ROCKABILLY & BROADWAY STARS JOIN FORCES AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL 2019 “A FALLING STAR AT BUZZARD’S ROOST” @ MCCADDEN PLACE THEATRE JUNE 16 & 22

A FALLING STAR AT BUZZARD'S ROOST

(Hollywood, CA) Once upon a time at Swinger’s Diner two friends decided to write a musical. Friend #1 was a Rockabilly / Country singer who wanted a through-line for her life’s work so far. Friend #2 was a professional scriptwriter and clever fellow who said “Maybe a life story of a lady rock star? Let’s google women, rock, 1954 and see what we come up with”. The resulting search revealed this: The True Story of History’s Only Known Meteorite Victim: Ann Hodges. And so began“A Falling Star At Buzzard’s Roost” — a tale of a microphone, a meteor and a love that transcends time, premiering at the McCadden Place Theatre in the Hollywood Fringe Festival for TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY — June 16, 2019 at 9:15pm and June 22, 2019 at 10:15pm. 

While Ann Hodges of Sylacauga, AL is not the main focus of this new high energy musical, the meteorite that hit her IS. The show follows hard-touring retro-Rockabilly band, MAUREEN & THE MERCURY 5, performing at a kitschy, Alabama Drive-Inn Diner (off-season). When Maureen plugs in her vintage Elvis mic, she triggers otherworldly powers from the famous “moon rock”, sending the band, their manager and even the diner owner back to the first days of Rock & Roll! The reluctant time-travelers find love and learn life lessons as they struggle to get back to present day — set to the music of Rockabilly Jump Swing Band Maureen & the Mercury 5 (aka M&M5) and Alt-Country Outlaws The Flutterbies (Soundtrack available on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/ 2Ecgu4L ). WRITERS MAUREEN DAVIS and DAVE RODGERS (WGA), blend the silly and the sweet with song & dance, evoking the ridiculous charm of The Monkees and the retro romance of Elvis movies.

PRODUCER MATTHEW S. ROBINSON is the Writer/Director of Hollywood Fringe Festival favorites: ”Politically Challenged", “Mary’s Medicine” and “BlackBalled”. CO-DIRECTORS / CO-STARS and Broadway Veterans MAUREEN DAVIS and KACEE CLANTON weave a web of the wild and weird and wonderful. Davis — lead singer of M&M5, The Flutterbies and original “Sleeping Beauty” in Broadway’s "Into the Woods” w/ Bernadette Peters. wrote all the music. Clanton’s credits include starring in Broadway’s “A Night with Janis Joplin”, and tours with Joe Cocker, Luis Miguel, in addition to being lead singer of Big Brother & the Holding Company. Davis and Clanton originally met in New York but re-met after many years singing at the infamous Ultimate Jam Night @ The Whisky.

Rock Star & Broadway Star credits abound in this cast: ANDRE HOLMES returns to the theatre after years of touring with R&B Stars Macy Gray, and Morris Day as well as rockers Fishbone. This multi-instrumentalist’s last foray on the dramatic stage was at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank. Holmes also happens to be — Ultimate Jam Night @ The Whisky alum. MICHAEL MONROE GOODMAN played both Elvis and Johnny Cash Broadway tour of “Million Dollar Quartet”. He is the lead singer heartthrob of the Honky Tonk Ninja’s.

THE BAND of Rockabilly & Swing Music royalty is onstage the entire show, interacting with cast members as they break into song. MUSIC DIRECTOR: JOHN “SPAZZ” HATTON — star bass player for Brian Setzer Orchestra and Bernie Dresel Big Band — arranged the score. LEAD GUITARIST SCOTT McCLEAN wrote the music with Davis in M&M5 and heads up his own band, Seatbelt and Surf sensations Chum. Also from M&M5, STEEL GUITAR / HARMONICA / BANJO PLAYER JORDAN BUSH who performs with The Packrats and Southwest Biscuit Company. Rounding out the all-star band are DRUMMER MARK SAN FILLIPO (Angel City Combo, Big Butter Band, Tom Kinney & the High Seas and PIANIST/ACOUSTIC GUITARIST LUCIEN HOLMES of the Giant Mountains Band — 2011’s Czech bluegrass band of the year — as well as Europe’s Southern Wheel, Two Strikes Band and the Foul Tip Collective.

SOUND DESIGNER DALE EDWARD CHUNG has helped to create a self-contained, highly portable show — he also stars as the antagonist. A successful commercial actor and voiceover artist, he was the percussionist for Con Funk Shun, gracing the stages of THE GREEK, THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL, MTV and touring the world. (Ultimate Jam Night @ The Whisky alum).

Doing double duty as LIVE ONSTAGE SOUND OPERATOR and ACTOR is NATHAN SMYTHE — beloved DJ / Emcee, Dapper Dan and Lindy Hopper at the heart of the subversive Hollywood Swing Dance scene. He has performed at Disneyland, the Wiltern Theatre, Clifton’s, The Tiki Oasis Festival and Viva Las Vegas. As a voice over artist — he was the voice of retro burger fast food favorites – White Castle. SAM SMILEY brings his experience from Levitt Pavillion and Troubadour to assist with digital projections and audio.

TV STARLET AMIE CONN is a familiar face from TV’s “American Crime Story”, “Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23”, My Crazy Ex, as well as the film “La La Land”. A model as well as a singer/actress, you might also recognize her from numerous commercials and print ads for Honda, Coors Light, Google & Stoli. A graduate of the American Music & Dramatic Arts Academy, she has appeared at The Open Fist and El Portal Theatres, as well as those in Alaska and Northern California.

CHOREOGRAPHER DANIELLE O’NEIL brings the songs to life with from Cha Cha to Twist to Burlesque. O’Neill is the director of retro nouveau Burlesque troupe THE HOLLYWOOD IT GIRLS, as well as event creator/producer for The Roaring Twenties Street Jam and Western Swing Out.