The Butte Theater stage has been transformed into a set for music...two musicals, that is. The Fantasticks opened June 5 and filled the theater with favorites from the 1960s.
A classic musical love story, the 1960 favorite by Harvey Schmidt, as produced by Thin Air Theatre Company, is the story of two mothers and neighbors, Bellomy (Shannon McMillan) and Hucklebee (Cassandra Marie Nuss) who prove mother knows best.
They know how to get their children to do what they want - they encourage them to do the opposite. Using their reverse psychology they are sure to ensure that their children fall in love.
The children, Luisa (Laurie Sutton) and Matt (Nick Madson) do fall in love and eventually they discover their mothers' plot, the story line of which includes the conspirator El Gallo (David Craven) as well as The Mute (Casiena Raether), Henry (Mel Moser) and Mortimer (Kevin Finch). The two children each go off to experience the world. They later return to each other and the love they had, having learned from the world.
The scores include such familiar songs as Try to Remember. The show is directed by Mickey Burdick, who is a Thin Air Theatre Company member, theater manager, long-time Butte actor, and writer.
In downtown Cripple Creek, the Butte offers family fun in the midst of a variety of restaurants and casinos. The summer will include The Fantasticks, which runs through Sept. 26, as well as the popular 1970's musical Godspell, which opens June 12. The two shows will rotate alternating days and times (1 and 7 p.m.). This year the new schedule includes more matinees and an addition day of Monday matinees. The theater will be open Wednesday through Sunday, closed only on Tuesdays, providing a variety of times and days to meet any schedule.
Group bookings are available for all four 2009 Thin Air Theatre Company shows - two popular musicals, The Fantasticks and Godspell , an all new classic melodrama, The Last Soul of Cripple Creek, and a popular Butte original - A Cripple Creek Christmas Carol. The traditional classic melodrama, a long time Cripple Creek favorite outing, has moved to October, followed by a Halloween Olio sure to rock the spirits in the theater.
Ticket prices are: $15.75 Adult; $13.75 Senior; $9.75 Children; $12.75 for groups of 20-plus.
For more information and select a date and time that works best for you from the schedule of summer shows, visit ButteOperaHouse.com. You can also easily book your tickets online on the website.
Shannon McMillan and Laurie Sutton
Cassandra Marie Nuss and Nick Madson
Laurie Sutton and Nick Madson
Kevin Finch, Mel Moser and Casiena Raether
Shannon McMillan and Laurie Sutton
Shannon McMillan and Cassandra Marie Nuss
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