Want to Go?

"Curtains"

Presented by the Charleston Light Opera Guild

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and June 26 and 27; 3 p.m. June 28

WHERE: Civic Center Little Theater

TICKETS: $20

INFO: 304-343-2287

The theater world knows him as Rob Ashford, award-winning choreographer. Nominated four times for a Tony award, he won the coveted prize in 2002 for "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

In Beckley, they remember him as Rob Davis, "just a regular kid growing up in a church-going family," he said.

Last Sunday, he choreographed the opening number for the Tony Awards.

That's why he couldn't come to Charleston.

Now he's off to London to direct "A Streetcar Named Desire."

"That's another reason I couldn't come to Charleston," he said.

During FestivALL this week, the Charleston Light Opera Guild will tip its hat to the highly successful West Virginian when it presents the musical "Curtains" at the Civic Center Little Theater.

Ashford choreographed the original Broadway production in 2007 and earned a Tony nomination for his work.

Taking a cue from Gov. Manchin's "Come Home to West Virginia" promotion, FestivALL events this year highlight state and local talent.

Ashford planned to fly home to participate in a series of pre-FestivALL panels and workshops. Then he got an offer he could not refuse -- a chance to choreograph the Tony Awards opening. And, there was "Streetcar" waiting for him in London.

So he postponed the homecoming. "I'll be there this fall, first chance I get, maybe even as early as August," he said. "The last time I was home was for my grandmother's funeral three years ago. I miss the beauty of West Virginia. I just wish it was easier to get to."

Nina Denton Pasinetti choreographed the "Curtains" production for FestivALL, "but extreme care was given to pay respect to Rob Ashford's choreographic vision," she said.

Growing up in Beckley, senior class president at Woodrow Wilson High School, a diligent student aiming at a law degree, Ashford never envisioned flitting back and forth between London and Broadway as a big-time director/choreographer.

His father, Larry Davis, was a teacher and principal. His mother, Cathy, worked for the Mine Health and Safety Academy. He played piano in church, read a lot, watched a lot of movies.

"My dad loved movie musicals. We'd watch 'Showboat' and 'Oklahoma' on television on Sunday afternoons."

From the second grade on, he wanted to be a lawyer, a trial lawyer. "I knew they made a lot of money. And what you see on TV felt like acting, a respectable version of the theater."

Want to Go?

"Curtains"

Presented by the Charleston Light Opera Guild

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and June 26 and 27; 3 p.m. June 28

WHERE: Civic Center Little Theater

TICKETS: $20

INFO: 304-343-2287

The theater world knows him as Rob Ashford, award-winning choreographer. Nominated four times for a Tony award, he won the coveted prize in 2002 for "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

In Beckley, they remember him as Rob Davis, "just a regular kid growing up in a church-going family," he said.

Last Sunday, he choreographed the opening number for the Tony Awards.

That's why he couldn't come to Charleston.

Now he's off to London to direct "A Streetcar Named Desire."

"That's another reason I couldn't come to Charleston," he said.

During FestivALL this week, the Charleston Light Opera Guild will tip its hat to the highly successful West Virginian when it presents the musical "Curtains" at the Civic Center Little Theater.

Ashford choreographed the original Broadway production in 2007 and earned a Tony nomination for his work.

Taking a cue from Gov. Manchin's "Come Home to West Virginia" promotion, FestivALL events this year highlight state and local talent.

Ashford planned to fly home to participate in a series of pre-FestivALL panels and workshops. Then he got an offer he could not refuse -- a chance to choreograph the Tony Awards opening. And, there was "Streetcar" waiting for him in London.

So he postponed the homecoming. "I'll be there this fall, first chance I get, maybe even as early as August," he said. "The last time I was home was for my grandmother's funeral three years ago. I miss the beauty of West Virginia. I just wish it was easier to get to."

Nina Denton Pasinetti choreographed the "Curtains" production for FestivALL, "but extreme care was given to pay respect to Rob Ashford's choreographic vision," she said.

Growing up in Beckley, senior class president at Woodrow Wilson High School, a diligent student aiming at a law degree, Ashford never envisioned flitting back and forth between London and Broadway as a big-time director/choreographer.

His father, Larry Davis, was a teacher and principal. His mother, Cathy, worked for the Mine Health and Safety Academy. He played piano in church, read a lot, watched a lot of movies.

"My dad loved movie musicals. We'd watch 'Showboat' and 'Oklahoma' on television on Sunday afternoons."

From the second grade on, he wanted to be a lawyer, a trial lawyer. "I knew they made a lot of money. And what you see on TV felt like acting, a respectable version of the theater."

He never got his day in court. Instead, he discovered dancing.

Ashford's career path started shifting the summer before his freshman year at Washington & Lee University. He signed up for pre-law. An adviser suggested that English or theater might prove more useful to an aspiring lawyer. Ashford happily switched to theater.

That summer, he worked as an extra for Theatre West Virginia, the company that produces the outdoor musicals, "Honey in the Rock" and "Hatfields & McCoys."

"I filled in on crowd scenes and was one of the McCoys who get killed," he said in a phone conversation from New York. "I made $35 a week."

During two more summers with Theatre West Virginia, he nurtured a growing fascination with dance under the tutelage of dance captain Toneta Akers-Toler. "She taught a basic dance class for actors, and I took that. Dancing was very hard. I was bad."

His mentor saw the potential. "He really listened," Akers-Toler said. "He asked if he could just hang out with the dancers here, and he would learn the dances. I saw how hard he was working, so I gave him a lot of attention. He just took to it. It's in your heart."

"In high school, I was more of an intellectual," Ashford said. "I didn't play any sports. Everything was from the neck up. It was liberating to be able to use my body to express myself. That balance was very appealing to me."

He views choreography as storytelling, a concept he adopted from his idol, Jerome Robbins. "Dancing is never just steps for the sake of steps. It's to tell the story and move the plot along. Jerome Robbins was famous for that."

Impressed with Ashford's eagerness to learn, Akers-Toler called her alma mater, Point Park College in Pittsburgh, and convinced an instructor to fly to Beckley to evaluate the talent of her protégé. The assessment earned Ashford admission to the college's Conservatory of Performing Arts.

He taught at the college and performed for a year in Pittsburgh before taking his shot at the Big Apple. It didn't take long to get those dancing feet wet. He performed at Radio City Music Hall and the Metropolitan Opera and in such shows as "Anything Goes" and "Victor/Victoria."

His parents were supportive, he said, but only to a point. "When I was an actor and dancer in Broadway shows, my dad would say, 'You would have had your own practice for three years by now.' He doesn't say that anymore. They're so proud of what I do.

"Last year, I did opera at La Scala in Milan and I took my mother. Her family is Italian and this was her first trip to Italy. I took her to a fancy opening night party. My parents sweated it out during the tough times, and now they're reaping the benefits."

His new name is a tribute to his mom. "When I joined Actors Equity," he said, "they already had a Robert Davis. They don't allow duplication. My mother was a Ford, so I changed to Ashford."

His choreography career got a jumpstart following a stint as choreographer assistant for a production at Lincoln Center. Friend and fellow choreographer Kathleen Marshall took notice and hired him as associate choreographer for the 1999 revival of "Kiss Me Kate."

The more he learned, the more he itched to try choreographing on his own.

"Creativity begets creativity," he said. "If you have enough creativity and believe in yourself enough to get started and you get to work with other insanely creative people, they inspire you."

Eventually, prominent Broadway producer Hal Prince approached "Thoroughly Modern Millie" director Michael Mayer about auditioning Ashford for choreographer. The role, his Broadway debut as lead choreographer, collected one of the show's six Tonys.

Last year, he won two major choreography awards for the Broadway musical "Cry Baby." He staged the dance numbers for "Beyond the Sea," the Bobby Darin biopic starring Kevin Spacey. He choreographed tributes to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Barbra Streisand for the Kennedy Center Honors. He collaborated on a Hugh Jackman-Beyonce production number for the 8lst Academy Awards.

"I'm thrilled that he achieved his goals," Akers-Toler said. "He wanted it. He says he learned his hard work from here. He's a southern West Virginia boy. We know hard work."

He tried directing for the first time last year in London with "Parade" and won Olivier nominations for directing and choreography. This fall, he's bringing the show to Los Angeles. For Broadway next season, he's working on a revival of "Promises Promises."

Despite the growing demands on his time, the "regular kid" from Beckley is having the time of his life. "I get to travel the world and work with the smartest, most interesting people and create things that move people, things that make them laugh and make them cry," he said. "It never feels like work."

A dance class in Beckley changed everything. "Without that," Akers-Toler said, "he might have ended up being a miserable lawyer."

Reach Sandy Wells at san...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5173.