. Talk about spoiled!
Hard at work trying to figure out the intricacies of a giant fortune cookie!
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Please! No pictures during rehearsal! Actors hard at work!
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But there's always time for a quick pose to camera.
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Our music director Dolo rehearsing our fantastic orchestra during Sitz Probe.
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Julius Ahn hard at work learning his lines before we start tech. Y'all need to hurry up and see him in this show!
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Our assistant director Naya Chang and composer Byron Au Yong pose for camera while sitting out in the house. Naya translated all the lines into Mandarin to be supertitled during the show.
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The cast getting into character before tech.
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There's always time for a Stuck Elevator love fest!
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Miguel is one of our many awesome crew members at Stuck Elevator. Plus he makes an excellent pot of coffee!
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Introducing...THE ELEVATOR!
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Our orchestra sets up backstage. We will be able to see them through several monitors strategically placed throughout the theater.
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Joseph Foronda gets into costume and waits to get on stage. This is worth the price of admission alone.
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Giving you Container-Ship-Nephew-Realness
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Handsome Joel working the camera as the wrestling emcee during "Takeout Man"
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Marie-France dressed in her Ming attire...
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...before transforming into FORTUNE COOKIE MONSTER. She's married folks.
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Joseph as the Boss' Wife. You do not want to mess with THIS lady!
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Figuring out how to bike on stage while singing. Talk about multi-tasking!
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Our director Chay won't let anyone upstage his production.
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Dinner break in between tech rehearsals. There's a beautiful roof deck at the theater. Again talk about spoiled!
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Julius watching rehearsals from the house. It's a nice break since he's on stage for the entire show.
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Sometimes Tech brings out the Dark Side in us...
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Channeling my inner Evita.
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From Boss' Wife to...
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...Otis the Elevator Monster. The costumes by Myung Hee Cho have just been exquisite!
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Joseph, Joel, Marie-France, and I play a myriad of characters. Here I am as the evil Snakehead.
Julius Ahn
The Atlantic City scene.
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The four of us learning a new song that will later be implemented that evening.
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Opening Night photoshoot
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Joseph with his beautiful daughter who came to visit him in SF.
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Jonathan Groff & Frankie Alvarez were in town shooting a HBO pilot and came to see the show!
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Before every performance our amazing stage management team work it out on stage. It is such a treat to watch!
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Preparing for a student matinee.
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Post-show discussion with Beatrice Basso, Byron Au Yong, Aaron Jafferis and the one and only Helen Zia.
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Our ridiculously talented understudies during understudy rehearsal. They have an even harder job than us and we admire them so much!
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After rehearsals we like to go out and have a cocktail. Whoops...guess we should have invited Marie-France.
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Cast CostCo trip!
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Riding the BART in between shows to grab pupusas in The Mission. SF has so many amazing restaurants!
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Nothing like a proper photo bomb.
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Everywhere you look...Everywhere. Visiting the Full House row of houses! #BucketList
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The cast seriously cannot resist a photoshoot...anywhere.
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Byron and I smizing for the camera at Urban Outfitters.
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The cast and I got to take the Alcatraz night tour! What an awesome experience.
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Julius and his beautiful wife Eunhee. Eunhee was visiting for the weekend to see her wonderfully talented husband in the show!
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Marie-France giving us Yearning-For-An-Inmate Realness.
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Taking a quick break to read up on Alcatraz... in Alcatraz.
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Group Shot on the Alcatraz Island Ferry.
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In between shows Beach Photoshoot!
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Julius showing us how it's REALLY done.
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As you can tell, the Stuck Elevator cast loves A.C.T.
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So hurry up and come see us til April 28th! It's an innovative new musical based on a true story of a deliveryman stuck in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours!
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You won't want to miss it :)
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RayRay...signing off...until the next photo mission :)
Stuck Elevator, directed by Chay Yew, is billed as "a powerful and poignant hip-hop opera…based on the true story of a Chinese restaurant deliveryman who was trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours," according to ACT. "Sounding the alarm will open the doors to freedom, but calling for help also means calling for attention — with dire consequences for this illegal immigrant. Stuck in limbo, he launches into poignant and hilarious hallucinations about his past, present, and future. [It] unleashes an evocative collision of stories, sounds, instruments, and ideas, from immigration and labor to familial obligation and fortune cookies."
The cast of Stuck Elevator feature Julius Ahn in the tour-de-force role of Guāng. He is joined by Raymond J. Lee as Wáng Yuè, Guāng’s 8-year-old son; Marie-France Arcilla as Míng, Guāng’s wife; Joel Perez as Marco, and Joseph Anthony Foronda as Zhōng Yi, Guāng’s brother-in-law. For more information, please visit ACT-SF.org.
