Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre To Welcome The Clampetts in THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES – THE MUSICAL

Since the theatre first opened its doors in 1996, The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has become known for bringing both classic musicals, as well as area and regional premieres to the stage.

Some of its most successful productions have also been musical adaptations of popular televisions shows such as The Addams Family, Happy Days, and Gilligan's Island. Way Off Broadway will be adding another TV show-turned-musical to that list this summer when it presents The Beverly Hillbillies - The Musical.

Based on the popular 1960s sitcom, in the musical, 17-year-old Elly May Clampett's father unexpectedly strikes it rich and moves his family from the Ozarks to Beverly Hills, California. Suddenly torn from her pig-farmer fiancé, the beautiful but naïve tomboy is thrown into a world of debutante balls, polo matches, and people mainly concerned with their place in society. Nearly taken in by a couple of scheming ne'er-do-wells, Elly proves traditional country virtue triumphs over slick city vice.

From 1962 to 1971, The Beverly Hillbillies aired on CBS and ranked in the top twenty most watched programs for eight of its nine seasons. Leading the cast was Buddy Ebsen as Jed and Irene Ryan as Granny.

When the show premiered, critics panned it but audiences loved it, sending it to the top of the Nielson ratings instantly. The fish-out-of-water scenarios the Clampett family found themselves in once they'd moved from their home in the Ozarks to Beverly Hills struck the funny-bone of the nation and earned the show seven Emmy nominations over the course of its run. At the end of its run in 1971, The Beverly Hillbillies had aired 274 episodes. The show continues to run in syndication.

In 1993, Twentieth Century Fox released a motion picture adaptation of the show with a star-studded cast including Jim Varney as Jed, Cloris Leachman as Granny, Dabney Coleman as Mr. Drysdale, and Lily Tomlin as Jane Hathaway.

In 1968, while the show was still on the air, The Beverly Hillbillies was adapted into a three-act stage comedy by David Rogers. The play was then adapted by Rogers, his daughter Amanda and Gregg Opelka into a musical. Forty-six years later, in 2014, The Beverly Hillbillies - The Musical premiered at the Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana. The production tied together original episodes from the series into one stage show. In 2018, the show was completely rewritten by Rogers and Opelka to have an original storyline, while keeping a number of the most popular songs and elements from the first production.

Stepping into the roles of the iconic characters in Way Off Broadway's production are Dino P. Coppa, Sr. as Jed Clampett, Lizzie Bartlett Holman as Elly May, Rory Dunn as Jethro, Betsey Whitmore Brannen as Granny, Bill Kiska as Milburn Drysdale, and Jessica Billones as Jane Hathaway. Joining them for a summer of laughs will be William Spaeth as Justin Addison, Megan E. West as Tiffany Meriwether, Tina M. Bruley as Judith von Vandercamp, Joey Leavitt as Lyle, and Sarah Biggs as Cousin Pearl.

The show has music and lyrics by Gregg Opelka, with a book by Amanda Rogers. Way Off Broadway's production is directed by Justin M. Kiska, with music direction by Jordan B. Stocksdale and choreography by Jessica Billones.

Way Off Broadway's premiere of this newly adapted version of The Beverly Hillbillies - The Musical opens at the Frederick theatre June 3rd and will run through August 21st. Performances will be every Friday and Saturday evening, with matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month.

To learn more about Way Off Broadway, or any of its productions, including The Beverly Hillbillies - The Musical, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, and Countdown to Christmas, visit the theatre's website at www.wayoffbroadway.com.

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