HAROLD & MAUDE, THE MUSICAL Comes to Birmingham Village Players

The Birmingham Village Players (BVP) 100th season continues with the community theatre debut of Harold & Maude, The Musical. This musical introduces Harold, a death-obsessed young man, to Maude, a life-affirming octogenarian. Their May-December romance changes them both and is the perfect warm-your-heart evening to take the chill off a cold January night.

"Harold & Maude is an intimate musical version of the cult classic film that tells the May-December love story between Maude (age 80) and Harold (age 20)," explains director Jay Kaplan of Oak Park. "Harold and Maude become soul mates because they each need each other. Harold, who has everything in terms of material things as well as his youth, doesn't know how to live and enjoy life. Maude, who owns nothing and is nearing the end of her long life, is a testament to living life to its fullest. Together they help and support each other and that is what true love is all about."

Village Players is extremely proud and excited to be the first community theatre in the world to take on this delightful musical, but it wouldn't have happened without Kaplan's hard work. With the full support of BVP, Kaplan reached out to the musical's creators through their website and expressed an interest in bringing it to our community. Because of his inquiries, the community theatre rights were made available.

Linda Rabin Hammell who plays Maude is delighted to be cast in this inspirational role. "I'm inspired by Maude's implacable optimism, rascally joie de vivre, and open-mindedness," said Hammell. "Am also drawn to Joseph Thalken's hauntingly lovely score with its inflections ranging from folk to blues to klezmer to dissonant contemporary tone poems."

Jonas Annear who plays young Harold said "The role of Harold is such a fascinating and complex one, and I'm super excited to tackle the challenge of unpacking who he is and why he's so drawn to Maude. I really hope that just like Harold, audiences learn a thing or two about what it is to live life to the fullest through Maude's unique perspective."

Get ready for your reunion with Harold & Maude, The Musical runs January 13-29, 2023. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8pm. Sunday matinees start at 2pm. Harold & Maude, The Musical is an adaptation of the 1971 classic cult film by Colin Higgins with book and lyrics by Tom Jones, creator of The Fantastiks, and music by Joseph Thalken.

As a special treat for our 100th anniversary season, we recreate The Maker of Dreams. This is the first production by the Village Players and it was originally staged 100 years ago. For one night only, February 18, 2023, we celebrate Birmingham Village Players past and welcome the next 100 years of theatre.

Join Village Players today for their exciting 100th Season. Individual reserved seat tickets are $24 each plus $1 ticketing fee. Call the box office, 248-644-2075, or click on the ticket page on the website (www.birminghamvillageplayers.com) to order yours.

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