Long Wharf Theatre Presents THE BIKINIS, Now thru 7/27

Long Wharf Theatre presents, in association with Miracle or 2 Productions, The Bikinis, a celebration of great songs from the 1960s through today.

The show will take place in the Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre from today, July 9 through July 27, 2014. Tickets are $55.

The show was created and written by Ray Roderick and James Hindman, with music arrangements by Joseph Baker, and additional music and lyrics by Baker and Roderick. The cast includes Meghan Duffy, Lori Hammel, Regina Levert, and Karyn Quackenbush.

The Bikinis, the hit girl group from the sixties is bringing back the sun, fun and all the great songs they sang down on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore after 20 years apart, all to raise money for the good folks at Sandy Shores Mobile Home Beach Resort. With a concert that promises to get everyone dancing in the aisles, The Bikinis relive their heyday and beyond, beginning with the summer of 1964, and continue through the great music in their lives. "A show with fire, style and nostalgia ... The Bikinis succeeds as a terrific concert for those who remember the era when boots were made for walkin' and when one's baby did the hanky-panky. A nostalgic fun ride," said the Star Ledger.

The Bikinis is a nonstop celebration of song filled with hits like "It's in His Kiss," "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," "Heat Wave," "Under the Boardwalk," "These Boots are Made for Walkin'," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Incense and Peppermints," "Look What They've Done To My Song," "Ma, When Will I Be Loved," "I'm Every Woman," "I Will Survive," "It's Raining Men," and many more. "These are songs that hit you in the gut," said creator Ray Roderick. "I wanted to get as many of these songs into the show as I could."

Roderick was inspired to create the show by a real life story he saw on the evening news. A group of people in a small beachfront community in Florida were offered quite a bit of money to sell their simple trailers to make way for luxury condos. Many people didn't want to sell their piece of paradise, creating a rift in the town. Roderick saw something in the story, the lure of the summer and the beach, as inspiration for his tale of four best friends saving their childhood beachfront home. Add in the music beloved by the Baby Boomers, and Roderick knew he had the recipe for a fun, nostalgic evening of entertainment.

"We want to come see the show and fall in love all over again. I've seen it happen - husbands put their arms around their wives in the theatre, singing along to those great songs," Roderick said.

For more information about the show, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.

To post a comment, you must register and login.