The Spark Behind the MusicalShortly after Opal’s Rolling Stone interview was published, theater creator and magic, illusion and special effects designer Dennis Lee Bush read the article. The story immediately struck him. “I was captivated,” Bush recalls. “Here was a Grammy-winning artist describing a dream filled with magic, angels, humor, heartbreak, and ultimately redemption. As someone who has spent my life creating theatrical productions, I immediately saw the stage in my mind.”
Bush reached out to Opal to learn more about the events surrounding the mysterious night she described. As their conversations unfolded, the story revealed itself as something uniquely theatrical — a blend of music, imagination, spiritual reflection, and emotional transformation. It was the perfect foundation for a stage musical.
Inspired by Opal’s journey, Bush - in collaboration with Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night - began developing a new theatrical work built around their iconic songs, weaving them into a magical narrative about ambition, friendship, loss, and rediscovering joy.
The result became: Celebrate… The Opal Valentine Story. The musical tells the story of a young singer consumed by the pursuit of perfection who finds herself swept into the dreamlike world of the Magistique Theater — a place where angels, illusions, outstanding musical numbers and fragments of her past guide her toward healing and rediscovery.
Through spectacular stage magic, humor, and the timeless music of Three Dog Night, the show follows Opal as she confronts heartbreak, betrayal, and the cost of fame before ultimately reclaiming the joy that once defined her life. For more information: celebratethemusical.com
Bush reached out to Opal to learn more about the events surrounding the mysterious night she described. As their conversations unfolded, the story revealed itself as something uniquely theatrical — a blend of music, imagination, spiritual reflection, and emotional transformation. It was the perfect foundation for a stage musical.
Inspired by Opal’s journey, Bush - in collaboration with Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night - began developing a new theatrical work built around their iconic songs, weaving them into a magical narrative about ambition, friendship, loss, and rediscovering joy.
The result became: Celebrate… The Opal Valentine Story. The musical tells the story of a young singer consumed by the pursuit of perfection who finds herself swept into the dreamlike world of the Magistique Theater — a place where angels, illusions, outstanding musical numbers and fragments of her past guide her toward healing and rediscovery.
Through spectacular stage magic, humor, and the timeless music of Three Dog Night, the show follows Opal as she confronts heartbreak, betrayal, and the cost of fame before ultimately reclaiming the joy that once defined her life. For more information: celebratethemusical.com
Dennis Lee Bush
Video of me performing magic tricks - used in Celebrate - for Danny Hutton and the other Three Dog Night band members.