Life Could be a Dream, presented by David Elzer, Peter Schneider and Crooning Crabcakes, LLC. Opens Aug. 7; plays Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm; Sat. & Sun. mat., 3 pm; through Sept. 27. Tickets: $40. Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; 323.960.4412 or lifecouldbeadream.net or plays411.com/life

When Writer/Director Roger Bean’s The Marvelous Wonderettes opened Sept. 29, 2006, at the intimate El Portal Forum Theatre he didn’t know where the wondrous path of the show would lead. It was theatre publicist David Elzer’s first jump into producing and his expertise steered the show into an extended run that lasted 21 months, culminating in its receiving the 2007 Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Musical. Bean was nominated for an Ovation for Best Director of a Musical and the original quartet of actresses gained an Ensemble Performance nomination. That was not the end of the road, however; the show traveled to Laguna Playhouse, then off-Broadway. This September, Wonderettes will reach its one-year anniversary at New York’s Westside Arts Theatre. With many other companies in the works, there is with no end in sight.

Now Bean takes another trip back to Springfield, the Wonderettes locale, when he introduces the Crooning Crabcakes, the boy group banned from the high school prom which made it possible for the Wonderettes to perform there. Again, loaded with classic songs from the period, Life Could be a Dream recalls the era before hard rock dominated the U.S. music scene, opening this Friday at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre.

Roger Bean recalls his journey for LA Stage.

LAS: Are you from Springfield? Where and how did you start writing and directing?

RB: I’m actually from Seattle, with side trips through Utah (don’t ask…) and New York City (love it!). I chose Springfield as the town for the Wonderettes and Life Could be a Dream because there are more Springfields in different states then just about any other city. It seemed like such a wonderful “any town, anyplace” name. I began directing in college many years ago and the writing came about to give myself more directing work. In the late ’90s I had a meeting with the artistic staff at Milwaukee Rep and asked how I could direct for them. They suggested I create something for their smaller cabaret space. I wrote a three-page outline and sent it to them; they bought it and put it into their season. It was wildly successful and at the opening night party the artistic director asked me to create something for the following season. The next show was a one-act version of The Marvelous Wonderettes. I’ve done something for Milwaukee Rep just about every year since. They’ve been a great artistic home and helped me create a nice catalogue of work.

LAS: In your wildest dreams, did you think you would have a successful show running off-Broadway?

RB: In the early ’90s I was working as a general press rep for Jeffrey Richards in New York City, working on a variety of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. But I didn’t feel very well-fed creatively. I could see how choices were being made commercially in New York. I was right in the thick of it and I wanted to get back to directing. That’s when I had my meeting with Milwaukee Rep. Shortly after that first show at the Rep I moved to Los Angeles. I love the weather here, of course, and really enjoy the theatre community I’ve become a part of. And it’s been so tremendously exciting to go back to New York with a show and its becoming such a hit is the frosting on top. So yes, in my wildest of wild dreams, I had always hoped for a big hit show in New York. I just never thought it would be something I had actually written myself. It’s a real fun kick in the pants.

LAS: There are several titles in your repertoire unfamiliar to LA audiences. Have you thought of bringing Route 66, Honky Tonk Laundry or Why Do Fools Fall in Love? here?

RB: From your mouth to my producer’s ears. I’ve had such amazing good fortune to have found David Elzer. He’s become a great producing partner and we hope to continue producing together for years to come. We’ve talked about some of these other shows as well as new shows. Who knows what the cards hold? I would love for LA audiences to see Honky Tonk Laundry (which I wrote for Bets Malone and Misty Cotton) and Why Do Fools Fall in Love? The latter being a ’60s musical, I might need to wait a bit so people don’t think I’m a one-trick-one-era pony. But since many people in LA have also seen The Andrews Brothers, I might be safe. The very first show I wrote is called Don’t Touch That Dial! and there was talk recently about bringing that into town. It does have some music clearance issues that have to be sorted out but I think it could also be a big hit.

LAS: How did you come up with the idea for Dream?

RB: I began writing Dream when we were producing The Marvelous Wonderettes for its initial run at the El Portal. I needed to work on something other than the all-girl show to take me away from myself while we were getting Wonderettes ready. Since I was immersed in the ’50s and ’60s, I thought that was a good era to stay in to help keep some form of sanity. I’m never really sure where ideas start, when they morph, and how they take shape in my brain. I have two hard drives attached to my computer with just music, so many different genres and styles. I browse through them; listen to bits and pieces of songs, and the ideas for the shows take form. The plot is usually fully formed in my head before anything makes it onto paper. A lot of writing goes on in my head sitting on freeways in the LA area. I write fast and furiously very late in the game.

LAS: Besides your shows, there are a number of other “jukebox” musicals. Was Forever Plaid an influence on your creations?

RB: I had never seen Forever Plaid until about five or six years ago out at Performance Riverside. It’s really a great piece. Strangely enough, the following year I directed it twice; that’s how the universe works sometimes. Since I’ve seen it and worked on it, it’s influenced me to try to stay away from anything that looks or feels like Plaid. I’m sensitive to copying or capitalizing on other people’s visions; there have been a few rip-offs of my Route 66 show as well as numerous attempts at Wonderettes-type shows. In the short term it bothers me just a bit but it’s also weirdly flattering; in the long run it doesn’t matter at all. I hope my work will stand on its own; we’ll see in the next decade or two if my shows survive the test of time.

LAS: What do you plan to do next?

RB: I want to go live on an island for a year. But since that’s not allowed (my husband Perry says one week is all I get…), I start Wonderettes in Chicago the end of August, Andrews Brothers at the Welk Resort in September and October (with Nick DeGruccio and Roger Castellano at the helm), a new production of Winter Wonderettes at Laguna Playhouse in November-December, there’s another Andrews Brothers at Cabrillo in February (Nick and Roger again), back to Milwaukee Rep for a new version of Route 66, then Wonderettes at Musical Theatre West in May followed by another one in Albany, NY at Capital Rep. Then a very long nap. It’s an exciting time with these productions so I absolutely can’t complain about any of it. I am looking at Andrews Brothers for a future move to New York, as well as sneaking in a new show for a reading or workshop in the coming spring or summer here. As for my other shows, my licensing company Steele Spring Productions (www.steelespring.com) licenses them out to theatres around the country so that affords me the ability to take brief absences from directing or remounting shows and concentrate on writing (or rather, thinking about writing).

LAS: What is the process in directing this type of musical?

RB: I do have a very specific way to direct that many people feel is very ‘hands-off.’ Actors are wildly inventive and I want to utilize every bit of energy and talent they bring into a room. I want everyone to explore every possibility in a scene or song. Near the end of the process I’ll rein it in and bring focus to the measured chaos we’ve created. I love watching things take shape that way. If I’m not telling people exactly what to do and they find it on their own, it’s totally owned onstage by the actors and doesn’t look dictated at all. The choreography and musical direction are much more specific. Lee Martino and Michael Paternostro have done amazing work on this show, focusing the movement and sound into a lovely cohesive package. We all get along very well so we hand the ball off to each other. I had to take two quick trips back to NYC during our rehearsals (for Wonderettes business) and these two artists were instrumental in keeping the show on track in my absence. I can’t say enough about them. Now I’ve said enough.

LAS: How difficult was it to find the right Dream cast?

RB: We actually fell in love with this cast very quickly. Michael Donovan did our casting and he brought these amazing people to the table. They really are a dream cast; they sing, they dance, they do funny. We’ve had a great time putting this together. The day is not complete unless one of the cast or creative staff has everyone rolling on the floor in laughter. This show has been a really happy experience.

The Dream Boys

The guys who comprise the Crooning Crabcakes quartet are Denny (Daniel Tatar) and Eugene (Jim Holdridge) who decide to form a singing group so they can enter and win a local radio contest to help them make it to the big time. They enlist their best friend Wally (Ryan Castellino) and newcomer Skip (Doug Carpenter) to realize their dream. Trouble comes in the form of Lois (Jessica Keenan Wynn) who broke up with Eugene years ago. Are there new heartaches ahead?

Doug Carpenter began his professional musical career in leading roles at Utah Festival Opera and UCLA Opera Guild. He has since appeared at Fullerton CLO as Tony in West Side Story and Curly in Oklahoma! Ryan Castellino was recently seen as The Narrator in Miss Electricity at La Jolla Playhouse. He played Ruben in Mask at Pasadena Playhouse and is a graduate of UCLA’s Ray Bolger Musical Theater program. NYC transplant Jim Holdridge has LA credits that include productions at South Coast Repertory, Zephyr Theatre and Assassins at West Coast Ensemble. He was a long-time member of Stomp in New York, Las Vegas and international tours. Among local credits for Daniel Tatar are Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof at the Rubicon Theatre, Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Havok Theatre and Ahmet Ertegun in Ray Charles Live at Pasadena Playhouse. He originated the role of Man 1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change in the Chicago and San Francisco companies.

LA Stage caught up with the quartet of actors and one actress between rehearsals.

LAS: How did you hear about Dream and why did you want to be in it?

Daniel Tatar as Denny

DC: I heard about the show through Michael Donovan. He teaches an audition seminar at UCLA for seniors in musical theater. I was a Masters in Voice in the music department but he allowed me to audit the class. I wanted to be a part of this because it offered a chance to build a project from the ground up. Not to mention I was excited to get another chance to work opposite the enormously talented Jessica Keenan Wynn with whom I performed in The Last Five Years at UCLA.

RC: I heard about Dream from the typical acting websites. I got the phone call from my agent letting me know I was lucky enough to get an audition for the role of Wally which began the initial excitement. After some research and realizing the connection between Dream and Wonderettes I knew I had to get the show somehow.  This was one of those projects that just made it hard to forget, if I were to end up not being a part of it.

JH: It had been the talk of the town that Roger Bean, the creator of Wonderettes, was doing a doo-wop show. When my agents called me about it I was thrilled for the opportunity to audition. Even more excited was to see that Michael Paternostro and Lee Martino were involved. I had seen these people’s work and knew that anything they were involved in was going to be a top-notch experience.

DT: I saw Marvelous Wonderettes during its run here and loved it.  It’s the kind of show you leave humming the familiar music but also remembering distinct characters and their quirks. I still smile about it a year later. I thought to be involved with the “sequel” to this hit, and to be in the cast that is creating and shaping these characters and scenes, would be a great opportunity.

LAS: How does this show differ from other musicals you’ve done?

DC: For me this is a huge opportunity different from any other in that it’s an original musical. I’ve never had the chance to originate a role or work on a project that had the potential to go so many places like this does. As a side note, it’s my first professional credit that is not fully legit singing. Most of my other experience is in opera or Rodgers & Hammerstein. I’m excited about being able to let loose a little in this show (more than a little actually).

Ryan Castellino as Wally

RC: This show is different from the other larger shows I’ve been a part of in many ways obviously. What stands out most to me is the response from the audience. You can see audience members bobbing their heads along, having a hard time controlling their laughter, and the general excitement on their faces when we begin to sing a song that they have some kind of personal connection. It truly is a blessing to be able to tell this story.

JH: This is my first juke-box musical. I was familiar with some of the songs but it has been very rewarding to take this iconic material and bring my own flavor to it while trying to remain faithful to the era in which it was created. Add the comedy and characters, and it is completely immersive. Doing this show every night is like being shot out of a cannon.

DT: This show differs from previous productions I’ve done in that it offers me an opportunity to play in a lighter, comedic production with a lot more dancing than I usually do. A very welcomed experience! Also, I am confident this show will have a great, long run, whereas most shows in LA have a limited run. .

LAS: What is your favorite song you perform in the show?

DC: My favorite number would have to be “Duke of Earl.” It really ties together my character’s whole story. I also love the chance to surprise the audience, not only because they are inches away from me when I sing it but also because I sing all of the lowest harmonies in the show. In this song, I do some of the highest falsetto work.

RC: My favorite song to perform is the “Lovin’ Lois Medley.” Without giving too much away it is a medley of four very popular love songs from the time period. When we go from one song to the next you sometimes hear the audience gasping from shock and excitement. It is a gorgeous moment on stage between the vocals, staging and lighting. The applause we get after the eight minute number is completed is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Jim Holdridge as Eugene

JH: “Only You” because, ummm, it’s my solo. I’m only half-kidding. It comes as part of this dream sequence and every song in this medley is silvery and languid and like sucking on taffy.  I… love… it.

DT: If I had to choose one, I’d say “Who Put the Bomp.” That song is at the beginning of the show, with two guys playing around in the basement. It reminds me of when I was about eight years old and my cousin would come over. We spent hours in the basement: he would operate the “spotlight” and I would stand on the couch and dance and sing to Michael Jackson. Seriously. We would perform for the babysitter. “Who Put the Bomp” conjures all that up for me and I have a great time with Jim in that number.

LAS: Now be totally honest. What is David Elzer really like as a producer and would you ever work for him again?

DC: I have never met a producer so involved in the entire process from helping fit us for costumes to bringing cupcakes during rehearsal. He creates a system of trust around him that can only come from someone who loves the theater more than anything else. In short David’s a great guy to work for and he will bring you snacks… so I hope I get to work for him again.

Doug Carpenter as Skip

RC: David Elzer holds an important place in my heart. Initially I wasn’t cast in the role and he brought me in with two weeks to learn the 24 songs, choreography and dialogue before we moved into tech. He took a huge risk on me and for that I am forever grateful. He knows what he is doing and has a reputation for being the best in Los Angeles. Getting to know him has proved that what has been said about him is true. Besides, he told me if I didn’t mess up he’d pay my rent for the rest of the year.

JH: David Elzer is fantastic. He is completely committed to making this show a great experience for all of us and our audience. His enthusiasm is spectacular. And he promised me a new car if I said that. Right, David?

DT: I would love to answer this but you’ll have to read my unauthorized novel about my experience with David, coming out in paperback this fall.

Dream Girl

Jessica Keenan Wynn, a recent graduate from UCLA’s Ray Bolger Musical Theatre program, hopes to carry on the legacy of her grand and great-grandparents, Keenan and Ed Wynn. Among her roles in college were Eva Peron in Evita, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Mabel in Mack and Mabel and the woman in Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years.

LAS: Well, you certainly have an impressive legacy in your ancestry. Did you always want to be in show business?

JKW: My mother was always a huge advocate of my desire to perform, primarily on stage. I started doing commercials and print ads when I was six months old. It was around that time I filmed a Golden Girls episode that my parents decided to pull me from the industry and let me discover my passion and interests without their insistence. I participated in summer theatre camps for almost 10 years and was hooked to the incredible rush I got when performing and singing on stage. Around the age of 13 I knew I wanted to sing and perform for an audience. Musical theatre was an area that hadn’t been filled within the legacy of my show biz family.

LAS: Will you tell us about your mother?

JKW: Her name is Edwyna Wynn (notably named by her grandfather Ed Wynn), but she goes by Wynnie Wynn. She was the second and middle child of Sharley and Keenan. She had a close relationship to her father and often traveled with him as a teenager/young adult on film productions. In honor of her father and to pass on the legacy of the name, she gave me the middle name Keenan. She avoided the entertainment industry her entire life but somehow managed to find her own way of being in it. She has made a long career of helping musicians recover from drug and alcohol abuse with MAP (musicians assistance program), which has since merged with The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences–Musicares. She has devoted copious amounts of energy, time, support and love to this organization and the people that come through it. She is an amazing rock star mother who came from Hollywood royalty and gave me the gift to keep the honored lineage intact and alive once again.

LAS: What inspiration have Ed and Keenan Wynn given you?

JKW: Ed Wynn and Keenan Wynn are not names I could throw at my friends and have them recognize without referrals to their work in Disney films. It is my mother’s and grandmother’s generations who have had nothing but the nicest, most generous things to say about their contribution to the entertainment industry. The talent those two possessed is undeniable, inspirational and frightening at times to know what I am up against. Their ability to convey honesty in forms of comedy, drama and farce has propelled me to do the same when I sing and act in front of an audience. If anything, I want to draw them into my heart and mind at that very moment and be able to have them feel the emotional ride I took them on when it is all over. The loveable characters that were my grandfather and great grandfather have surpassed decades of modification in the film, TV and radio industries yet they continue to be beloved, honest and talented performers that I strive to be every time I step onto the stage.

LAS: What would you like to do in the near future, after Dream finishes its run?

Jessica Keenan Wynn

JKW: Life Could be a Dream is my first professional show out of college and I am so grateful that the “dream team” gave me a chance to show all the training I have learned and passion I have gathered for my craft. I see great things for this show and hope in whatever way, shape or form, I end up in New York so I can surround myself with the invigorating energy that Broadway emits to its seekers.

LAS: You must have a strong singing voice to have played Reno in Anything Goes. Do you have a chance to show off your voice in this show?

JKW: Anything Goes was an incredible show for me to belt my best Merman every night. This show allows my voice to explore all its registers and levels through great contrasting material. I can engage my soprano in a sweet, touching version of “I Only Have Eyes for You” then belt and travel through exciting intervals in “Lonely Teardrops.” The music in this show has made me a better singer by understanding and finding the ability to convey emotion and sentiment in my voice, by coloring it to fit each song the best it can.

NEXT WEEK: After the opening, LA Stage will talk with Dream producer David Elzer.

Cast images by Michael Lamont