AND... OUT OF THE BLUE - TO HAVE U.S. PREMIERE THIS JUNE AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE!
AND... OUT OF THE BLUE — A Miraculous MUSICAL
Featuring book, music and lyrics by Eli Hans. Directed by Meredith Grundei. Produced by Out of the Blue Productions. Starring Eli Hans, with Joseph Bennett.
Writer-composer-performer Eli Hans portrays 25 characters in this swift-paced musical journey. After a dire cancer diagnosis, Eli must learn to make peace with his past as a gay kid on a quest for love. As he navigates his several identities, learning to accept himself through shame and fear, coping with tragic loss, and struggling with cancer, he miraculously finds his true love and manages to turn all of those challenges around.
Infused with humor and original music, “And… Out of the Blue” is a heart-warming and inspiring true story celebrating the resilience of the human spirit. Eli takes the audience on an intimate ride filled with love, laughter, heartache and miracles. When all is said and done, everyone – including this gay, Mexican, Polish, Jew – deserves a chance to create a beautiful life worth living.
An alumnus of the Stella Adler Academy of Acting, Eli’s the co-founder of The Improv People (San Miguel de Allende’s well-loved improv troupe) and enjoyed a 20+ year career as a voiceover actor. In San Diego, at The Old Globe Theater, Eli assisted directed Richard Seer in the production of “Blue Orange” and was director of a bilingual theater education program called Teatro Meta for teenagers at-risk. At La Jolla Playhouse, Eli assisted director Mark-Wing Davey with the Spanish production of Garcia Lorca’s “Blood Wedding”; at The Fritz Theater, Eli co-directed “Extreme Unction” in New York with Duane Daniels. He has produced and directed national and regional TV commercials and numerous plays.
As an actor, Eli has appeared in Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two,” Donald Margulies “Dinner with Friends,” and Michael Hollinger’s “Opus.” His true love is performing in musicals and musical revues, including “Fiddler On The Roof,” “A Funny Thing Happened,” “How To Succeed in Business,” “The Pajama Game,” and “Closer Than Ever.” His favorite role: Emcee in a musical revue of “Cabaret.” Eli is joined onstage by Joseph Bennett, his husband of almost twenty-two years, who appears later in the show as Eli’s ultimate life partner. Joseph, also co-founder of The Improv People, is the stage manager of “And, Out of the Blue.” He danced with the Wilmington Ballet for eight years and has appeared in numerous plays and improv shows. He co-hosts (with Meredith Grundei) the podcast “Are You Waiting for Permission?”
Meredith Grundei directs “And, Out of the Blue.” The New York-based director is an Associate Member of SDC. Her numerous credits include The Father Project; MOVE; There Is a Happiness That Morning Is; Under Construction; Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage; Futura; Moulin Scrooge; her favorite, BITE-SIZE: An Evening of Micro Theatre; many more.
The Hollywood Fringe performances are produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson. “And… Out of the Blue” is a moving and uplifting show about hope and resilience, with an engaging musical score, and a happy ending. Enjoy.
