Press notes announced "Look out America, Gilligan's Island The Musical is docking at a desert island near you and the hilarity found in America's most cherished sitcom is in full effect in this larger than life stage musical. Bringing back all those well known and beloved characters from one of the most popular television shows of all time, this lovable musical comedy is sure to please the generations of audiences that the television show first inspired".
The first stop for the tour is the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts in Sugar Loaf, NY on February 21st and 22nd.
For complete show and tour information visit the official musical website at www.gilligansislandthemusical.com.
"Gilligan's Island" has been a series, three TV movies, two cartoon series, a reality series, and the subject of more comedians' jokes than the mother-in-law. "Gilligan's Island" is an icon whose theme song and characters have become pop culture icons. It has been syndicated on more cable stations than any other series in history and continues to run on both Nickelodeon and TV land. "Three hour tour," "Ginger or Mary Ann," are just a few nuggets from the Gilligans Island television show that remain part of every-day vernacular.
Gilligan's Island The Musical debuted in Flat Rock, North Carolina with Director Steve Rothman after a workshop presentation first seen in the early 1990's. After continued development overseen by Lloyd and Sherwood Schwartz, and a production in Chicago and Los Angeles, the Schwartz family is excited to bring their show to New York after travelling the country in its first national tour.
The creators of the musical- Lloyd and Sherwood Schwartz and Hope and Laurence Juber- have continued to hone and develop the play over the years. Loyd is the son and long-time collaborator of Sherwood Schwartz, who created the "Gilligan's Island" television series, as well as "The Brady Bunch" television series. Hope Juber is Sherwood's daughter.
Gilligan's Island: The Musical is a straightforward story of relationships and survival. Beginning with the #1 TV theme song of all time, Gilligan, The Skipper, Mary Ann, Ginger, The Professor, and The Millionaire and his wife are shipwrecked and trying to get off the island. Natural disasters befall them, hurricanes, quicksand, etc., as they learn to get along and survive. Their biggest challenge comes from the U.F.O. and its Alien, who monitors their behavior. By the end of the play, the castaways manage to defeat the extraterrestrial and save the entire planet, while staying marooned themselves. Updated somewhat to reflect the times, Gilligan's Island: The Musical still has comedy, heart, love, drama, nostalgia, and sing-able songs that stick true to the characters that audiences have fallen in love with for the last 40 years.
The talented ensemble includes Ryan Bates, Chris Boerner, Devin Elting, Joshua Nicholson, Shaun Rice, DAnnie Simon, Kevin Grant Spencer, Alexia Tate, Heather Woodward, and Katie Venezia. Lighting Design by Graham Kindred, Scenic Design by Douglas Grinn, Sound Design by Demetrius Grandel, and Costume Design by Elizabeth Flores. The show is directed by Pamela Hall with choreography by Gene Castle, and it is presented by Edmund Gaynes in association with The West End Artists Company.
Sherwood Schwartz (Creator): Born in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1916, and after studying premed at N.Y.U, SHERWOOD SCHWARTZ changed careers and started writing professionally on "The Bob Hope Radio Show" in 1939 with his brother, Al. After four years with Bob Hope, Sherwood joined the Armed Forces Radio Service (A.F.R.S.) for four years, writing shows like "G.I. Journal," "Command Performance," and "Mail Call," etc and worked with just about every major star in the entertainment world. After the war, he went back to radio and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." In radio he has also written for Danny Thomas, Alan Young and "The Beulah Show." Then came television. In his long career in TV (58 years), Sherwood Schwartz has written, re-written, and/or produced more than 700 TV shows, starting with "I Married Joan," "The Red Skelton Show," and "My Favorite Martian," before creating, writing, and producing series of his own. Sherwood received the highest honor in television, the Emmy Award, in 1961 for "The Red Skelton Show," and the following year, another Emmy nomination. His scripts have the unique distinction of receiving five consecutive nominations for awards from the Writers Guild of America in comedy, variety, and play adaptation, receiving the award the WGA award in the comedy category. In 1963, Sherwood created, wrote and produced "Gilligan's Island," a TV series which has become a cult classic. "Gilligan's Island" led to three two-hour TV movies. One of them, "Rescue from Gilligan's Island," was the first of the so-called "reunion shows" and was the highest rated movie-of-the-week in 1978. In 1969, Sherwood created, wrote and produced "The Brady Bunch," television's first blended family show. It, too, has become a cult classic, leading to several reunion shows. In 1988, Sherwood and his son Lloyd, wrote and produced a two-hour TV film, "A Very Brady Christmas," which was the highest rated TV film of that year. Since that time, Sherwood and Lloyd became the first...if not the only father/son producing team in television history. In 1994, Sherwood and Lloyd, produced the feature film, "The Brady Bunch Movie," for Paramount followed by "A Very Brady Sequel." On March 12, 2004, "Gilligan's Island" received the annual "Pop Culture" award from TV Land. That same week, Sherwood was awarded the prestigious William S. Paley Award with "A Salute to Sherwood Schwartz." In 2007, "The Brady Bunch" was also awarded TV Land's "Pop Culture" award. That same year, along with Lloyd, and Sherwood's daughter, Hope Juber, Sherwood produced "Still Brady After All These Years: A Thirty-Five Year Anniversary Special" which won a daytime Emmy Nomination. In March, 2008, Sherwood received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame as well as being notified that he will enter the Television Academy Hall of Fame. In addition to TV and films, Sherwood has written several produced plays. Among them, Mr. and Mrs., a comedy; The Trial of Othello, a courtroom drama; Gilligan's Island: The Musical, (written with Lloyd and with music and lyrics by Hope, and her husband, Laurence Juber.) Sherwood's play, Rockers, a comedy-drama had a production at Theatre West in honor of his 90th birthday. This June, a new musical A Very Brady Musical written by Lloyd and Hope with music and lyrics by Hope and Laurence Juber and executive-produced by Sherwood had its world premiere at Theatre West to outstanding reviews and packed houses. Sherwood Schwartz co-wrote the theme song for "Gilligan's Island" with George Wyle and co-wrote the themes song for "The Brady Bunch" with Frank Devol. Sherwood is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Dramatists Guild and A.S.C.A.P, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. He has been married to Mildred for sixty-seven years which he considers his greatest accomplishment. They have four children, Donald an ophthalmologist, Lloyd, Ross, an attorney who has recently written the independent movie, "Bottle Shock," and Hope. Mildred and Sherwood have eight grandchildren, Juli, Jill, Jackie, Andy, Becky, Nico, Ilsey, and Elliot as well as three great-grandchildren, Rachel, Sarah and Evan. Sherwood's grandson, Andy, is a writer on "Scrubs," making the Schwartzes tri-generational members of the Writers Guild. Which is Sherwood's favorite project? The next one.
