Trees<\/em> in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to offer a venue for Neal\u2019s work,\u201d says BLT President Leslie Blaha. \u201cHis unique stories and diverse musical styles appeal broadly to our audiences. French Cupcakes is a magical story about how people sometimes must adjust their dreams to fit their realities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two-act musical follows the lives of characters working at French Cupcakes, a legendary caf\u00e9-bakery in a quaint midwestern college town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than a bakery, the establishment is a place of dreams. Caf\u00e9 manager\/grad student Tina dreams of becoming a diplomat. House musician Nick dreams of becoming a country music star. Second year MBA student Bridget dreams of becoming a Wall Street titan. Baristas dream of becoming Cancan dancers in Paris. And caf\u00e9 owner Pierre dreams of selling his shop and retiring along the French Riviera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Pierre puts his dream into action, the others scramble to adjust their own dreams. Dreams ruined, dreams deferred, dreams realized: French Cupcakes explores the twists and turns of our desires that fuel this thing called life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The musical is directed by Michael Fowle, with music direction by Paul Rossen, and choreography by Cathy Oh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learner knows well how one\u2019s dreams don\u2019t always turn out as expected. He entered the University of Michigan School of Music and Theater as a violin performance major but quickly realized his dream of playing in professional orchestras was out of reach. Nevertheless, Learner continued to play his violin in community orchestras, while pursuing his other musical interests of singing, songwriting and composing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAchieving professional success in the performing arts and other competitive professions has always been difficult, and is no less so today,\u201d says Learner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSocial media amplifies the glamours life of professional actors, musicians, authors, designers, athletes, and others,\u201d he adds. \u201cWhile one should always pursue their dreams, it\u2019s important to have a back up plan if they don\u2019t come true. You can still enjoy your creative pursuits at the highest levels, even if it\u2019s not your living. The Washington, D.C., region offers a multitude of opportunities for talented amateur actors and musicians to pursue their crafts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more information on Bethesda Little Theatre and French Cupcakes, visit https:\/\/blt-online.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"September 2025 The Bethesda Little Theatre to Present World Premiere of French Cupcakes: A New Musical by Neal Learner Bethesda, Md. \u2013 The Bethesda Little Theatre (BLT) is pleased to present the world premiere of French Cupcakes, a New Musical by Neal Learner, an Alexandria, Va.-based writer and composer. Performance will take place October 10-12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1303,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1302\/revisions\/1303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}