Champlain Theatre will present Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire's musical Closer Than Ever April 3-6 at 8 p.m. and April 7 at 2 p.m. in Champlain's Alumni Auditorium. Performances are open to the public, and tickets can be purchased at the door for $10, or Free with student ID.

The artistic team for this production includes co-directors Sarah Gibson and her father Tom Gibson, and musical director Nate Venet. Sarah Gibson works in the admissions department at Champlain College, and is excited to bring a musical to the Champlain Theatre community. "Closer Than Ever is a beautiful, funny, poignant musical revue in two acts. It is, in short, about life — reality — the things we can all relate to and understand: the good, the bad, and at times, the hilariously ugly. The opening number, "Doors" begins a journey of emotions and musical genres that show us the paths we choose and those chosen for us as we transition through each stage of our lives. I cannot think of a better show to share with this community," she said.

First-year Champlain College student Karisa Desjardins, whom is playing Ms. Byrd in the production, declared, "I think I've fallen in love with Closer Than Ever, to be completely honest." Even before auditioning, Desjardins was listening to the show's soundtrack.

"It really is scary how quickly you can, in fact, fall in love with this show as it speaks to life in such a truthful, refreshing, and life-affirming way," said Sarah Gibson. "My love affair with Closer Than Ever began when my dad (and co-director) introduced me to the music on car trips to our family's camp. Ever since, my dad and I have longed to direct this show, and we are so thrilled to have this opportunity with Champlain Theatre," she said.

This will be the first time Champlain Theatre has presented a musical, which has drawn a new crowd to the stage. "I am very excited to have a musical produced right on-campus," said sophomore Liam Callaghan. "Music, singing, and acting are really important pieces of my peers' and I's lives, and I'm happy that Champlain is providing us the platform to pursue those interests.

"The cast is made up of Champlain students Karisa Desjardins '16, Katie Brockway '13, Liam Callaghan '15, Malachi Champion '16, Megan Leonard '15, Michael LeTourneau '14, and Olivia Pratt '14.

Champlain students working behind the scenes include: Kirby McThompson '16, Tim Mathewson '16, Matt Lantagne '16, Julia Haas '15, Susanne Nelson '16, Dominique Duran '16, Caitlyn Mann '16, Camille Koosman '16, Dan Salerno '16, Jon Lyga '16, Kevin Nickerson '14, Paige Schmittlein '16, Tom Lyga '13, and Julien Tremblay '15.

The cast and crew have also feature exceptionally talented community members and University of Vermont students.For more information, contact Sarah Gibson at sgibson@champlain.edu

Calendar Listing

Champlain College Theatre will present Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire's musical Closer Than Ever April 3-6 at 8 p.m. and April 7 at 2 p.m. in Alumni Auditorium, 375 Maple Street, Burlington, Vt. Open to the public; tickets at the door $10/Free with student ID. For more information, contact Sarah Gibson at sgibson@champlain.edu

About Closer Than Ever

Closer Than Ever is a musical from the team of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. In the 1989 two-act musical, Maltby and Shire take us on an emotional journey through the anguish, amazement and human comedy of contemporary living. Closer Than Ever features self-contained songs, which deal with diverse topics such as security, aging, mid-life crisis, second marriages, working couples, and unrequited love. Maltby and Shire based many of the songs on real-life experiences of their friends, or stories told to them. For a complete list of songs and information about the show, visit http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/music/closer-than-ever