Opening Doors to Present 50th Anniversary 'Whoop-Up'

Opening Doors Theatre Company will present the 50th anniversary presentation of 1957's Whoop-Up - the third production in their acclaimed "Closing Notice" Series - on Tuesday, July 10th through Thursday, July 12th, 2007.

All three performances will be held at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street, NYC) and are scheduled for 7:00PM. Whoop-Up is produced by Hector Coris. The production will be directed by David Norman with musical direction by Ray Bailey from a score by Moose Charlap and Norman Gimbel. The book is by Cy Feuer, Ernest H. Martin and Dan Cushman. Choreography will be by Dawn Trautman. The cast includes Matt David, David Demato, Christopher deProphetis, Alison Renee Foster, Nicole Hilliger, Dan Joiner, Gretchen Reinhagen, Michelle Solomon, Rachel Louise Thomas, Brian Walker, and John Weigand.

"Receiving it's first performance in fifty years, Whoop-Up is a musical about Glenda, a tough talking woman who runs a saloon half-on, half-off a Montana Indian reservation. There is only one man who ever got the better of her, and when he shows up again a whole heap of trouble is stirred up not only for her but for the whole town. While it's a 'golden age' musical comedy, Whoop-Up was one of the first musicals to incorporate the 'rock 'n' roll' sound into its catchy score. The show ran 56 performances at the Shubert Theatre before closing," state press materials.

Opening Doors Theatre Company is a New York City-based, non-profit performing arts ensemble committed to developing an eclectic mix of programming through the artistic collaboration of performers as well as playwrights, composers, directors and designers, and providing opportunities for new talent to be seen and heard. The company was formed in 2006 by Suzanne Adams (Artistic Director), along with Hector Coris (Associate Artistic Director) and Eric Martin (Executive Director).

Opening Doors' "Closing Notice" Series is "a set of 'living cast album' presentations focusing on classic musicals that were either dubbed a 'flop,' had short commercial runs or most likely will never be produced again. Opening Doors respectfully presents these scores with the understanding that – unsuccessful or not – the creators poured their craft, guts and love into the work and they deserve to be heard once again – live on stage. The score will be presented in its entirety with a truncated book.  The 'Closing Notice' series began in December 2006 with the critically-acclaimed presentation of Bring Back Birdie (2007 MAC Award nomination - Outstanding Variety Production/Recurring Series), followed by It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! (March 2007). Both shows played to sold-out houses.

Tickets are $20 + 2-drink minimum. Members of AEA pay only a $15 + 2-drink minimum. For reservations, call (212) 255-5438 after 4pm daily or anytime through the Opening Doors website:  www.ODTConline.org.