Musical Holiday Inn coming to Goodspeed Opera House

The stage musical crafted from the beloved classic film, Holiday Inn, is coming to the Goodspeed Opera House.  Their press release on the event below:

 

East Haddam, Conn., AUGUST 8, 2014: It’s time to celebrate! Goodspeed Musicals announces a top-notch cast for its brand new, world premiere musical, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. The much-anticipated production will run from September 19 through November 30. [Official Press Opening will be October 15, 2014]

            Happy holidays! Check into the tuneful world-premiere musical about a Connecticut farmhouse transformed into a jubilant nightspot — but only on holidays. From Valentine's Day to the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving to Christmas, expect a cornucopia of hit songs by Irving Berlin in a dance-dizzy romance based on the classic film that first starred Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. Raise a glass of cheer to "Happy Holiday," "Easter Parade," "Be Careful, It's My Heart" and more of the world's greatest show tunes.

            Holiday Inn features music by Irving Berlin and a new book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge.  Greenberg has directed numerous Goodspeed productions both at the Goodspeed Opera House and The Norma Terris Theatre including the new musical Band Geeks! for which he also co-wrote the book. Chad Hodge created several television series including NBC’s The Playboy Club and the upcoming FOX series Wayward Pines. 

Holiday Inn, based on the Academy Award-winning film, is produced in association with Universal Stage Productions and by arrangement with The Irving Berlin Music Company. Universal Stage Productions is the live theatre division of the world-famous motion picture studio which has produced such Broadway hits as Wicked, Billy Elliot, Bring It On, the recent award-winning revival of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and many more.

Leading the cast will be Noah Racey as Ted Hanover. Mr. Racey returns to Goodspeed where he previously starred in Where’s Charley? and went on to choreograph the 2010 production of Annie Get Your Gun. His Broadway credits include Curtains, Never Gonna Dance, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Follies. Jim Hardy will be played by Corey Mach who has appeared in Broadway’s Hands on a Hardbody and Godspell. Lila Dixon will be played by Hayley Podschun who appeared in Broadway’s Chaplin, Anything Goes, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park with George, Hairspray, and The Sound of Music. Linda Mason will be played by Patti Murin whose Broadway credits include Xanadu and the title role in Lysistrata Jones. At Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre, Ms. Murin appeared in Band Geeks! and Princesses.

Susan Mosher, of Broadway’s Hairspray, will play Louise. Danny Reed will be played by Danny Rutigliano who was seen in last season’s The Fabulous Lipitones at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre. Mr. Rutigliano’s Broadway credits include Born Yesterday, Billy Elliot, The Lion King, and The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public. Charlie Winslow will be played by Noah Marlowe who appeared in Broadway’s Act I and Mary Poppins and Goodspeed’s LMNOP at The Norma Terris Theatre.            

The ensemble includes Alissa Alter (Goodspeed’s 42^nd Street), Abby Church (Broadway’s How to Succeed… and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas), Darien Crago, Caley Crawford, Jeremiah Ginn, Juliane Godfrey (Goodspeed’s Good News! and The Great American Mousical), Laura Harrison, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Charles MacEachern (Goodspeed’s Hello, Dolly!), Karl Skyler Urban, and John T. Wolfe (Goodspeed’s Mame). The swings are Sarah Fagan and Darrell T. Joe. Connecticut native Spencer Stanley will understudy the role of Charlie Winslow.

Holiday Inn will be directed by Gordon Greenberg, whose Goodspeed credits include Happy Days and The Pirates of Penzance at the Goodspeed Opera House; The Fabulous Lipitones, Band Geeks! and The Baker’s Wife  at The Norma Terris Theatre. In New York, Mr. Greenberg directed the Drama Desk Award winning production of Studs Terkel’s Working. Holiday Inn will be choreographed by Denis Jones who is slated to choreograph the upcoming Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas. For Goodspeed, Jones choreographed The Norma Terris Theatre production of Band Geeks! He served as Associate Choreographer for Broadway’s Legally Blonde and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Tony-nominated Anna Louizos will be the Scenic Designer. Her numerous Broadway credits include Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, In The Heights, and Curtains. Ms. Louizos’ designs for Goodspeed include LMNOP, Radio Girl, Band Geeks!, Jim Hensen’s Emmet Otter, and Me & My Girl. Costumes will be designed by Alejo Vietti whose designs can now be seen on Broadway in the Tony-nominated Beautiful: The Carol King Musical. Other Broadway credits include Associate Costume Design for Jersey Boys, Good Vibrations, and Enchanted April among others. For Goodspeed, Mr. Vietti has designed Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, Big River, 1776 and Meet John Doe at The Norma Terris Theatre. Lighting Design will be by Tony Award-winner Jeff Croiter. Among Croiter’s many Broadway credits are Mothers and Sons, Soul Doctor, Jekyll & Hyde, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Newsies. His Goodspeed credits include The Fabulous Lipitones, Radio Girl, Band Geeks!, Happy Days, Pirates of Penzance, Pippin, and more.  Sound Design will be by Jay Hilton who is in his 29^th season at Goodspeed.

The Music Director for Holiday Inn will be Michael O’Flaherty, who is in his 23rd season as Goodspeed’s Resident Music Director. William J. Thomas will be Assistant Music Director. Orchestrations will be provided by Dan DeLange, who has created the orchestrations for numerous Goodspeed productions. Casting for Holiday Inn is by Paul Hardt of SH Entertainment.

            Holiday Inn is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price.

Holiday Inn will run September 19 through November 30, 2014 [Official Press Opening is October 15, 2014]. Curtain times are Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.). The Thanksgiving week schedule will be 11/24 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., 11/28 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., 11/29 at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and 11/30 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.                                             

Tickets are available through the Box Office (860.873.8668), open seven days a week, or on-line at goodspeed.org. For show highlights, exclusive photos, special events and more visit us at goodspeed.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter @goodspeedmusicl, and YouTube.

Ann Blyth Biography - Kickstarter Campaign

A brief, but important, interruption before our next visit in this Year of Ann Blyth series on my Another Old Movie Blog.  As some of you know by now, I've started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for use in publishing this series (with additional material) as a book.  Next year, this will be available in eBook in a variety of formats and also in paperback.

My reason for trying to raise funds is that I've discovered a number of photos that are in the collections of libraries, museums, newspaper and magazine archives that are not in public domain, and for which I would have to pay a royalty fee to be allowed to use.  Some of these fees can run $30 a photo, to several hundred dollars per photo.  Additionally, some research material is just not available to me unless I can afford it.

I am loathe to ask for money.  It bothers me very much.  But like most plays and films that never get off the ground without backers willing to invest, I'm aware that in this tough and ever-changing world, publishing has become part of the hustling for money game to get the project off the ground.

There are several companies which use this "crowd founding" model to raise funds for creative projects, and Kickstarter is one of them.  Everything from indie films,to inventions, to a variety of business proposals are eligible for a fundraising project on Kickstarter.  Some quite famous people have used this venue to raise funds for projects, including Whoopi Goldberg; Ed Begley, Jr.;  author Seth Godin; and I understand that those good ol' boys from the 1970s TV show The Dukes of Hazard - Tom Wopat and John Schneider - have requested funds recently to make a Christmas album.  Their campaign has earned over $70,000.

I'm not asking for quite that much.  I think $2,500 will cover the bare minimum for photos, editing and artwork expenses I'll incur. Here's how Kickstarter works:  If my campaign brings in $2,500 worth of pledges, then the money is collected from the backers.  If less than $2,500 is raised, then no money is collected, and the campaign is considered having failed.  It's an all-or-nothing game. So, I ask your help in reaching that $2,500.  You can see in the sidebar next to this post the current standings on how much has been raised and how far we have to go.  Click on that notice, and it'll bring you to my Kickstarter page for more details on the project and my background, and the rewards for donations.

If the campaign earns more than $2,500, that's okay, too.  In fact, I will fall to my knees weeping with relief.  But it must earn at least $2,500.   The campaign ends Sunday, August 24th at 8:00 p.m. ET.

If the Kickstarter campaign fails, I will still publish the book.  It just won't have the photos I'd like to use.  I'll stick with public domain lobby cards and studio publicity stills, as many as I can afford to print.  Printing photos is expensive; color photos are very expensive.

End of commercial. Thanks very much to those folks, including some old and new friends, who've already made pledges.  I'm very grateful, and will remember your gesture even if this thing fails miserably.

I'll see you Thursday for more on Ann Blyth in I'll Never Forget You.

Ann Blyth at Storrowton Theatre - West Springfield, Massachusetts

Today a look back at summer theatre past.  Here is the program for the musical Show Boat at the Storrowton Theatre in West Springfield, Massachusetts.  Ann Blyth starred in August, 1976.  Maybe you were there.

The Storrowton was a tent, where shows were produced in-the-round style, on the fairgrounds of the Eastern States Exposition.

Circus and stage show publicist Wally Beach started the Storrowton Theatre in 1958.  (A kind and gentle man, I had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing him many years ago.)  Ann Corio took over in the late 1960s, and the tent closed for the last time in 1978.

Have a look at some of these ads.  If you have a memory or two share about the Storrowton Theatre shows, please drop by.  For more on Ann Blyth's summer stock adventures, please have a look at my Another Old Movie Blog this Thursday for our continuing year-long retrospective on her career.

Forbes & Wallace - Springfield, Mass. - Photographs for Sale

These are some photographs relating to the old Forbes & Wallace department store of Springfield, Massachusetts.  They are a collection belonging to a former employee, a Mr. Hammond, who is now interested in selling these interesting and historically valuable items.  His email to me is below.  Please contact him if you, or someone you know, might be interested.

Hi my Name is Richard Hammond and I now reside in Florida. I worked for Forbes & Wallace right up to the end. I worked in the Loss Prevention Dept. ( Security) and also in the Maintenance, My boss was Ferm. Jeorge  We did everything in that store  from cleaning the boilers to adjusting and cleaning the elevators and escalators. I can remember sitting on the top of a high step ladder changing light bulbs in the mens dept on the main floor at the veron st entrance and alearting store security about people comming in that entrance and getting down on their knees with a big shopping bag and pulling suit pants off the racks (stealing) and running out the door. I had done this so many times that the Head of Security asked me to work for him and thats how my carrear began. I also worked at the Eastfield Mall Store and went to work when JCPenney bought it, and continued to work for them until I retired in 1997 . While we were closing the Main store I was told to make sure the area in back of the store was free of any trash on the ground , and when I went to check I found a box of papers that looked old ,so instead of throwing them into the dumpster I put them into my car. Later that evening when I looked at them to my surprise they were pictures of the old Forbes & Wallace store  inside and outside along with old newspaper adds. I am now 77 years old and was wondering if anyone would be interested to purchase these, as I believe this was my pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow.

Sincerely

Richard Hammond
    richardhammond791@yahoo.com

Summer Theatre in Maine and New Hampshire This Week...

Arundel Barn Playhouse, photo by J.T. Lynch

Two summer theatre choices for this week:

At the Arundel Barn Playhouse on Old Post Road in Arundel, Maine -- My Fair Lady is currently running.  From the playhouse:

Welcome to Lerner and Lowe’s joyous, family-friendly musical about Eliza Doolittle, the cockney flower girl who turns into a bloomin’ elegant lady under the tutelage of Professor Harold Higgins. Eliza’s transformation in this rags-to-riches tale is often referred to as ‘the perfect musical’ with characters of brain and heart, witty dialogue and a stunning score featuring songs like I Could Have Danced All Night, A Little Bit of Luck, On The Street Where You Live and Wouldn’t It Be Loverly!

For info and tickets, see their website here.

Over in New Hampshire, we have Oscar Wilde's rollicking farce The Importance of Being Earnest The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, which closes this Saturday, July 19th.  

From the playhouse: 

Like Downton Abbey with only the funny bits!

Jack is in love with Gwendolen.  Algernon is in love with Cecily. But Gwendolen and Cecily are both in love with Ernest, who, in fact, does not exist. This tangled web of mistaken identity and delicious wordplay has proven to be one of the most loved and enduringly popular plays of all time.

Performances Mondays through Saturdays at 7:30pm
Matinees Thursday July 10 and Monday July 14 at 2pm
No Sunday Performances
Tickets: Orchestra - $29, Balcony - $10  Student Rush Available One Hour Prior to Showtime.  Cash Only $20 for Orchestra Seating.

See their website here.

Whale Rock - Rhode Island

This is Whale Rock, whose menacing, haunting presence taunts us at the entrance to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

It is all that's left of a lighthouse destroyed by the Hurricane of 1938.  In a sense, it has returned to its former self: a foreboding rock ledge, resembling a surfacing whale's back, that had been a threat to navigation until a lighthouse was established on this ledge in 1882.  There had been many shipwrecks before the light was built.

Photo National Archives

Then on September 21, 1938, the day the Hurricane of 1938 made its surprise attack (see our previous post on the storm here) , the lighthouse was destroyed.  Walter B. Eberle, the first assistant keeper on duty, was in the lighthouse during the storm.  His body was washed away and never recovered.

Today, Whale Rock is what it was, except with the addition of a lump of concrete caisson jutting up from the stubborn rock ledge.

For more on Whale Rock, have a look at this website.

Guys and Dolls - Ocean State Theatre Co. - Warwick, Rhode Island

This on the new Guys and Dolls production at the Ocean State Theatre Company:

OCEAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY

CONTINUES SUMMER SEASON WITH

TONY^® AWARD-WINNER GUYS AND DOLLS

 

WARWICK, RI – Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC), which recently completed its first full season in its new state-of-the-art theatre in Warwick is proud to continue its summer season on July 9 with one of America’s most popular and successful Broadway musicals, Guys and Dolls, sponsored by Residence Inn by Marriott.

 

This Tony^® Award-winning musical based on the stories of Damon Runyon, soars with the spirit of classic Broadway when gangsters, showgirls, cops and missionaries all collide in Frank Loesser’s masterpiece - each character in search of salvation, true love and, of course, the perfect craps game! Join Nathan, Sky, Sarah and Miss Adelaide in what is considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy. Songs include “I’ll Know,” “Fugue for Tin Horns,” “Adelaide’s Lament,” “If I Were a Bell,” “Bushel and a Peck,” “Luck Be a Lady,” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

 

Ocean State Theatre Company is thrilled to welcome back director/choreographer Russell Garrett, who was at the helm for OSTC productions of Legally, Blonde: The Musical, 9 to 5: The Musical, Hairspray and The Full Monty. He will be joined by Justin P. Cowan, who music directed OSTC productions of Legally, Blonde: The Musical and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In the roles of Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown are Tom Andrew of Somerset, MA, who recently appeared as Brian in OSTC’s production of Laughter on the 23^rd Floor and Westerly’s Rochelle Weinrauch, who will be making her OSTC debut. Medford, Massachusetts natives, Kevin B. McGlynn, who won rave reviews for his portrayal of Javert in OSTC’s Les Miserables and Katie Clark, who made her OSTC debut as Maggie in 42^nd Street, play opposite one another as Nathan Detroit and Adelaide and Matthew Eamon Ryan who made his OSTC debut in Les Miserables, returns in the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Other local performers include Rachel Abbate of Norfolk, Brandon Alberto of New Bedford, Jeanine Belcastro of Lincoln, Alexis Berlinger of Cumberland, Lauren Gemelli of Norwell, David Groccia of North Providence, Daniel Guay and Desirée Justin of Fall River, Maria LaRossa of Boston, Devin Marchany of Providence, Brian Mulvey of Warwick, Peter Romagna of Burlington, Peter Williams of North Kingstown, Tobias Wilson of New London and popular local comedian Frank O’Donnell of North Providence, who will be making his professional theatre debut in the role of Big Jule.

 

Guys and Dolls will be presented at Ocean State Theatre from July 9 – July 27. Previews are scheduled for Wednesday, July 9 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, July 10 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm. All other performances will be held Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Special matinees are scheduled for Thursday, July 10 and Saturday, July 19. Conducting Conversations Live!, a free post-show discussion hosted by WCRI’s Mike Maino, will follow the 2pm performance on Sunday, July 13. The post show Piano Bar Series, will continue with “Broadway Music and Comedy,” and will be held following Friday and Saturday evening performances (beginning at approximately 10:15 pm) in the theatre’s lobby on July 18, 19, 25 and 26.

 

The theatre is located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI. Tickets are $39 for preview performances and $39-$54 for all other performances. Discount rates for groups of 20 or more are available by calling (401) 921-1777 x112. $30 “Rush” tickets are available on a limited basis one hour prior to curtain on the day of the performance. Tickets are on sale at the box office Monday through Friday from 12 noon – 6:00 pm, Saturdays from 12 noon – 4:00 pm, and from 12 noon until curtain time on performance days. Tickets are also available online 24 hours a day at www.OceanStateTheatre.org and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 921-6800.

 

 

****

 

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC) is a professional not-for-profit regional theatre whose mission is to preserve and pass on the tradition of live, professional theatre – including the American musical – and to pursue avenues of enrichment and education for the benefit of the state of Rhode Island and the surrounding region through the theatre arts. OSTC, which re-opened and ran the historic Theatre By The Sea in Matunuck, RI from 2007-2012 and began producing shows in Warwick, RI in 2012, is an IRS designated not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

 AT A GLANCE

 

PRODUCTION:                     Guys and Dolls

 

DATES:                                  July 9 – 27

 

WHERE:                                 Ocean State Theatre

                                                1245 Jefferson Boulevard

                                                Warwick, RI

 

PERFORMANCE TIMES:    Wednesday, July 9 at 7:30 pm (preview)

                                                Thursday, July 10 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm (previews)

                                                Friday, July 11 at 7:30 pm (opening)

                                                Saturday, July 12 at 7:30 pm

                                                Sunday, July 13 at 2:00 pm

Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30 pm

                                                Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 pm

                                                Friday, July 18 at 7:30 pm

                                                Saturday, July 19 at 2:00 & 7:30 pm

                                                Sunday, July 20 at 2:00 pm

Wednesday, July 23 at 7:30 pm

                                                Thursday, July 24 at 7:30 pm

                                                Friday, July 25 at 7:30 pm

                                                Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 pm

                                                Sunday, July 27 at 2:00 pm

                                               

SPECIAL EVENTS:               Conducting Conversations Live!

                                                WCRI’s Mike Maino leads cast and crew in lively discussion

                                                following the 2pm performance on Sunday, July 13

                                                Free

                                               

Piano Bar Series

“Broadway Music and Comedy”

Theatre Lobby

Following evening performances beginning at approximately 10:15pm on:

Friday, July 18

Saturday, July 19

Friday, July 25

Saturday, July 26

                                                Free

 

TICKET PRICES:                Previews - $39

                                                All other performances - $39/$49/$54

                                                Rush (as available, one hour prior to curtain) - $30

                                                Group Discounts Available (401) 921-1777 x112

 

RESERVATIONS:                             (401) 921-6800

 

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www.oceanstatetheatre.org