The Adobe Theater Presents MY FAVORITE YEAR, Now thru 3/16

What was YOUR favorite year? Perhaps when you met your first love? Or got your first car? Or found your true vocation?

For young Benjy, an assistant writer on a Golden Age of TV comedy-variety show, 1954 may not have been his most successful year, but the time he spent escorting movie idol Alan Swann was thrilling, exhausting and memorable. Cy and Jane Hoffman have chosen the musical version of the film, My Favorite Year (which starred Peter O'Toole as the alcoholic celebrity) for the February/March show at The ADOBE Theater.

Among the eleven shows the Hoffmans have directed at The ADOBE, one of the most memorable was the 2011 production of Lucky Stiff, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, about an unassuming English shoe salesman who must take the embalmed body of his recently-murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. My Favorite Year, also by Ahrens & Flaherty, shares their penchant for madcap comedy, memorable music, and a heartwarming story.

As everyone prepares for a 1954 broadcast, Benjy (played by Bryan Daniels) is required to keep Swann (Tim MacAlpine) sober and celibate: Swann, of course, has other ideas. A high point in the broadcast is the Three Musketeers sketch. The star resembles Errol Flynn, but can he control that dangerous sword? And can Benjy find a way to reconcile Swann with his estranged daughter? Of course, there is a romantic sub-plot and some lovely songs for a change of mood.

The 1982 Broadway production had a large cast and elaborate sets: it garnered three Tony nominations (and one Tony award). For The ADOBE production, the Hoffmans have scaled back the staging and have many of the 14 cast members playing multiple roles. Others in the cast include Ron Bronitsky, Jane Hoffman, Carolyn Hogan, Brynlyn Loomis, and Warren Wilgus. Loretta Robinson is the Music Director and Kiersten Johnson is the choreographer.

My Favorite Year with book by Joseph Dougherty, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, opens tonight, February 21 and plays through March 16, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Tickets are only $15 for adults and $13 for seniors and students. Group rates and SelecTickets available. Reservations: 898-9222 (weekdays) or www.adobetheater.org (anytime).

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