Rebecca Luker will headline the Cape Playhouse's summer production of
No, No, Nanette!
The quintessential twenties musical, which will also star
George Dvorsky and Fred Willard, will run from July 18th to July 30th at the Massachusetts theatre. The show, which is set in Atlantic City and New York, concerns a series of romantic misunderstandings that unfold for married men Jimmy and Billy, and bachelor Tom.
Based upon the comedy
My Lady Friends by Frank Mandel-Emil Nyitray, the frothy show features a score by Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, and a book by Harbach and Frank Mandel.
No, No, Nanette! opened at the Globe Theatre on September 16th, 1925 to run for 321 performances. A smash 1971 revival was supervised by the legendary Busby Berkeley; the production starred Jack Gilford, Susan Watson, Helen Gallagher and Ruby Keeler.
Luker, who most recently appeared in the York Theatre Company's concert production of
Darling of the Day, is a preeminent Broadway leading lady. Credits include Lily in
The Secret Garden, Magnolia in the 1994
Hal Prince revival of
Show Boat (for which she was nominated for a Tony)
, Maria in the 1998 revival of
The Sound of Music and Marian in
The Music Man; she received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for the latter role. Luker has also appeared as a replacement in
The Phantom of the Opera and the 2003 revival of
Nine, and she was critically praised for her performance as Clara in the Sondheim Celebration production of
Passion.
The Cape Playhouse bills itself as "American's oldest professional summer theatre." Its upcoming season also includes productions of
Ambassador Satch, The Dining Room, Ain't Misbehavin', Around the World in 80 Days and
Don't Dress for Dinner.
The Cape Playhouse is located at 820 Route 6A in Dennis, MA. The company's website is at www.capeplayhouse.com.