REDLANDS - Someone skimming the program for Friday's concert at the Redlands Bowl may have thought Brad Little was omitting a crucial musical.
Little, who grew up in Redlands and graduated from Redlands High School, and his wife Barbara McCulloh performed songs from a smattering of Broadway musicals with the San Bernardino Symphony, conducted by Frank Fetta.

Little played the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway, a national tour and in Asia. However, no songs from "Phantom" were listed in Friday's program.

But Little, a true showman, came back onstage in a tux to sing "Music of the Night" after a fake bow and the symphony's rendition of "Phantom" 's famous overture. He and McCulloh also sang an arrangement of "Take Me As I Am" from "Jekyll & Hyde" and "All I Ask of You."

The opening concert of the Bowl's 84th season was preceded by a special Community Sing led by Curtiss Allen Sr. and Harriet Talbert. The Sing commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, which was open until 8 p.m. Shrine Curator Don McCue was recognized. Allen was in his element, leading songs such as "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" and "America" (My Country 'Tis of Thee).

REDLANDS - Someone skimming the program for Friday's concert at the Redlands Bowl may have thought Brad Little was omitting a crucial musical. Little, who grew up in Redlands and graduated from Redlands High School, and his wife Barbara McCulloh performed songs from a smattering of Broadway musicals with the San Bernardino Symphony, conducted by Frank Fetta.

Little played the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway, a national tour and in Asia. However, no songs from "Phantom" were listed in Friday's program.

But Little, a true showman, came back onstage in a tux to sing "Music of the Night" after a fake bow and the symphony's rendition of "Phantom" 's famous overture. He and McCulloh also sang an arrangement of "Take Me As I Am" from "Jekyll & Hyde" and "All I Ask of You."

The opening concert of the Bowl's 84th season was preceded by a special Community Sing led by Curtiss Allen Sr. and Harriet Talbert. The Sing commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, which was open until 8 p.m. Shrine Curator Don McCue was recognized. Allen was in his element, leading songs such as "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" and "America" (My Country 'Tis of Thee).

The performance was dedicated to Little's parents, Paul and Jo Ann, who flew in from Michigan for the show and - unknowingly - for a concert in their honor Saturday night at the University of Redlands.
The Littles were given a plaque from the Redlands Community Music Association for their contributions to the Bowl. Paul Little directed 11 musicals at the Bowl.

Brad Little and McCulloh began with "Showbiz" and then Little, deviating from the song list, launched into "This is the Moment" from "Jekyll & Hyde." Then McCulloh pretended to teach her clumsy husband how to dance during "Shall We Dance?" from "The King and I," in which she played Anna on Broadway.

Little called Carole Beswick's absent daughter, Michelle, on a cell phone and sang "If Ever I Would Leave You" from "Camelot." I was not sure what to make of that. Little can certainly sell a love song, and Michelle sounded genuinely touched. He did something similar in his May 2004 concert at Clock Auditorium when he called his parents and sang "Into the Fire" from "Scarlet Pimpernel" to them.

The show involved playful interaction between Fetta and the two vocalists, the vocalists and the audience, and between the two of them. They would ask him to stop the symphony at certain points, and Little played a bad version of "Chopsticks" - noting that his mother is a piano teacher - before Fetta kicked him off the piano. Then Fetta played while Little "conducted" the symphony.

McCulloh flirted with a few men in the first few rows during her rendition of Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." She and Little also asked the audience to name the musicals connected to each of the songs in their "Broadway Medley." Songs included "Luck Be a Lady" from "Guys and Dolls," "Some Enchanted Evening" from "South Pacific," "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from "Oklahoma!" and an interesting blend of "Send in the Clowns" and "Memory." It was the first time I'd heard a man sing "Memory." And despite having seen a lot of musicals, I missed a few.

In the second half, Little emerged from the door at the back of the stage wearing leather pants, a red shirt, a long leather jacket and sunglasses. He, McCulloh and his brother Jeff and sister Teri Kuhlman sang a medley from "Jesus Christ Superstar," in which Little starred on tour in Europe. Jeff Little particularly showed that a flair for the stage runs in the family.

The symphony played the overture from "Die Fledermaus" at the beginning of the concert and instrumental themes from the musical "Wicked" in the second half. I liked both of them, for different reasons. "Die Fledermaus" is a comic operetta composed by Johann Strauss II in 1874. "Wicked" opened on Broadway in 2003 and is playing in Hollywood. Interesting mix of the old and the new.

Little and McCulloh had a faux onstage argument with Irving Berlin's "Anything You Can Do" from "Annie Get Your Gun." McCulloh during this song and others showed good comic timing, often pretending to keep her husband from getting a big head. She also switched gears well to "Never Neverland" from "Peter Pan," in which she played Mrs. Darling on Broadway. She changed her dress three or four times, adding a fun visual element.

Little gave the audience a preview of his upcoming role as Javert in the Sacramento Music Circus' production of "Les Misérables" with "Stars." There have been some incredible Javerts in the show's history (my favorites are Terrence Mann and Philip Quast) but Little showed he can hold his own. The concert in general showcased his versatility well.

The couple's "last" song was the plaintive "Who Can I Turn To (Nobody Needs Me)." Interestingly, that was the song that played through my head after the concert was over. It's from "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd" and has been sung by Tony Bennett.

Fetta was entertaining to watch as he vigorously directed the orchestra and played along with Little and McCulloh. He explained that the concert was challenging to put together because of a lot of fast changeups. I am not a music critic, but I appreciated the symphony's flexibility in accompanying such dynamic performers.

After his entrance for "Jesus Christ Superstar," I half expected Little to appear on the catwalk in a mask and cape. But after their bows, he simply walked to the microphone (which unfortunately shortchanged them a few times throughout the evening) and sang "Music of the Night." It was a classy encore.

Little appeared to brush away tears during the hometown crowd's standing ovations. Perhaps even for an actor as well-traveled as Little, nothing beats singing at the Bowl.

REDLANDS - Before Friday's Redlands Bowl concert and after one given in his honor Saturday, former University of Redlands theater professor Paul Little paraphrased "Camelot," the first musical he directed at the Bowl.
"Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot for one brief, shining moment. This is our Camelot," he said.

If Redlands was his Camelot, Little was local theater's King Arthur - literally. He directed 11 musicals at the Redlands Bowl between 1974 and 1999, starring as King Arthur in 1974.

He began his tenure at the University of Redlands in 1970, serving as head of the theater department until 1974 and professor until 1986. He also taught religion and ethics there. He staged the first non-professional production of "Fiddler on the Roof" at UR, playing the lead role. His entire family was involved in theater, and son Brad eventually made it to Broadway.

Friends and UR staff and alumni decided last fall to hold a concert for Little and raise money for the school's new arts complex. They contacted Little's family about six months ago, and worked on the show for the past few months.

"We as players ... get together to remember and celebrate the many parts played by one man," said UR theater professor

Chris Beach, who helped host the event Saturday night.
Beach called it "not only a tribute to Paul's past but to the future" of arts education.

Part of the school's new $14 million arts complex will be named after Little. Phase 1, an extension of the Glenn Wallichs Theatre, will have classrooms and a black-box theater.

"It means so much to our family and we're thrilled to see the university invested in the arts and theater," said Jeff Little, who graduated from UR in 1976. Jeff Little, who lives in the Chicago area, works for the National Merit Scholarship Corp. and brought his wife Connie and two of his children, Heather and John.

On Saturday, Paul Little joked about the university using his name to raise money with President Stuart Dorsey, whom he met for the first time last weekend.

"It's a wonderful way for people who loved and admired him over the years to honor him," said Randy Possinger, director of major gifts at the university.

Former Mayor Carole Beswick, who played the lead role in Little's 1990 production of "Hello, Dolly!" at the Bowl, was at the Friday and Saturday concerts and helped coordinate the benefit show.

"Being in one of Paul's shows is truly life-altering," she said Friday night.

At the Bowl, everyone present who had worked on Little's shows stood up and applauded.

The Saturday concert was planned as a surprise.

"The kids said to stay over after the (Bowl) concert - to what depth, we didn't know," Jo Ann Little said.

"Mom and dad think they're coming to see their son in concert and it's really going to be RPaul Little Weekend.' It has little to nothing to do with me," Brad said in an interview the week before the concert.

On Saturday, Paul Little thanked his colleagues for challenging him. On Friday, he gave an emotional thank-you to UR choral director Jeff Rickard.

"There are many, many of these legends who deserve a night like this more than I," he said.

Brad Little called his father in the interview two weeks ago "one of most humble human beings on earth."

"If you do an interview with him, you're not going to get much out of him because he doesn't like to talk about himself. His concern is more of everyone else.

"He even said, RNo one in Redlands knows who I am anymore.' He's in for a huge, huge shock."

"They have a lot of close friends here," said Roger Duffer, former choir teacher at Redlands High School who now directs the Inland Master Chorale.

More than 400 friends - from theater, churches, the university, clubs - attended the reception and concert Saturday. The show was a bit disorganized but heartfelt.

"Love is really what it's all about - the love my dad touched so many people's lives with. And he did it everywhere," daughter Teri Kuhlman said.

One surprising thing was the absence of the Och Tamale. Jeff Little is a UR graduate, and Brad Little said in an interview that he would lead it. But I'm sure their father didn't notice.

Brad Little said he was emotionally drained after the concert.

"Overwhelming is the only word," Paul Little said after the show.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Jo Ann Little said.

Paul Little is retired, although, according to his family, he recently directed "The Glass Menagerie" in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area.

"He's definitely done with teaching and preaching, but he still gets the itch," Brad Little said.

"It's the last time until he does it again."

Little, an ordained Baptist minister, earned his doctorate in humanities at Syracuse University. It tied American history, religion and theater together, Brad Little said.

He said his parents visited Syracuse and tried to find his father's dissertation. They couldn't find it in records because it was "under glass."

"It's one of the most widely used for other students as far as research," Brad said.

While they lived in Redlands, Jo Ann Little was a member of the Breakfast Club and was a facilitator at Parenting Your Parent caregiver support group at First Baptist Church. Paul Little was a member of the Redlands Rotary and Fortnightly clubs and was involved in Cub Scouts.

Little served as dean of the arts at Cypress Community College from 1986 to 1991. He was an interim pastor for churches in Illinois and California before moving to Michigan in February 2002. The Littles live close to Kuhlman and her family.

The 84th Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival started off with a good old-fashioned community sing lead by Curtiss B. Allen Jr., dressed in his John Phillips Souza gold braided uniform.
Attending a Bowl event is like taking a step into a time machine; it's a surreal perfect world of what America used to look like. The glitterati of Redlands were perfect, the Bowl was a picture-perfect setting, and evening's weather was perfect.

The first concert of the season was billed as a "Celebration," and that it was; of things pertaining to The Little Family of Redlands. It was celebrated by a stellar performance of The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra under the direction of master maestro Frank Fetta. The Orchestra, one of the music crown jewels of the Inland Empire, rose to the challenge of re-vamping the concert's original program; their multifariousness to make cuts, changes in material, and tempo adjustments during last minute rehearsals deserves a standing ovation for their professionalism and tremendous encomium.

The pre-program show was presented with aplomb and was an ebullient occasion full of thank you, announcements, dedications, and a presentation of a plaque to Dr. Paul Little for his contributions to the Bowl as a stage director and producer.
Maestro Fetta and the Orchestra started the evening of "Celebrate Broadway" with the Overture from Roaslinda (Die Fledermaus). The rich arrangement brought the opera's delightful memorable melodies to life once again and garnered great audience response. During the rest of Act 1, the man known as, "The "Phantom" returned. Brad Little, who played the title role in Webber's Phantom of the Opera on Broadway after the Broadway star Michael Crawford left the show, was joined by his wife and singing partner Barbara McCulloh and perform a plethora of popular show tunes from the musical theater.

Little's well developed Broadway baritone voice was a good match with the 57-piece San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra. Unfortunately, his wife's voice was not. At times she sounded lost and almost overwhelmed by the voluptuous lushness of the orchestra and at times sang flat. This duo was not a good match for such a strong orchestra capable of an opening night at the Hollywood Bowl.

Act 2 featured a lively rock medley from "Jesus Christ Superstar" performed by The Littles, along with Jeff Little and Terri Kuhlman, Brad's brother and sister.

The highlight of the act was symphonic selections from the Broadway hit "Wicked." The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra displayed its musical virtuosity and precise playing technique under Fetta's skillful baton.

Little closed the show with his Phantom theme song from "Phantom of the Opera" to an appreciative audience.
 
 

REDLANDS - "Man, I hope my funeral's half this good!" said former University of Redlands theater professor Paul Little at the end of a concert in his honor Saturday night at the university's Greek Theatre.
Little's sons Jeff and Brad, daughter Teri Kuhlman and performers from shows Little directed at the university and Redlands Bowl gave the emotional benefit concert, "A Little' Night Music" to raise money for a new arts complex, part of which will be named after "Dr. Paul."

Little and his wife Jo Ann were seated at a raised table to the right of the stage. UR theater professor Chris Beach and choreographer Jo Dierdorff emceed from a platform on the opposite side of the stage.

Performers sang songs from musicals Little directed from 1970 to 1998. Jeff Little began with "Try to Remember" from "The Fantasticks," in which he played the lead at UR. Brad Little and wife Barbara McCulloh sang "Do You Love Me?" from "Fiddler on the Roof," in which Paul Little played Tevye and Jo Ann played Golde in the musical's first non-professional production, staged at UR. Former Redlands Mayor Carole Beswick led a group of women in "Ladies Who Lunch," and Brad Little, in sunglasses, sang "Beauty School Dropout" from "Grease," in which he had to prove himself as an understudy in 1981.
"Dad never did cast me in any of his shows, but I hope I've shown him since," quipped Brad, who has played the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

Other songs included "Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You?" from "The Music Man" - complete with barbershop quartet - "Get Me to the Church on Time" by "the Boozers" from the 1996 "My Fair Lady" production at the Bowl and "Kansas City" from "Oklahoma!"

"Paul and I go way back. I was more than happy to come out of retirement (for this)," said Carey Smith, who sang "Kansas City" wearing a cowboy hat. He performed in "Oklahoma!" at the Redlands Theatre Festival.

At the end of the concert, the Little family sang "For Good" from the musical "Wicked." Paul and Jo Ann Little were led up to the stage and sat with their family during a reprise of "Try to Remember."

Brad Little asked people who knew his father from the Bowl, the university, and churches he'd pastored to stand.

"After the closing number, everyone was standing," said Julie Michaels, a university board member who organized the event.

Little said it was a "great night to come home to."

"Overwhelming is about the only word ... the love here is just typical of this community," Little said after the concert. "So many years and to think there are so many people who appreciate."

"With our whole family being involved made it that much more precious," said Jo Ann Little after the concert.

Organizers and family members said the Littles were given only a vague idea of what was happening.

"We had to keep it a secret for six months - and I live two minutes away," Kuhlman said. Kuhlman, who lives near Grand Rapids, Mich., was joined by her husband Bob Stephens and twin sons Jay and Chris and their wives.

Little, who is also a Baptist minister, was chairman of UR's theater department from 1971 to 1986. He directed his first Bowl musical, "Camelot," in 1974 and his last, "Fiddler on the Roof," in 1999. The Littles moved to the Grand Rapids area in 2002. Paul was chairman of the theater department at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., before moving to Redlands. He was dean of the arts at Cypress College in Orange County before moving to Michigan to be an interim pastor.

The event Saturday raised $100,000 for the university's new arts complex. Phase 1 of the complex will be an addition to the Glenn Wallichs Theatre and will include a black-box theater, rooms for costumes and props, and classrooms. The addition will be funded by the university's $14 million Campaign for the Arts, $10 million of which has been raised. Construction should begin in fall 2008, according to Randy Possinger, UR's director of major gifts.

"Naming a classroom for Paul Little provides a lasting remembrance of his time here ... and a way for alumni and friends to recognize his legacy," Possinger said.

Alumni and friends of the Littles got the idea for a surprise concert late last fall, and have been organizing it for the past few months. They scheduled the concert for Saturday at the suggestion of Brad Little, who was in town to sing at the Bowl Friday with McCulloh.

Michaels said people were contacted through the university's alumni office, the American Baptist Church, clubs Little belonged to and theater contacts.

The Littles were also recognized by the Redlands Community Music Association before Friday's concert at the Bowl.

Brad Little has enchanted audiences in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway and on tours throughout the world.

But Friday he sings for his hometown.

Joined by his wife, Broadway actress Barbara McCulloh, the pair will perform musical hits with the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra under conductor Frank Fetta as the kickoff of the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival.

Little, whose father Paul was a theater professor at the University of Redlands, pretty much grew up on stages, including the 6,000-seat bowl.

"I remember being so scared and so nervous, and we would peek around the columns and see how many people there were," Little said. "It made me realize what it was to perform for that many people at an early age, which helped me in the future."

His future led to Broadway roles in "Anything Goes," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Cyrano the Musical" and the lead in "Phantom," which he has performed more than 2,100 times, most recently on a 2 ½ year tour of Asia.

"It's one of the most brilliantly written roles in theater history. There is such depth you can always reach and find something new every night," Little said. "He is so out there, I can play him angry. I can play it pitiful, like a child, like a father. I can change that up. That gave it a lot of longevity."

Little with McCulloh, who recently was in Melissa Manchester's "I Sent a Letter to My Love," will sing songs from shows they've done in New York.

"It's songs that we love, we going to do a medley of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' music. It's my favorite music that Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote," he said. The pair will perform classics, such as "If Ever I Should Leave You" from "Camelot," and McCulloh will do numbers from "Peter Pan," in which she played Mrs. Darling on Broadway.

Little thinks musicals remain popular because people have a basic need for the stories and the passion of live music.

Fetta said his stars are high-caliber performers.

"Many of things that Brad and Barbara are doing are classic Broadway. They take real voices to sing them," he said. "It will be a major fun time. There is music that is typically Broadway, very brassy and buoyant, but also some is very classical, very elegant and some is tongue-in-cheek."

Fetta includes tunes from the contemporary hit "Wicked" to Johann Strauss' bright, gleeful overture to "Die Fledermaus."

"I want to show the symphony off and also show that musical theater actually came from the operetta," he said. "We've got some tricks up our sleeve that will be kind of fun."

The evening will start with a community sing of Civil War songs at 7:15 p.m.

Redlands High School graduate Brad Little has logged thousands of miles and more than 2,000 performances playing his favorite role, the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera."
Since breaking into the role as an understudy on Broadway, Little has haunted boards as far away as Asia and as close as Los Angeles. On Friday night, Little and his wife, Barbara McCulloh, will perform Broadway songs at the Redlands Bowl with the San Bernardino Symphony.

"There's nothing like coming home and singing for your family, your hometown," he said.

"Everyone's so proud of the hometown kid," McCulloh said.
 

Redlands roots

Little said he remembers playing in the orange groves as a kid.

"That's the part I really, really miss about coming home. But the old houses are still there - you go down Cajon, that whole area is still the same.

"It's amazing how big Redlands has gotten since I grew up there. Still, how many of my friends still live there? At times ... I feel like I never left," he said.

Little, who was born in Syracuse, N.Y., is the son of former University of Redlands theater professor Paul Little and piano teacher Jo Ann Little. He attended Mariposa Elementary and what was then Moore Junior High School. He spent his
ninth-grade year in Salzburg, Austria, when his father was there with a group of UR students.
He was in many of the musicals his father directed at the Redlands Bowl.

"The only time - you can quote me - the only time I ever got the principal role in one of my father's shows was RBrigadoon.'" And he had to try twice as hard, he said.

"It comes naturally growing up in an acting family. You learn so much being around it. But somewhere along the line he got the bug," said Roger Duffer, his choir teacher at Redlands High School.

Little graduated from RHS in 1982, where he was involved in a few of the choirs and the school's productions of "Oklahoma!" "Hello, Dolly" and "South Pacific."

"Choir was my life in high school," he said.

And football. Little was at RHS during coach Paul Womack's tenure and went to school with his son Darryl, now a teacher at Yucaipa High School.

"I think I went to every Terrier football game," Little said.
 

Breaking into theater

Little credited Duffer for sharpening his interest in music.

"I grew up with music. It was Roger's passion for music that really, really turned me on to that.

"I just find music so fascinating and learning every day about it. It's because of Roger's passion that I have succeeded as much as I have," he said.

After high school, Little tried to break into theater in Los Angeles and was soon asked to participate in a concert honoring Mary Martin, who made the role of Peter Pan famous on Broadway.

"He's one of the rare people able to go right from high school to theater. He had no formal training after high school," said Duffer, who now directs the Inland Master Chorale and has also directed shows at the Bowl.

"I auditioned for one show and got it, auditioned for the next show and got it ... and I've never gone back," Little said.

He was eventually cast as Raoul in "Phantom" and played the Phantom one night.

"(Producer) Hal Prince happened to be at the theater that night and said, RYou're the next Phantom,'" Duffer said.

"He never had to go through washing dishes - but he worked hard to get up to it," he said.
 

Hometown support

After Broadway, Little played the Phantom on the show's national tour, which brought him to Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theater in November and December 2003.

Little loved the opportunity to play the Phantom "a long stone's throw away from home."

"I'm thrilled when people from Redlands come to New York and we can hook up. Would that other towns had that love and support," Little said.

Several of the Littles' friends from Redlands went to see the show. In November, Little gave the RHS student theater group, the Theatre Arts Company, a backstage tour.

"The highlight of my night was when we all sang the Alma Mater and the awesome trip we took backstage. Brad Little was very nice and it was very nice of him to share his time and energy with us," student Anna Livoni told the Daily Facts in a Dec. 5 article.

Little also took Darryl Womack and his sons, Garrett, Kevin and Christopher, backstage and took photos with them.

"He took us to see all the costumes, they put on his prosthetic face, he took them onto the stage ... he showed the kids his underground secret lair, how the candles came out of the stage ... The boys have been hooked ever since," Darryl Womack said in a June 2006 article in the Daily Facts about his son Kevin, who played Gavroche in Yucaipa High School's production of "Les Miserables" last year.

Womack, who said his family would be out of town during the Bowl concert, said Little called him when his father died.

"He was a great man with the biggest heart. It was never about him ... what he did for those kids while I was at RHS was amazing," Little said.
 

Phantom'

Little considers the Phantom the "best role in theater history."

"Having the privilege to play the most famous role in theater - I can't get enough of it," he said.

"The good thing about the Phantom role is that you're not recognizable away from the role; you can be a real person," Duffer said. "I remember when he played at the Ahmanson. Because of that (anonymity), he's be out front before the show with the audience and they never knew who he was. I went down a few times and met him ... and had dinner.

"People had no clue who he was."

Playing the Phantom has enabled Little to see the world and turned him into a bit of a celebrity overseas.

He toured major locations in Asia, including Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore, in 2006 and early this year.

"It was crazy - Korea, especially. It felt as if I was Elvis or the Beatles," he said.

"At the end of the run of Phantom,' we had 600 people outside the stage door to shake hands, say thank you. They waited over two hours. Fans would come and wait for you outside before the show - some who were not even there to see the show. It's very, very different there."

Little toured Europe in "Jesus Christ, Superstar" and "West Side Story" and has performed on cruise ships and in concerts in Europe, South America and Asia. He and McCulloh recently gave a concert in South Korea.

It was in his contract that McCulloh would be flown to every city on "Phantom" 's Asian tour. He said it allowed them to experience different cultures as a couples.

"I wish more Americans did it," he said.
 

Barbara McCulloh

But because of their schedules, the couple decided not have children.

"We're apart so much - it would be very difficult to raise a family together," Little said.

McCulloh, a Baltimore native, has played Anna in "The King and I" and Mrs. Darling in "Peter Pan" on Broadway. In addition to national tours and regional theater, she has also appeared on television shows such as "Law and Order: SVU." She does voice work for the cartoon "Courage the Cowardly Dog."

She also records books.

"I've been doing it for long time - I really enjoy it," she said after a recording session in New York last week.

"Audio books are the industry's fastest-growing (area). It's intimate medium - very much like working on film with just your voice."

She has recorded children's books, mysteries, romantic novels and historical fiction, such as Willa Cather's "O Pioneers!"

"It's my own choice. For every nine roles for men, there's one for women," she said.
 

Other roles

"He's has trained himself to stretch voice. He's very flexible ... he considers himself an actor who sings," Duffer said.

Little said he's a "true baritone" who's taught himself to sing higher for theater roles.

He has played lead roles in "Cyrano the Musical," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Anything Goes" at the Lincoln Center, "Evita," "The Scarlet Pimpernel," "Beauty and the Beast," "Jekyll & Hyde" and "A Little Night Music," among others.

One show he said he has not done and would like to do is Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel."
 

Next

Little's next engagement is a 9:30 a.m. Sunday rehearsal for "Les Miserables" in Sacramento. He is playing Javert in the Music Circus' production, which opens July 10.

It will be Little's first time performing in "Les Miz."

"(Javert is) a bad guy with a lot going on. He's doing it for God and the law. It's going to be a lot of fun playing him, and not play him as a bad guy," Little said.

He and McCulloh are performing in a show called "I Do, I Do" at the Bristol Riverside Theatre in the Philadelphia area in October. They met at that theater in 1987 while playing the leads in "The Robber Bridegroom." They were married in September 1992 and bought a house in Bristol on the Delaware River. They split their time between there and an apartment in New York City, which are an hour and a half apart.

Little is also hosting the Long Beach Symphony's annual Christmas concert at the beginning of December.
 

Singing for the hometown crowd

Little does know the Och Tamale - he even recited it rapid-fire over the phone. His brother Jeff is a UR graduate. Little said he attended a few Bulldog football games while he was in junior high.

"I can't wait to get back and hear people who really know the Och Tamale," he said.

Little said he's "always nervous."

"These concerts are a one-shot deal. You rehearse twice with orchestra, even when you rehearse with the orchestra, you never do concert. The first time ever do show is when everyone's there. You ad-lib and hope they enjoy it as much as we are," he said.

Little sang at the Bowl in August 2000 and performed at Clock Auditorium with the Inland Master Chorale in May 2004.

"It's just so amazing to go back home and see all the people who are still there. It really flips me out when all of former classmates are there with their teenage children," he said.

"The main thing is to thank everyone. The support they've given my family, even though they've left Redlands, it's still home and always will be.

"There's no bigger honor than to be asked to sing at the Redlands Bowl."

"It's overwhelming going back to his hometown ... It's a lovely place to perform, to be so warmly welcomed," McCulloh said.

Little's parents will be on hand for the concert Friday night. Paul and Jo Ann Little moved to Rockford, Mich., in February 2002. Paul Little was chairman of UR's theater department from 1971 to 1986.

REDLANDS - Popular Redlands theater director Paul Little and his son Brad Little, Broadway star of "The Phantom of the Opera," will be appearing together on stag again - this time in Texas in August.

Redlands Bowl fans will recall their singing together when Brad and wife Barbara McCulloh highlighted last year's season with their performance Aug. 22. Parents Paul and Jo Ann Little came out of the audience to join them on stage for "Do You Love Me" from "Fiddler on the Roof."

This time, Brad Little is starring as El Gallo in "The Fantasticks" Aug. 2-11 for Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals. Barbara McCulloh is directing the musical. Paul Little will play Henry Albertson, the old actor.

"When Barbara was casting this younger company, she wanted an older actor to play that role and told them, 'I think I know one' and asked if I would be willing to come down and do it," Paul Little said. He had played that role in the mid 1980s at the University of Redlands Glenn Wallichs Theater when he was director of UR's theater program. He won an Inland Empire Theater League award for that performance when he played it opposite his older son Jeff Little as El Gallo.

Paul Little recalled directing "The Fantasticks" at the Redlands Bowl the summer of 1994 when Mark Almy played El Gallo, Jeffrey Rickard played one of the fathers, Dick McCarty was the Old Actor, and Tom Harrigan played the Indian. Matt was played by Carey Curtis Smith, who is directing this year's Bowl musical, "Meet Me in St. Louis."

Paul Little will fly to Galveston July 23 to begin rehearsals. He said that Brad will arrive for just four days of rehearsals. That's because he is playing the lead in the "Jekyll and Hyde" musical July 11-28 in Gateway Performing Arts in Long Island, N.Y.

Paul and Jo Ann Little plan to see Brad playing Jekyll when they are in New York July 20-21. They arrive back in Redlands July 22 for a day before he goes on to Galveston. He will celebrate his 73rd birthday there Aug. 6.

When "Fantasticks" closes, Brad Little will have a week off before beginning rehearsals for "A little Night Music" at the Goodspeed Musical Theater in Connecticut. That Sondheim musical opens Sept. 28 and runs to Dec. 16. Brad plays the role of Count Carl-Magnus, "Desire's insanely jealous, arrogant, and moronic dragoon lover,"in the love triangle of the musical whose most popular song is "Send in the Clowns."

The Littles plan to go to Connecticut for this show too. "I wouldn't miss this one," Paul Little said. "It's one of my favorite Sondheims - such a class show. Sometimes Sondheim is grinding up people in meat pies ('Sweeney Todd'). Other times he is nothing but elegance. 'A Little Night Music' reminds me so very much of an Ingmar Bergman film.
 

 REDLANDS - Ignoring the adage "You can't go home again," Brad Little
 comes home to sing for the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival on
 Tuesday, Aug. 22.

 From growing up in Redlands to playing the Phantom in the touring company of
 Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" to recording solo CDs, Little
 has made the long, successful journey from home to Broadway stardom and
 home again.

 Little's journey to Broadway began at Redlands High School (class of 1982)
 where he played in "Oklahoma," as Horace Vandergelder in "Hello, Dolly!" and
 Lt. Cable in "South Pacific." His parents, Redlands residents Paul and Jo Ann
 Little, saw him play summer stock, sing on cruise ships and perform at Tokyo
 Disney. Longtime University of Redlands and Redlands Bowl director Paul
 Little also directed the younger Little in several productions.

 "Whenever my father was the director," recalls Brad Little, "I always had to do
 twice as good as everyone else to get cast as a lead." He remembers being the
 lead in only one musical - "Brigadoon" - that the senior Little directed at the
 Bowl. "My father is one of toughest directors I know, and one of the best. I am
 truly blessed to have parents that support my career as an actor."

 Little joined the Broadway "Phantom" cast as a "swing" for all the male chorus
 roles. He played Raoul for two and a half years before being offered the lead in
 the touring company.

 Partnering with Little will be his real-life partner, his wife, Barbara McCulloh. A
 Broadway star in her own right, McCulloh played Mrs. Anna for more than a
 year in the Broadway revival of "The King and I," and she won a Barrymore
 nomination for best actress for her role as Lizzie in "110 in the Shade" at the
 Bristol Theater. She also won a Helen Hayes nomination for Best Actress as
 Pauline in "Sweet Revenge of Louisa May."

 Little and McCulloh, who met more than 13 years ago while playing together in
 "The Robber Bridegroom" in Bristol, Pa., have collaborated on several
 occasions for recitals and concerts, locally and around the country. "We love to
 do this whenever we're asked, but it's not the major part of our work," they
 said.

 Little, who left the "Phantom" touring company in March so he could spend
 more time with his wife, explained that such collaboration presents scheduling
 challenges.

 "Barbara will be just starting rehearsals," Little explained, "and she'll have to fly
 out on the day of the concert, and leave immediately afterward to get to
 rehearsal for the next day. But we love working together."

 When asked if he would sing anything from "Phantom," Little said, "People will
 have to come to find out."

 For the Redlands Bowl event, Paul Baker of Los Angeles will accompany Little
 and McCulloh on keyboard, and Rick Plummer of Fountain Valley will be the
 drummer.

 This concert, co-sponsored by Coldwell Banker Realty Center, will begin at
 8:15 p.m. following the 7:20 community sing led by Curtiss Allen Sr.
 Accompanist is Harriet Talbert.

 The intermission ushers will be members of Coldwell Banker Realty Center and
 members of Habitat for Humanity, and the speaker will be Sheila Cannon,
 chairman of the Redlands Bowl's children's workshops.

 On Tuesday, Aug. 22, Little and McCulloh will present the Bowl's children's
 workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. at Redlands First Congregational Church, 2 W.
 Olive Ave.