Keli Price Blog
News
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November 27, 2011
Check out this review on "The Playground" Come see us perform!
THE PLAYGROUND
RECOMMENDED
Homeless youth are given a voice—a singing voice—in Michael Leoni’s ambitious, sprawling “street rock musical” The Playground, now playing at Hollywood’s Met Theatre under the playwright’s direction.
Though The Playground could stand to lose as much as a third of its three-hour-long running time (thereby benefitting from the streamlined length and pacing of Leoni’s smash hit Elevator), the plight of its homeless protagonists and the power of the cast’s vocal performances make this patchwork quilt of a musical worth checking out.
L.A. audiences (and this reviewer) first met Leoni’s tribe of street kids in The Playground’s 2003 debut at the Complex—a considerably shorter, tighter production which featured a dozen well-known pop tunes and two original compositions by cast member Gunner Wright. A 2006 run at Deaf West Theatre replaced the twelve covers with two dozen songs by Beth Hart, Wright, and new cast member Sebastian Sage, some of them preexisting, others written for the production.
The Playground now returns to Hollywood minus the Sage compositions, their place taken by songs by Michael Montoya, cast addition Ishmael Herring, and Winston King, Jr.—a grand total of thirty-two musical numbers in all. Add to that a half dozen rap poems and considerable dialog and you have a musical that runs longer than all but the longest Broadway musicals.
A striking opening sequence on an extraordinarily detailed, trash strewn, graffiti scrawled street in a Los Angeles slum neighborhood introduces us to our cast of characters. There’s Hayden (a role originated by Leoni and now played by Keli Price), who has run away from an abusive home environment with best girlfriend Luka (Rachael Page) in tow. Pimp/songwriter Ash (Shawn Parsons) has a stable of male and female sex workers under his thumb, including wannabe songstress Star (Lexy Pantera) and sensitive rentboy Vegas (Leoni). HIV positive Mama (2006 cast member Erica Katzin) is about to give birth to a child fathered by her lover Drifter (Nick Teti). Gay teen Happy (Corbin Mayberry) has been on the street since getting caught in the same-sex act by his intolerant dad. Other street kids include Bear (Herring), Sunshine (Elwie Harris), Princess (Karly Rigbee), and Stoney (Ryan Nelson). Lindsey Gort plays well-to-do do-gooder Sam, with Deb Vancelette and Tyler Tanner appearing in a dozen or so wigs each as assorted parents, johns, and other adult characters. That virtually all of the street kids are strung out on drugs goes without saying.
With so many characters’ lives to follow, it can become tough to recall just who is who and what each character’s back story is, a feat made more challenging by the producers’ ill-advised decision not to distribute programs until after the performance. There are many reasons for audiences to have playbill in hand before and during a show, all of which ought to have overriden whatever prompted leaving us uniformed for three hours.
A too haphazard structure gets in the way of The Playground’s achieving the success Leoni’s high-intentioned concept deserves. If Jonathan Larson’s Rent can be compared to a painstakingly designed and refined urban building with a single architect, The Playground comes across more like an edifice that started small and got added onto by various builders at various times, with some rooms stuck on to the original and others replacing rooms that used to be there.
In addition, despite the large number of songs featured in The Playground, it takes twenty-minutes or so for the first full-length song to be performed, thereby breaking one of the basic rules of Musical Theater 101. By contrast, Act Two features one too-similar rock ballad after another, with little dialog in between. Rent offers a textbook example of how songs can serve to advance a musical’s plot. In contrast, the Playground’s hodgepodge of musical numbers serve mostly to reveal characters’ feelings at any given moment, those being primarily despair and anger, or a combination of both.
Fortunately, these are powerful songs which get performed by some powerful singers. Price makes for a stellar Hayden, bringing to the role the striking good looks and lean muscled physique that go with his Ford model résumé, vocal skills befitting this 2010 BMI Young Songwriter Of The Year, and acting chops to match. (If only Hayden were given a bit more than a three-day time span for his 180 degree transformation from clean-cut runaway teen to greasy, grubby, drug-addicted, hard-bitten hustler.) Big-voiced rock belters Katzin, Page, and Pantera provide vocals that are as good as it gets, though the latter two could benefit from more nuanced acting in their dialog sequences. Parsons is suitably sleazy/sexy, Leoni makes a strong impression as the probably gay-in-denial Vegas, and Gort, Harris, Herring, Mayberry, Nelson, Rigby, and Teti all do topnotch work in supporting roles. Tanner creates multiple diverse male characters, and Vancelette impresses in a series of intensely performed dramatic cameos.
Teti has choreographed several dance numbers that express through movement what the characters are experiencing in their lives on the street. Several frighteningly real sequences replicate what characters must be seeing and feeling while tweaking, and these are aided and abetted by David Goldstein’s striking lighting design.
The cast is backed up by a sensational four-piece band, double the number of musicians in the 2006 production: musical director/orchestrator Chris Raymond on guitar and piano, Joshua Charney on keyboard, Jon La Tona on bass, and Antonio Rodrigo on drums.
Goldstein has designed a simply sensational set, in addition to his extremely varied (though occasionally overambitious) lighting design. (There are probably more lighting cues than in any show I’ve reviewed on these pages. Also, actors should be reminded to “find their light” when in the spotlight.) Michèle Young’s costumes are so realistic, you could easily believe she swiped them off the backs of street people if you didn’t know better. Sound designer Nathan Kampf deserves high marks for amplifying singing voices and mixing them with instrumentals, though the decision to amp spoken dialog might be rethought. Curiously, Herring performs without amplification. Renee Lynn Smith has created the production’s excellent makeup design.
Completing the large list of behind-the-scenes The Playground personnel are production stage manager Danielle DeMasters, technical director John Toom, assistant stage manager Timothy Miller, master electrician Jason Henderson, executive producer Marco Gomez, producers Michelle Kauffer and Shoen Smith, and associate producers Sandra Nelson and Judi Jordan. The Playground is presented by An 11:11 Experiment and DOMA Theatre and Venture Hill Entertainment in association with Spare Some Change and The Hope And Union Foundation.
If The Playground remains very much a work in progress even after all these years, it nonetheless deserves applause for the musically gifted cast assembled on the Met Theatre stage, and more importantly for bringing the plight of homeless youth to dramatic, musical, highly theatrical life.
The MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood.
www.plays411.net/playground
www.theplaygroundmusical.com–Steven Stanley
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November 17, 2011
Hello Everyone! For those of you that will be in the LA area between Nov.18th - Dec.18th, check out "The Playground" a Street Rock Musical opening Friday at "The Met Theater" I play the role of "Hayden". Hope to see you there!
A Street Rock MusicalThe Met Theatre 1089 Oxford Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029When Hayden, a 17-year-old boy on the run from a dangerous past, ends up stranded on the streets with his girlfriend, he quickly finds shelter with a “street family” of homeless kids. Seduced by drugs, sex, and violence, he finds himself engulfed in the dark and manipulative world of LA street life.
Pushed completely beyond his limits, Hayden must hit rock bottom in order to find out who he is a...nd what he truly believes in. In the darkest of places the “street family” offers a sense of belonging, the bonds of friendship, love and family.
.Inspired by the true stories of homeless kids, The Playground journeys beyond the glamorous world of Hollywood and onto the gritty streets of Los Angeles
Filled with original music that varies from Rock and Blues to Hip-Hop, the songs transform the streets into Rock concert fantasies and hallucinogenic drug trips, creating an entryway into the lonely corridors of the kid’s minds, illuminating their hopes and dreams as they strive for a better life.
This powerfully compelling, edge-of-your-seat, rock musical provides a sexy, tragically beautiful, yet hopeful, look at just how far one is willing to go to survive
An 11:11 Experiment, DOMA Theatre & Venture Hill Entertainment
In Association with:Spare Some Change & The Hope and Union Foundation
present The Playground 11/18 thru 12/18 Fri, Sat @8, Sun @7
For more info and ticket go to http://domatheatre.com/shows/playground-info.htmlScreenplay ByBook by: Michael LeoniMusic by: Beth Hart, Michael Montoya, Ishmael Herring, Gunner Wright, Winston King Jr.Produced By Michelle Kaufer, Schoen SmithExecutive Produced by: Marco GomezEmail -
November 7, 2011
Hey Guys,Check out "The Playground". I portray "Hayden Mckenzie" the lead role in this Street Rock Musical inspired by the true stories of homeless kids. It's a very special project which enables us to see and feel the everyday struggles that kids living on the streets have to deal with. I'm sure after seeing this production, that people will be much more educated about this issue and understand that these kids don't choose to be homeless. "The Playground" is an emotional roller coaster written and directed by Michael Leoni. I have also helped with the score by writing a song in the show called "If I Found You".Take careKeli -
October 18, 2011
'The Playground, A Street Rock Musical' at The Met Theatre in Los Angeles
I am playing the lead role in this really cool production. Below is the storyline and production info from our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ThePlaygroundMusical?sk=wall.We are performing at The Met Theatre in Los Angeles starting November 11th. Below is the show info and links to show dates and tickets.
I hope to see you.
Take care
Keli
Performances Run:
November 11th - December 18thFridays 8pm
Saturdays 8pm
Sundays 7pm
Show CalendarGeneral Admission: $30
Student Tickets: $20The Met Theatre
1089 N. Oxford Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029AboutInspired by the true stories of homeless kidsAn 11:11 Experiment, DOMA Theatre & Venture Hill Entertainment
In Association with:Spare Some Change & The Hope and Union Foundation present THE PLAYGROUND OPENING IN NOVEMBER @THE MET THEATRE, LOS ANGELES CA
DescriptionA Street Rock Musical inspired by the true stories of homeless kids, The Playground journeys beyond the glamorous world of Hollywood and onto the gritty streets of Los Angeles.
Filled with original music that varies from Rock and Blues to Hip-Hop, the songs transform the streets into Rock concert fantasies and hallucinogenic drug trips, creating an entryway into the lonely corridors of the kid’s minds, illuminating their hopes and dreams as they strive for a better life.
This powerfully compelling, edge-of-your-seat, rock musical provides a sexy, tragically beautiful, yet hopeful, look at just how far one is willing to go to survive.
Book by: Michael Leoni
Music by: Beth Hart, Michael Montoya, Ishmael Herring, Gunner Wright & Winston King Jr.
Musical Director: Chris Raymond
Choreographer: Nick Teti
Scenic & Lighting Design: David Goldstein
Executive Produced by: Marco Gomez
Produced by: Michelle Kaufer & Schoen Smith
Plot OutlineWhen Hayden, a 17-year-old boy on the run from a dangerous past, ends up stranded on the streets with his girlfriend, he quickly finds shelter with a “street family” of homeless kids. Seduced by drugs, sex, and violence, he finds himself engulfed in the dark and manipulative world of LA street life.
Pushed completely beyond his limits, Hayden must hit rock bottom in order to find out who he is a nd what he truly believes in. In the darkest of places the “street family” offers a sense of belonging, the bonds of friendship, love and family.
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September 23, 2011
Come see me at Genghis Cohen at 10:30pm on Sat. Sept. 24th
I am playing at the Genghis Cohen Music Room in Los Angeles this Saturday, September 24th - on stage at 10:30pm.
If you are in LA, you should come by and see me play my music.
I hope to see you there.
Take care
Keli
Source: Genghis Cohen
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September 19, 2011
My New Movie "One Fall"
Hey Guys!
Please check out my new movie, "One Fall". It will be in select theaters across the country!
In the film, I portray the role of "Josh", the High School Swim Team Captain.
I am fortunate to have a small role in this incredibly moving story and be a part of this extraordinary cast!
Hope you enjoy it!
Take care!
Keli -
August 28, 2010
Keli Price at the I.D.E.A. Exchange, benefiting The GRAMMY Foundation - NYC
Click here to see more photos of Keli at the event!
Saturday, June 26th 2010 marked the success of the first annual I.D.E.A. Exchange, benefiting The GRAMMY Foundation. Held at one of New York’s top venues, Hudson Terrace. The goal: to promote Inspiration, Discovery, and Enrichment through the Arts.
Aug 27, 2010 – Saturday, June 26th 2010 marked the success of the first annual I.D.E.A. Exchange, benefiting The GRAMMY Foundation. Held at one of New York’s top venues, Hudson Terrace, the purpose of this event was for social entrepreneurs and forward-thinking professionals in the creative industries to gather in the name of I.nspiration, D.iscovery, and E.nrichment through the A.rts. It was a wonderful turnout with a sophisticated crowd and great weather. A very special thank you goes out to our event partners and sponsors: Roland, Sprite, Steve Madden, Vodka Party, Zagat, JD Sports Marketing, Renaissance Meetings & Events, NVCG Management, Carnegie Hall, Tom Houseal Photography, Hudson Terrace, 20th Street Media, Empire Force Events, Red Shoe Media, Todd Pettengill & Rob Perna of 17 Black Productions, Dean Love Films, S.W.I.S.S. and our sensational musical guests.
Attendees were dazzled by the headlining act, GRAMMY Winning Drummer and Musical Director Swiss Chris. His Lite Stix performance is known to draw parallels to the wow factor of Blue Man Group and the technical prowess of the Harlem Globetrotters. Further elevating Swiss’s performances were friends, two-time GRAMMY Nominee Jay Rodriguez and Blues Guitarist Ladell Mclin. Keli Price was at the top of his game, as usual, captivating the room with his energy and upbeat melodies. Keli is a very gifted songwriter/performer and also a winner of the Abe Oleman Scholarship Award. Our dance floor was ignited by celebrity DJ YO-C, sponsored by Diesel and who flew in from Canada as well as New York’s acclaimed DJ Amoroso. The event began graciously with our first performance of the night, the operatic trip hop group, Cabiria. The host and master of ceremonies for this memorable evening was our good friend, Matthew Schwartz.
Over 50 items were donated for a world-class silent auction which was coordinated and managed by JD Sports Marketing. Among the sold pieces were: signed, framed pictures of Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and Joe Frasier, a signed hockey puck by Wayne Gretsky, a Jets helmet signed by Joe Namath. Other items included a Bon Jovi signed masterpiece collage, Paul McCartney signed CITI Field concert commemorative collage, Donald Trump signed red neck tie, batting practice at Yankee Stadium with Yankee legends, Bruce Springsteen signed guitar, Bono signed airbrushed guitar, Steven Tyler signed airbrushed guitar, Gene Simmons signed guitar with Kiss concert tickets.
A film aspect was also incorporated into the production. The one-hundred-inch, drop down screen behind the stage at Hudson Terrace was utilized for a “mini film festival”. Film clips and trailers were submitted and showcased by Emmy Winning Documentarian/Filmmaker Dean Love of Dean Love Films, HBO and National Geographic affiliated Producer/Filmmaker Flora Sousa of Red Shoe Enterprises, and Emmy Winning Filmmaker Todd Pettengill and Partner, Rob Perna, of 17 Black Productions.
The event co-producers, EvI Enterprises and Cutting Edge Culture, are proud to have aligned with such wonderful entities in the name of music education and the arts. Concepts for the 2nd Annual I.D.E.A. Exchange are already being tossed around.
Event photos and video form the 2010 I.D.E.A. Exchange benefiting The GRAMMY Foundation can be viewed at: http://s968.photobucket.com/home/EviEnterprisesEvI Enterprises is a cause-based music and event production company. Its mission is to create ground-breaking partnerships and initiatives that inspire strong minds to mobilize bold intention. http://www.evienterprises.com/
Cutting Edge Culture is a destination and artist management company connecting and empowering cultured professionals from the 4 corners of the world. http://www.cuttingedgeculture.com/
Our Cause:
The GRAMMY Foundation accomplishes their mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with The Recording Academy to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage.
http://www2.grammy.com/ GRAMMY_Foundation/
# # #Creating ground-breaking partnerships and initiatives that inspire strong minds to mobilize bold intention.
• Goodwill initiatives that encompass the thrill of the creative industries
• Special events & fun-raisers
• Social-eco campaigns -
March 26, 2010
Keli Price - BMI Young Singer Songwriter of the Year
Sandra Dahdah interviews Keli Price, an actor, musician, and model. Keli is best known for his starring role as Chris Abeley in the teen hit film The Clique, executive produced by Tyra Banks. He is also known for his role as Bobby Love on Nickelodeon’s The Naked Brothers Band television movie Battle of the Bands.
Source: Austin Daze
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March 25, 2010
Keli Price at SXSW
Austin Daze's Sandra Dahdah interviews teen idol Keli Price
Keli Price at SXSW from AMFM STUDIOS LLC on Vimeo.
Source: Vimeo
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March 22, 2010
Keli Price named BMI Young Songwriter of the Year.
Inducted into The Songwriter's Hall of Fame!
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March 15, 2010
Keli performed at the Red Gorilla Music Festival at the SXSW Music Conference
Dates and Venues in Austin, Texas:
Tuesday March 16thFox 7 Live performance and interview"Good Morning Austin" 7amTuesday March 16thDizzy Rooster306 E6th Street9pm-9:40pmWednesday March 17thCuba Libre - Acoustic Stage409 Colorado2:30pm-3:10pmThursday March 18thTouche417 E. 6th Street4pm-4:40pmMugshots7th St between San Jacinto and Neches1245 AM to 130 AMFriday March 19thNuno's on 6th422 E 6th St530 pm to 630 pmSaturday March 20thCuba Libre - Acoustic Stage409 Colorado12:30-1:10The Red Gorilla Music Festival is the largest festival-within-a-festival going on during the South By Southwest Music Conference and features hundreds of bands performing both day and night shows at eight different popular Austin venues across five days.
The events are all free and do not require a badge, wristband, or rsvp (unless otherwise noted). Also, all sponsored showcases are listed "may require rsvp," check with the event sponsor for info on that. The lineup is extensive, but also incomplete--check back to this page regularly for updates.
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February 7, 2010
Live! Keli Price, "Come A Little Closer"
Keli Price Sings "Come A Little Closer" Live on Teen.com"Come A Little Closer" - Keli's song about when a guy gets the urge to sing to a girl.Source: Teen.com
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January 4, 2010
What up?!
Happy New Year!!! Hope everyone had a great holiday!
Anyway, I had a few performances over the holiday break, one of them was pretty important to me because it was at my old high school "The Long Island High School For The Arts" those of you who live on Long Island definitely check this place out! The talent there is unbelievable!
My next performance was in a slightly warmer climate... MAUI, HAWAII!
I had a blast playing in Maui! Everyone was up and dancing! I love that! when the audience is having fun it makes the show so much better! When I wasn't on the stage, I had a chance to check out the beautiful island of Maui! Very chill place! highly recommend going there.
I had another recording session and finished up my country song "7 time walk away" hopefully you guys will get to hear it soon! Alright,
I should get back to the studio but come back soon and tell me how you guys are doing!
Take care,
-Keli
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December 9, 2009
Hey Guys!
The EP is finally here!! Check it out on iTunes, Amazon and wherever music is sold!
Featuring 3 new songs "Don't Stop Starting", "Good Ride" which was done with a rapper, and "If You Would stay (Acoustic Version) It's cool stuff so be sure to let me know what you think!
I am starting my Charity touring series which will first take place December 18th at Hewlett High School on Long Island New York, to raise money for breast cancer. It's a serious cause so please be there to support Breast Cancer!
This week I had an Interview on the Mike Martin Talk Show, it was a great time! to listen to the interview go to www.blogtalkradio.com/mikemartintalkshow.
Also, on January 26th my performance/interview for "Teen.com TV" will be up. There's also some videos of me on Teen.com TV from "The Clique". I saw them today and they brought back some good memories! This one is "Pony Love".
Anyway, I should get back to writing my new song! Come back soon and those of you who haven't checked out my music video "Move My Way", here it is!
Hit me up on the Message Center and let me know how you guys are doing!
Take Care!
Keli
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November 3, 2009
"Move My Way" Available for Download
Hey Everyone!
"Move My Way", the single and music video are available for download.
We also added a couple of other songs I think you will like, "If You Would Stay" and "She's Perfect"
The MP3s are available at Amazon
and the MP3s and music video are available at iTunes
I hope you like the songs.
Keli
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October 24, 2009
Bonus Tracks For My Debut Album
Whats up guys?! Thanks for coming back to the site!
I thought I was finally finished with my debut record, but turns out we added a few bonus tracks!
So this week i've been knockin out these tracks in the studio - I added a brand new song called "Walk the Beach With You" that wasn't recorded on my first record. I thought you guys would like to hear something fresh and new.
The other songs I recorded, are acoustic versions of "Move My Way" and "If you Would Stay" which is cool because when I first wrote those songs it was just me and my acoustic guitar... so I pretty much get to bring that whole vibe back for you guys!
Also look out for the NOVEMBER ISSUE of "TEEN SCENES MAGAZINE" I did an interview with them this week that will be in the November issue! check that out!
Any questions, hit me up on the message center!
Talk to you guys soon!
pce
Keli
Source: KeliPrice.com
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October 17, 2009
The Dead Hub releases the music video for "Move My Way"
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October 15, 2009
On The Teen Beat announces Keli's Deput EP
On The Teen Beat is the Official Blog of Teen Dream magazine.
See the announcement below!
You may know him as Chris Abeley in the Warner Bros. film The Clique or bad-boy rocker Bobby Love from Nickelodeon’s “The Naked Brothers Band” and the Nickelodeon feature, “Battle of the Bands.” Or you might know his face and shaggy-chic hairstyle from dozens of print ads, even the cover of the New York Times Magazine. Now, 19-year-old actor and model Keli Price is about to break out as a singer, musician and songwriter with the December 8 release of his debut EP, Move My Way (The Orchard).Previewing the debut EP, Price will release the first single, “Move My Way” and video, available for digital purchase on November 3.Stay tuned for more updates from ON THE TEEN BEAT on this hot new cutie! Let us know what you think.
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October 14, 2009
My Debut Record "Move My Way"
Hey guys! Thanks for taking time to check out the site! I'm looking forward to talking with my fans and getting to know you guys, so make sure you hit up the "Message Center".
I've finished my debut record "Move My Way"! So from now on there will be a lot more updates on the site! "Move My Way" the single will be released to radio and iTunes on Nov 3rd. It will be available for download everywhere!! Make sure you guys check that out!
Also The "Move My Way" music video will be available for download on Nov 3rd.
Many of you guys have been asking me when you will be able to hear and download more songs, on DEC 8th my EP will be released everywhere digital music is sold!! If any of you guys have any questions please feel free to ask in the Message Center!
My single will be available for streaming Friday OCT 16th!
If any of you live in the Northeast area (Boston, D.C., Jersey, Philly, NYC, CONN, Virginia) let me know! Because I'm touring the Northeast at the end of November/December!! I'd love to have you come down to some of the shows! Also my release parties are coming up!!! Message me and I'll send you all invites! Can't wait to talk to you guys and hear your thoughts on everything! Well, it's time for me to go... come back soon!
Peace,
Keli
