APPLAUSE! Musicals in Concert begins its 2010-2011 season of rare, shelved, and forgotten musical theatre gems with incredibly great news – the rarely performed 1927 musical Good News which is a high-spirited musical set in the roaring twenties.
This entertaining evening of toe tapping comedy and romance includes such dance-happy classics as "The Varsity Drag," a Charleston-style number that became an international dance craze, “The Best Things In Life are Free”, “Button Up Your Overcoat,”, “Keep Your Sunny Side Up”, “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" and "You're the Cream in My Coffee." Good News runs only four performances November 25th through the 27th at CBC Studio 700, 700 Hamilton Street.
“It’s time for some good news!” says Scott Ashton Swan, Artistic Producer of APPLAUSE! as he recently announced the 2010-2011 season of musical theatre programming. “The entire season is full of invigorating, upbeat, music by popular composers and features stories of optimism and triumph through hard times.” The other three musicals presented in concert will be Mame – February 2011 (Jerry Herman – Hello Dolly, La Cage Aux Folles), The Unsinkable Molly Brown – April 2011 (Meredith Wilson – The Music Man), and Little Me – April 2011 (Cy Coleman – Sweet Charity, Barnum, The Will Rogers Follies).
Good News premiered on Broadway in 1927, the same year as Show Boat, helping to mark the rebirth of the musical comedy which had fallen out of fashion thanks to the popularity of the musical revues that were the rage in the '20s. Written by the team of B.G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson, and Frank Mandel, the show immediately became one of the musical theatre successes of that decade.
Leading a large talent packed cast of amateur and semi-professional performers Good News will be directed by Cathy Wilmot who most recently played Mrs. Lovett in the Fighting Chance Productions production of Sweeney Todd and music directed by Caitlin Hayes.
Good News will have only four performances: Thursday November 25 (8PM), Friday November 26 (8PM), and Saturday November 27 (2PM & 8PM), Tickets are $15-$25 available online at brownpapertickets.com or by phone 1.800.838.3006. CBC Studio 700 is located at 700 Hamilton Street @ West Georgia.
APPLAUSE! Musicals In Concert is the only series in Canada that brings to life rare, shelved, forgotten musicals that have "slipped through the cracks" and are unlikely to be seen in the regular repertoire of most companies. Since 1997, audiences have enjoyed the entire book & score of over 30 such musicals with exciting, "on book", semi-staged concert versions. Unique to their work is a ONE WEEK rehearsal period, and a strong commitment to showcasing talent, accessibility, history, and education.