Debbie Allen to dish about Twist
Debbie Allen, who is directing and choreographing the new musical Twist, will talk about the piece in a “Dialogue With Debbie” event at 7:30 p.m., on Aug. 6 at the Alliance Theatre.
Twist moves Charles Dickens’ classic “Oliver Twist” to New Orleans in 1928, as the Roaring ‘20s dance their way down Bourbon Street and an orphan in search of home finds family in the most unexpected places. Twist begins previews on Sept. 1 and opens the Alliance Theatre season on Sept. 8.
Allen, whose sister Phylicia Rashad has acted on the Alliance stage and with Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, directed Soul Possessed at the Alliance in 2000. More recently, she directed the Broadway and London revivals of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She’s a regular on the TV reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” and probably is best known for her long-running portrayal of dance teacher Lydia Grant on the 1980s TV drama “Fame.” As a performer, she is a two-time Tony Award nominee for revivals of West Side Story and Sweet Charity.
Allen calls Twist – still in rewrites as rehearsals progress – “heart-wrenching, wonderful and funny.” The creative team includes book writer William F. Brown (The Wiz), composer-lyricist Tena Clark and co-composer Gary Prim.
Visit alliancetheatre.org for ticket information and to view quick video chat with Allen.
