The Most Happy Fella

A SWEEPING MUSICAL MASTERPIECE AT
NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA
A New Intimate Version Production
Based on Sidney Howard’s “They Knew What They Wanted”
Music, Lyrics and Libretto by Frank Loesser

Performances Beginning Wednesday, June 3, 2026
NOW EXTENDED RUN TO JULY 5TH, 2026

Directed by Jeffrey B. Moss

Solana Beach, Calif. — Come see what makes this fella so happy! North Coast Repertory Theatre presents The Most Happy Fella, a new intimate production of Frank Loesser’s lush, romantic musical masterpiece — filled with soaring melodies, tender ballads, and vibrant Broadway showstoppers that paint a rich emotional landscape. Set against the sun-drenched vineyards of California’s Napa Valley, this passionate tale of unexpected love weaves together unforgettable characters with one of musical theatre’s most ambitious and breathtaking scores. All by Broadway’s famed Pulitzer Prize-winning Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls). A lonely man, a desperate letter, a love story that changed everything. Full of life, full of love, full of music. Come see what makes this fella so happy.

 

“A work in which you can hear the sound of a man’s heart singing, openly and unabashedly.” — New York Times

“The Most Happy Fella is one of the greatest musicals ever. Or one of the greatest operas. Hell, it’s just great.” — Vulture

 

Jeffrey B. Moss directs Gregory North,* Jacob Caltrider,* Chris Hunter,* Jason Maddy,* Andrew Hey,* Shinah Hey,* Bethany Slomka,* and Lauren Weinberg,* with Morgan Hollingsworth, Eli Wood, Tori Hitchcock, and Isabelle Pizzurro. Elan McMahan is the Music Director/Pianist, with Justin Gray at Piano and Melissa Glasgow as Choreographer. Vernon Willet* is the Production Stage Manager. The Design Team includes Marty Burnett (Set Design), Matthew Novotny (Light Design), Alina Bokovikova (Costume Design), Grace Wong (Associate Costume Design), Tristan King (Sound Design), Michael Wogulis (Props Design), Matt FitzGerald (Projection Design), Meredith Lange (Sound Mixer) and Megan Woodley (Hair and Wig Design).

 

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA performances begin Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 7:00 pm. Final performance is Sunday, July 5^th, 2026, at 2:00 pm. The show runs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 pm, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm, Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm. Additional matinee  2pm performances: June 5 & June 24^th. There will be a talkback with the cast on June 12^th after the performance.

BIOS:

FRANK LOESSER (Music, Lyrics and Libretto) One of America's great composer/lyricists, Frank Loesser began his songwriting career during the Depression as a lyricist, contributing songs to Broadway revues and nightclub acts. His work with composer Irving Actman in the 1936 revue The Illustrator's Show led to a songwriting contract in Hollywood, where he spent the next eleven years working with such composers as Burton Lane, Jule Styne, Arthur Schwartz and Hoagy Carmichael. Some of his film songs from that period include "Two Sleepy People," "Jingle Jangle Jingle" and "I Don't Want To Walk Without You." The first song for which Loesser wrote both words and music was "Praise The Lord and Pass the Ammunition," written during his World War II service. His Hollywood work after the war included the hit songs "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year," "A Slow Boat To China," and the 1949 Oscar-winning song "Baby, It's Cold Outside." In 1948 Loesser was approached by fledgling Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin to write music and lyrics to George Abbott's libretto for an adaptation of the classic Brandon Thomas play Charley's Aunt. The new musical, which starred Ray Bolger, was called Where's Charley? and was a hit. This led to Loesser's next show, the hugely influential and successful Guys And Dolls in 1950, also produced by Feuer and Martin, with a script by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. In 1956 Loesser wrote the libretto, music and lyrics for his next show, The Most Happy Fella, adapted from Sidney Howard's play, They Knew What They Wanted. This impressive score contains over 30 musical numbers and makes extensive use of operatic techniques and forms, including recitative, arias, duets, trios and choral numbers. In 1960 he provided the score and was co-librettist for Greenwillow. In 1961, Loesser wrote the score for the Pulitzer Prize-winning How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. His last show, Pleasures And Palaces, closed in 1965 during out-of-town try-outs. For more information on Frank Loesser, please visit his official website.

JEFFREY B. MOSS+ (Director) has staged over 35 national and international touring companies including Guys and Dolls, Hello, Dolly!, Man of La Mancha, The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, On the 20th Century, The Music Man, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Music of The Night, Annie, West Side Story, 42nd Street, Mame, A Funny Thing Happened, An American in Paris, South Pacific, and Little Women-The Musical. His acclaimed productions of My Fair Lady have played in the United States, Singapore, SE Asia and China. Plays include Norman, Is That You?, The Sunshine Boys, A Shayna Maidel and the premiere of The Resurrection of Ivan Hirsh.  He is the award-winning director of the critically acclaimed New York and London productions of Bock and Harnick’s new Rothschild &Sons.  In New York, he directed the hit musical Mayor and Cy Coleman/Neil Simon’s Little Me and was the director of the New York and Kennedy Center productions of Some Enchanted Evening, now part of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Library.  He has created newly imagined stagings of classic musicals such as Golden Boy (collaborating with Charles Strouse, Lee Adams and Leslie Lee), Rags (collaborating with Charles Strouse, Stephen Schwartz and Joe Stein) and North Coast Rep's Lerner and Loewe's Camelot. He recently produced and directed Secretly Strouse for NYC's famed 54 Below.

ELAN MCMAHAN (Music Director/Pianist) North Coast Rep: Forbidden Broadway.  Regional:  Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, As You Like It, Inherit the Wind, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (The Old Globe), Ragtime, In the Heights, West Side Story, Titanic, Big Fish, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, and 50 more productions (Moonlight Stage Productions), Sunday in the Park with George (CCAE), Into the Woods (New Village Arts). Education: B.Mus. in Piano Performance from Brigham Young University, M.Mus. in Piano Performance from St. Louis Conservatory of Music. Awards: San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Musical Direction (2012, 2015, 2017, 2023). Other work: associate faculty at MiraCosta College.

JUSTIN GRAY (Piano) has been active in the music scene in San Diego County for 40 years, specializing in Musical Theater, Cabaret, Opera, and large-scale corporate entertainment. He is a pianist, music director, music arranger, and custom soundtrack creator. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Piano and Master's Degree in Conducting from San Diego State University. Justin was the Music Coordinator and conductor at San Diego Civic Light Opera Association (Starlight) and later became the Music Director at Welk Resorts Theater, a position he held for 25 years. He is currently the organist at St Timothy's Catholic Church in Escondido. He operates a music preparation studio in his home and creates custom soundtracks, rehearsal tracks, and music arrangements and orchestrations. He has performed with Barry Manilow, Bob Newhart, The Moody Blues, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Justin was the Executive Director of Pacific Lyric Association (PLA), whose mission was to provide professional accessible opera to San Diego County residents and train the next generation of artists. He is the author of an online study course in piano Piano Improvisation Using the Nashville Numbering System. Justin loves the variety that comes with being a pianist and enjoys documenting his adventures through his "Today's Office" series on Social Media.

 

CAST

JACOB CALTRIDER* (Ensemble Trio) Jacob was most recently on stage for North Coast Rep as Sir Dinadan in Camelot. He has been performing for nearly 20 years at venues including Cygnet Theatre, SDRep, SDMT, Diversionary Theatre, The Welk Resort, Laguna Playhouse, Lamb’s Players Theatre and The Old Globe. He is an original cast member in the world premiere productions of The Daddy Machine and Harmony, Kansas (Diversionary); House of Dreams and Manifest Destinitis (SDRep); and Regency Girls (The Old Globe). Jacob recently received a Craig Noel Award for his performance as Jud Fry in Oklahoma! IG: @anothertakeonjake

ANDREW HEY* (Herman) is thrilled to return to North Coast Rep after debuting last season in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Andrew, along with his wife, Shinah, are recent transplants to Southern California and spent 12 years performing in the Twin Cities of Minnesota at theatres such as Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Ordway Center, Theater Latté Da, and others. Theatre highlights include: Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli), Grease (Doody), Joseph…(Joseph), Fiddler on the Roof (Fyedka), Little Women (Laurie), Disney’s Newsies (Finch, U/S Jack), The World Over (Adam), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (U/S Prince Eric), The Pirates of Penzance (U/S Frederic), and the Minneapolis cast and international touring cast of All Is Calm (Littlefair) among others. TV: BroadwayHD/ PBS recording of “All Is Calm” (Littlefair). Andrew also holds a MA in Counseling and works as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. IG:@heyandrewhey “Love to Shinah, Jane and Charlie.”

SHINAH HEY* (Cleo) is elated to be back at North Coast Rep after appearing in Gentleman’s Guide last summer. She will soon be appearing on Prime Video in the new series “Ventura Shores” as Gizelle Warner. Regional credits include, Arena Stage Ride the Cyclone; Guthrie Theater, The Music Man (Zaneeta Shinn) Chanhassen Dinner theater, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Cynthia Weil), Footloose (Rusty), Grease (Frenchy, Sandy U/S); Theater Latté Da, Assassins (Squeaky Fromme), Gypsy (Dainty June and Agnes), Into the Woods (Little Red and Lucinda); Artistry, Sweet Charity (Charity), Little Women (Amy/ Jo U/S); The Hive, Matt & Ben (Ben); The Jungle, Ride the Cyclone (Ocean). National Tours include The Kennedy Center, Me…Jane (Jane Goodall).  Sending all of her love to Andy (Herman), Jane and Charlie. Instagram: @ShinahHey.

TORI HITCHCOCK (Female Ensemble)  is thrilled to be a part of the North Coast Repertory Theater family! She is a 22-year-old from San Diego, California! She graduated from CBU with a Music/Theater degree and will be starting her Master's in the fall. Some Regional credits: Hodel; Fiddler on the Roof (SDMT), Ghost of Christmas Future; A Christmas Carol, Flapper Ancestor; The Addams Family (Welk Resort Theater), Ensemble; Newsies, Matilda (Moonlight Stage Productions). She was nominated as one of the top ten actresses in the 2019 Broadway San Diego. A recent highlight was being a featured soloist in the New Musical, One Day, which premiered in Carnegie Hall. Some other favorite roles were Jo March; Little Women, Little Red; Into the Woods, Peter Pan; Peter Pan, and Ariel; Footloose. She is so thankful to her amazing husband, family, friends, and mentors for all their incredible support! Enjoy the show! Eph. 3:20-21 @tori.hitchthom

MORGAN HOLLINGSWORTH (Ensemble Trio) This is Morgan’s North Coast Rep debut! PERFORMANCE: The Farnsworth Invention, Primary Trust (La Jolla Playhouse); Once (Lamb’s Players, The Chance Theater, CCAE Theatricals, Laguna Playhouse, Broadway Rose); Nickel Mines (ACT of CT, NYMF). COMPOSING: Musicals: The House of Edgar Allan Poe (NYMF, Weber State University), More Than All the Sky (The Green Room 42, Eugene O’Neill semi-finalist), Call Your Mother (readings at New Musicals Inc, The Chance Theater, and CCAE Theatricals). TV/Film: "Fracture" (20th Century Fox/Hulu), "Let There Be Light" (Seattle Film Fest). Other Composing: Washed Ashore (a collaboration with Walk With Amal and Blindspot Collective), Salty Water (La Jolla Playhouse’s 2023 WOW Festival). Morgan also served on the music teams for La Jolla Playhouse’s Redwood as well as The Old Globe’s Huzzah! and Ride. Alumnus of the 2018 Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project. @morganhollingsworth www.morganhollingsworth.com

CHRIS HUNTER* (Joe) is thrilled to make his North Coast Rep debut! Selected regional/opera credits include Anthony in Sweeney Todd (La Mirada Theatre, and in Budapest, Hungary), Les Miserables (The MUNY), Max Van Horn and Dorothy US in Tootsie (Moonlight Amphitheatre and MSMT respectively), Ragtime (Boston POPS), Ferrando in Cosí fan tutte (Salastina), Rapunzel’s Prince from Into the Woods (Pacific Opera Project), Orpheus in Orpheus (LA Opera Connects), and Lost in the Stars (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra). He also teaches voice privately, and is a faculty member at the L.A. County High School for the Arts, and at UCLA for their Summer Intensive for High School Students. Chris has a BA from UCLA, and a MM from BU. Thank you to Michele and the team at Take 3 Talent, and to the Most Happy Fella team. Love to Mom, Dad, and Mad.

JASON MADDY* (Doc, and all) is grateful to be returning to North Coast Rep, where he has been seen on stage since 2007. Jason holds an MFA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Jason was recently seen as Wayne in the world premiere production of Indian Princesses at La Jolla Playhouse. Other local credits include productions at San Diego Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, Moonlight Stage Productions, San Diego Musical Theater, and Lamb’s Players Theatre. Regional credits include the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival. Jason is currently the Head of the Acting program at San Diego School for the Creative and Performing Arts. jasonmaddy.com

GREGORY NORTH* (Tony) – was seen at North Coast Rep in Who Am I This Time? and Marjorie Prime. Broadway: Into the Woods, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, Grand Hotel opposite Cyd Charisse; National Tours: Phantom, Show Boat, Les Misérables. Over 100 roles in regional theatre, including (Can you name the show?): Curly, Lancelot, Sky Masterson, Carl-Magnus, Emile de Becque, Fred Graham, Phantom, Inspector Kemp, Emperor Joseph - Captains Hook and von Trapp - Generals Waverly and Schmitz - Misters Snow, Bennet and Maraczek - Juror #3, Ziegfeld, Frollo, Cogsworth, Bolingbroke, Grandfather, Pulitzer, Barrymore, Warbucks, Molokov, Dickinson, Tito Merelli, Carleton Fitzgerald, Paul Berthalet, Max Goldman. TV: "Law & Order," "How to Get Away with Murder," "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders," ”ER,” “11.22.63,” “Feud.” Animation: "Astroboy," “Star Nicely.” Film: "In Good Company," "Elizabethtown,” In production: "Of Lambs and Wolves" and "The Sham" with Cameron Diaz. Happily married to his favorite leading lady, Cynthia Marty. gregorynorthactor.com

 

ISABELLE SIMONE PIZZURRO (Female Ensemble) is thrilled to make her North Coast Rep debut! The Old Globe: Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Ensemble, u/s Mama Who). University Credits: Dance Nation (Amina/Asst. Choreographer), Bad Jews (Daphna), The Ferryman (Aunt Maggie Faraway/Choreographer), Pericles (Dance Captain/Bawd/Lychorida), Medea (Chorus/Fight Choreographer), James I: The Key Will Keep the Lock (Alisdair/Fight Captain), James III: The True Mirror, 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. Additional Credits: Henry V (Royal Shakespeare Company Education), Allegory (La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival), Il Trovatore (University Opera Theatre), Directing Intern for Witnesses (CCAE Theatricals). University of Minnesota Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, BA History. isabellesimonepizzurro.com instagram: @isabellepizzurro

BETHANY SLOMKA* (Marie) is delighted to make her NCRT debut! She is the recipient of the 2024 Craig Noel Award for Best Featured Performance in a Musical for her portrayal of "Paulette Bonafonte" in Legally Blonde (SDMT). Television credits include Encores! (Disney+). Favorite regional credits: "Mrs. Gloop" in the regional premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tarzan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Tuacahn); Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Hair (The Old Globe); "Tracy Turnblad" in Hairspray (The Welk, SDMT); and "Sister Mary Patrick" in Sister Act (Moonlight Stage Productions, SDMT). Bethany sends endless gratitude and love to her family Mom, Dad, CJH, ACHE, and D-and thanks you for supporting live theatre. We need the arts now more than ever. @beeslom

LAUREN WEINBERG* (Rosabella) is so grateful to return to North Coast Rep for a third season after performing in Camelot and Gentleman's Guide. Nat’l Tour: Guys & Dolls (Adelaide). Off-Broadway: Smile (Brenda). Regional favorites: Olney Theatre Center, Guys & Dolls (Adelaide, Helen Hayes Nomination); Riverside Theatre, Almost Maine; Engeman Theater, Clue (Miss Scarlet); Theatre By The Sea, Beauty and the Beast (Belle); The Wick Theatre, Brigadoon (Fiona) & Damn Yankees (Lola); Colorado Springs FAC, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Christine). Other New York: International Fringe Festival, The Jewish Museum, NYTF winner. Episodic: “Hustling, The Series.” Lauren appears in national commercial & voiceover spots for brands such as BudLight, Zicam, & JBL. BFA Penn State. Endless thanks to Jeff and David, love to Dru, Yadi, & the THPs! www.laurenweinbergofficial.com @ellemdoubleu

ELI WOOD (Ensemble Trio) is so grateful to be making his North Coast Rep debut in The Most Happy Fella! Having recently been awarded the Craig Noel 2025 Actor of the Year award, some of his favorite regional credits include Will Parker in Oklahoma! (Cygnet), Abe in the San Diego premiere of we are continuous (Diversionary); Johnny Casino in Grease (Moonlight); Warner Huntington III in Legally Blonde (SDMT). Other regional credits: The Rocky Horror Show, A Christmas Carol (Cygnet); The Prince of Egypt, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tarzan (Moonlight); Fiddler on the Roof, The Addams Family, Anything Goes, Plaid Tidings (SDMT). Thanks to his friends and family for their continual love and support. IG: @eli_wood7

VERNON WILLET* (Production Stage Manager) is returning to North Coast Rep with this production of The Most Happy Fella after having most recently helmed 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Peril in the Alps, Tartuffe, The Angel Next Door, Don’t Dress For Dinner and Murder on the Links. Actors’ Equity Association member since 1983.