Tuesday March 17, 7:00 PM
Wednesday March 18, 2:00 PM
General Admission $30.00
CLICK HERE for tickets

Presented on our “Side Door Stage” located on the lower level of our building.

“By George, It’s Laura” is a musical cabaret about George Abbott’s influence on Broadway, as well as his family connections with Laura Ward Collins.
George Abbott, known for the “Abbott touch,” was the most successful director, writer and producer in the history of Broadway. He was also a legendary mentor to many. Join Laura, Music Director Steven Gross, and Guest Artist, Ben Tissell in this musical cabaret about “paying it forward” through the lens of Mr. Abbott’s unparalleled influence on Broadway, as well as her Great-Great Uncle George’s legacy in her own family.

A special addition to Lakewood Theatre’s 73rd Season that includes 100 Years of George Abbott.

Laura Ward Collins was born into a family with deep and prolific roots in the early years of Broadway, most notably with her Great-Great Uncle George being Mr. Abbott, the legendary Broadway director, playwright and producer. She spent much of her childhood on the stage, and had a voice performance minor in college. Laura sang as a featured soloist at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco for many years. Musical Theater role highlights include Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore), Robin (Godspell), and Laurey (Oklahoma). Based in Portland, Oregon now, she has sung at Mendelssohn’s PDX Musical Theater Showcases, along most recently performing as Luce (The Boys From Syracuse) in the first of Lakewood’s Lost Treasures Abbott Season productions. As a cabaret artist, Laura performed her solo cabaret,“Roots and Wings” in Portland and Seattle, and “By George, It’s Laura” in Philadelphia at the Drake Theatre. Her current projects include a collaboration with fellow PDX based artists (including Ben Tissell) on the Kurt Weill revue, “Berlin to Broadway.” Offstage Laura owns a philanthropy consulting firm and is the co-founder/partner in a new venture, Thank You Five Entertainment.

Ben Tissell is a Portland-based actor, singer, musician and educator. Locally, Ben has appeared at Portland Center Stage, Portland Playhouse, Third Rail Repertory, Broadway Rose Theatre, Lakewood Theatre, Profile Theatre, and others. Described by Oregon ArtsWatch as “Mesmerizing”, Ben is known for his lyrical baritone voice and nuanced performance of complex characters. He has a special love for golden-age musical theatre and is delighted to be a part of this beautiful cabaret. In addition to theatre, Ben is a singer-songwriter whose music can be found on Spotify and other streaming platforms. Ben also currently serves as a theatre professor at George Fox University. See more of his work and upcoming projects at BenTissell.com.

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Steven Gross has worked on Broadway and the West End as a music director, conductor and pianist on such shows as Phantom of the Opera, The Life, Urinetown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chicago, Miss Saigon, The Wedding Singer, Saturday Night Fever and Dreamgirls and on the New York City Opera productions of A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, The Most Happy Fella and Candide. He is a Lortel Award nominee for Best Musical for his adaption of The Pirates of Penzance at the South Street Seaport. He has also worked in many of the major regional American theaters and was principal conductor of Berlin’s Theater Des Westens and led the European premieres of many American musicals. Steven has collaborated on new musicals with Award-winning creators including Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus, Cy Coleman, David Friedman, Marcy Heissler & Zina Goldrich and David Malloy. As an opera conductor Steven has worked with prominent companies throughout Europe and North America. He also works as an orchestrator and arranger for many national and international symphony orchestras, as well as for television, radio, video and on-line stations. Steven holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from Yale University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Theater at Temple University where he heads the Abbott MFA in Musical Theater Collaboration program. At the start of Steven’s career he worked at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival at the same time as George Abbott – at age 100! – was directing a revival of Broadway.