YPTW Presents Rodgers And Hammerstein's STATE FAIR

Young People's Theatre Workshop (YPTW) presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair on stage at The Players Club of Swarthmore May 24 to June 2. The State Fair cast includes 60 talented performers, ages 8-18, from the Philadelphia regional area. Show dates are May 24, 25, and June 1 at 7:30 p.m., May 27 at 6 p.m., May 28 and 30 at 7 p.m. and May 26 and June 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, and all seats are reserved. Reserve tickets by visiting yptw.org or calling 610-558-0988. Tickets also will be available at the door.

This tuneful and upbeat musical, presented with live orchestra accompaniment and stunning choreography, is the perfect antidote to our trying times. Its themes of young love and the possibilities of the future will leave audience members' hearts filled with renewed optimism. State Fair began as a novel written by Phil Stong in 1932 and was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning movie musical. Whereas all other Rodgers and Hammerstein movies were stage musicals first; State Fair made the trip in reverse, debuting as a Broadway musical in 1995. The events in State Fair surround the adventures of one rural Iowa family - mom, pop, son, daughter - at the 1946 summer Iowa State Fair that forms the high point of their lives. The father Abel (Jake Lamb, Media, and Josh Peacock, Ridley) is concerned with the fortunes of his prize pig, Blue Boy. His wife Melissa (Meredith Forman, Radnor, and Carenna Cody, Wallingford) worries about the mincemeat and pickles judging. The Frakes' two restless teens, Margy (Isabel Zarrow, Swarthmore, and Elizabeth Hughes, Media) and Wayne (Owen Burk, Swarthmore and Samuel Hartley, Media), look for the possibilities of carefree summer love. Margy meets Pat, a dancing reporter with dreams (Tommy Bennett, Swarthmore and Willem Guenther, Media), while Wayne falls for city-slicker singer Emily Arden (Marissa Perri, Springfield and Sabrina Caputo, Swarthmore). By the end of the fair, prizes are won, lessons are learned, and love is lost and found on the midway.

The show features familiar Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes including "It Might as Well Be Spring," "Ioway," "Isn't It Kinda Fun," and "It's A Grand Night for Singing." Don't be fooled into thinking this is an "Oklahoma" remix. State Fair has a sophisticated score of jazzy hits and an abundance of swinging tap dance numbers reflective of the post-war Big Band Era.

The State Fair production staff is led by Claudia Carlsson, Joe Southard, and Darrin Peters. The Players Club of Swarthmore is located at 614 Fairview Road-just off Route 320 in Swarthmore. Young People's Theatre Workshop, now in its 41st year, offers year-round theatre education classes and performance opportunities for students in elementary, middle, and high school. For tickets to State Fair and information on YPTW's other programs, including summer camps and workshops, call 610-558-0988, email yptw@aol.com, or visit yptw.org.

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