World-Premiere One-Girl Musical Welcome to My World Begins Performances Tonight
Welcome to My World, a solo musical written by Grammy nominee Bruce Kimmel, begins performances tonight at Burbank, California's Grove Theater Center. Kimmel has written the musical's score and book, and directs the world-premiere production, described as the "first-ever one-girl musical written for and about a fourteen-year-old."
"Several years ago, I was asked to find a comic monologue for a teen I was working with — and I couldn't. So I wrote one," Kimmel explained . "I found that there really wasn't a lot of stuff out there for that age, and I thought it might be fun to write a series of monologues for a teen girl. It just kind of morphed itself into a musical. Every time I'd get to the end of a monologue I'd say to myself, 'Gee, a song would work really well here.'"
The production stars 14-year-old actress Sami Staitman as the "bright, funny, irreverent and iconoclastic" Molly. The musical is a compilation of monologues and songs that delve into the young girl's experiences navigating the choppy waters of teen life.
Corey Fogelmanis, best known for his role as "Farkle" on the hit Disney series Girl Meets World, joins Staitman for the musical's cast recording, contributing a bonus track titled "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright."
"I’ve been friends with Sami for many years," said Fogelmanis. "Sami is so talented and I am happy that she is getting this opportunity…I was able to see the workshop and I think it is a great show."
"What I like about Molly," said Staitman, "is that she’s not afraid to voice her insecurities, her wants, her faults, her hopes, her failures and her dreams. Her whole philosophy is that…it’s OK to be exactly who you are even if you’re not always happy with who you are all the time. I think girls my age or maybe at any age, can identify with Molly. Being exactly who you are, flaws and all, makes you interesting, beautiful, different, and unique."
Performances run at the Grove Theater Center through September 27. The creative team features musical direction by Alby Potts, lighting design by Adam Rayzor, set design by Rei Yamamoto, and costume design by Ken Patton.
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