West Coast Ensemble's BIG: The Musical Extends Through 7/26 At El Centro Theatre

West Coast Ensemble is thrilled to announce that their critically-acclaimed, smash-hit production of BIG, The Musical, with book by John Weidman, music by David Shire, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., based on the motion picture "BIG" written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg and directed by Richard Israel (Floyd Collins, Assassins) is EXTENDING THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 26 at West Coast Ensemble's new home - The El Centro Theatre, 800 N. El Centro Ave. in Hollywood.

"I wanna be Big!" - This rarely produced musical gem, based on the smash-hit 1987 movie, bursts onstage in this vibrant, tuneful, funny and touching production by three of Broadway's modern masters. When frustrated adolescent Josh Baskin wishes he were big and wakes up the next morning a 30 year-old man, he discovers there's much more to being an adult than he'd bargained for - and learns we must all grow up at our own pace, in our own time. A witty, moving, insightful book and a dazzling, energetic, heartfelt, contemporary score turn this already classic motion picture fantasy into an unforgettable theatrical experience.

John Weidman (Playwright) wrote the book for Pacific Overtures (Tony nominations, Best Book and Best Musical), score by Stephen Sondheim, produced and directed on Broadway by Harold Prince. He co-authored, with Timothy Crouse, the new book for Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes (Tony Award, Best Musical Revival; Olivier Award, Best Musical Production). He wrote the book for Assassins, score by Stephen Sondheim, directed Off-Broadway by Jerry Zaks and in London's West End (Drama Critics Award for Best Musical) by Sam Mendes. He wrote the book for Big (Tony nomination, Best Book), score by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire, directed on Broadway by Mike Ockrent, and co-created with choreographer/director Susan Stroman the musical Contact (Tony nomination, Best Book; Tony Award, Best Musical). His new musical, Bounce, score by Stephen Sondheim, direction by Harold Prince, premiered this summer at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and he is currently completing a screen adaptation of Contact for Miramax. Since 1986, he has written for Sesame Street, receiving 11 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Children's Program. Weidman is president of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Richard Maltby, Jr. (Lyrics) has conceived and directed the only two musical revues to ever win "Best Musical". Tony Award-winning musicals: Ain't Misbehavin' (1978: Tony, N.Y. Drama Critics, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Awards, also Tony Award for Best Director) and Fosse (1999: Tony, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Awards).

He was director/co-lyricist for the American version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance, (1986) starring Bernadette Peters. He was co-lyricist for Miss Saigon (Evening Standard Award 1990; Tony nomination: Best Score, 1991).

Maltby and David Shire started working together as students at Yale University; their first Broadway credit was in 1968, when their song "The Girl of the Minute" was used in the revue New Faces of 1968. In 1977 the Manhattan Theatre Club produced a review of their earlier songs, written for other works, finally titled Starting Here, Starting Now. With composer Shire, Maltby was the director and lyricist for Baby, (1983, book by Sybille Pearson) and the lyricist for Big, (1996, book by John Weidman). Also with Shire, he conceived and wrote the lyrics for Take Flight (book by John Weidman), which had its world premiere in July 2007 at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.