Arts & Entertainment

Britney Spears' Love Life Inspiration for Local Musical

The Retro Dome presents Becoming Britney tonight.

What does Britney Spears, Valentine's Day and Campbell have in common? A musical love story being performed at the Retro Dome, just outside of Campbell of course.

"Becoming Britney," featuring Campbell's very own Adam Theodore Barry as "Man 1" kicks off tonight.

This is Barry's second appearance in this musical, with his 2010 West Coast Premiere at CenterREP in Walnut Creek being his first. Prior to that, he played Sonny Malone in last year's regional premiere of "Xanadu" and also appeared in "Broadway Composer Cabaret."

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Campbell Patch asked the Retro Dome's Vice President Shannon Guggenheim about the musical, why Britney and what audience members will walk away with and this is what she had to say.

Campbell Patch: What is the performance all about?

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Shannon Guggenheim: We all know who Britney Spears is, but what if there's more to the blonde tabloid princess than meets the eye? This original musical explores what would drive the pop princess to spontaneously shave her head, brandish a British accents, or divorce after 48 hours of marriage. Audiences will be surprised to find themselves rooting for Britney and hoping she turns out okay.

Patch: Why was it chosen for the Retro Dome?

Guggenheim: We have shown our audiences that they can look to us for a variety of entertainment. From our '80s trip to Xanadu to our fabulously '40s-set "Sisters of Swing: The Story of the Andrews Sisters", we have had something for everyone and this production is no different. Fans of Britney will love seeing her in a totally new setting, while people who have no admiration of Ms. Spears will relish in seeing her stripped down, raw and in the rehab of her mind, all while singing and dancing through a wild mix of musical styles, from pop, hip-hop, swing, and gospel. 

We also chose to bring in an outside artistic team to give us time to work on developing our next project. While the team is staging and rehearsing Britney, we've been researching and writing, "Thanks For Playing: The Game Show Show!", a new musical that will premier at The Retro Dome this spring. So, you could say, we have Britney Spears to thank for what we hope will be the next big hit at The Retro Dome.

Path: Why open this weekend?

Guggenheim: At its core, Becoming Britney is a love story - finding love for herself and of course for her many loves (Justin Timberlake, Kevin Federline, that other guy she married for a couple of days) - so trying it to open near Valentine's Day worked quite well. 

Patch: What should audiences expect?

Guggenheim: Audiences should expect the same quality actor performances they've come to expect with every Retro Dome production. We have a talented cast of six artists, four of which are members of Actor's Equity Association, the union of professional American actors. People who consider themselves "theatre geeks" will also be pleasantly surprised with all of the wonderful inside jokes as the score borrows heavily and pays tribute to our favorite movie musicals and Broadway shows. 

Patch: What do you hope they(audiences) will walk away with?

Guggenheim: Well, they will definitely walk away with the theme song stuck in their head! But we also hope audiences will enjoy being a part of something quite new - the show is new to the musical theatre landscape but is destined to be a show you'll find on stages throughout the country. 

Patch: Anything else?

Guggenheim: We have a new program called Student Rush. Tickets are $20 at the door - 1 hour prior to show time. Must have a student ID at time of purchase. Seats are best available and upon availability. One ticket per student only.

Becoming Britney

Dates | Times:
Opens Friday, February 10, 2012 at 8:00 PM
Closes Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 2PM

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Friday                               Saturday                          Sunday
February 10, 8:00PM     February 11, 8:00PM    February 12, 2:00PM
February 17, 8:00PM     February 18, 8:00PM    February 19, 2:00PM
February 24, 8:00PM     February 25, 8:00PM    February 26, 2:00PM
March 2, 8:00PM             March 3, 8:00PM          March 4, 2:00PM
March 9, 8:00PM             March 10, 8:00PM        March 11, 2:00PM

Ticket Prices: $44.00 Regular Adult; $33.00 Senior, Student, Accessibility, Military. Group Discounts are available.

For more information, visit the website or call 408-404-7711. To buy tickets, go here.


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