OH, KAY!, NYMPH ERRANT & More Headline 42nd Street Moon 2011/12 Season

Greg MacKellan and Stephanie Rhoads, producing artistic directors of 42nd Street Moon, today announced details of the upcoming 2011-12 season of uncommon musical theater. For its nineteenth season, the company takes its audience on the journey of a lifetime, with the Eureka Theatre serving as a portal to eras and locations that are exotic, glamorous and exciting. The legendary American composers, lyricists, and librettists who will serve as guides include Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Jule Styne, and more.

"Some of the most interesting Moon shows have been musicals where we transported the audience to another time or place," said Greg MacKellan. "We'll be announcing an exciting multi-year project next season, and it's one that won't lead us "overseas" for a while. So, for our last season before our 20th anniversary celebration in 2012-13, we wanted to concentrate on shows that do lead the audience on a journey."

The five shows for 2010-11 are NYMPH ERRANT, OH, KAY!, THREE SISTERS, SUGAR, and ZORBÁ. The season also continues the multi-year celebration of the musicals of composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Ira Gershwin, as well as the special series of Salon Evenings at the Alcazar Theatre, this time focusing on Cole Porter and Jerry Herman.

The journey begins with NYMPH ERRANT (1933), Cole Porter's madcap tour of 1930s Europe, and his personal favorite, in which a newly graduatEd English schoolgirl sets off to travel the continent in search of adventure, romance and sex. But even in the most exotic locales, a torrid affair eludes her. Porter's songs include "The Physician," "Experiment," "How Could We Be Wrong," and "It's Bad for Me." This production will be directed by Greg MacKellan.
Dates: Low-priced previews: Oct. 5, 6, 7 Opening: Sat. Oct. 8 through Oct. 23.

In early November, the tour continues to a Long Island estate with OH, KAY! (1926) by George and Ira Gershwin, with book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse. A trio of English bootleggers land smack in the middle of romantic intrigue and hi-jinks at the height of Prohibition. The dazzling Gershwin songs include the evergreen "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Fidgety Feet," "Clap Yo' Hands," "Do, Do, Do," and "Maybe." Skinny Ennis will serve as director.
Dates: Low-priced previews: Nov. 2, 3, 4 Opening Sat. Nov. 5 through Nov. 20

In late November, 42nd Street Moon returns to World War I England for the American premiere of THREE SISTERS (1934), with music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Greg MacKellan directs this NEA-sponsored restoration of a Kern/Hammerstein lost musical, in which a photographer and his daughters travel the world of derbies and carnivals. The youngest falls in love with a roving street singer, who is lured back to the wandering life, and to World War I. The delightful songs include "I Won't Dance," "Lonely Feet," "Hand in Hand," and "My Beautiful Circus Girl."
Dates: Low-Priced previews Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 2 Opening Sat. Dec. 3 through Dec. 18

The first show of 2012 is set in Chicago and Miami in 1929. SUGAR (1972), with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill, is based on Billy Wilder's screenplay Some Like It Hot, in which two musicians witness a gangland massacre and hit the road, disguised as ladies! Outrageous and zany, this farcical delight will be directed by Dyan McBride, and features such songs as "Doin' It for Sugar," "Penniless Bums," "Sun on My Face," "Hey, Why Not?" and "November Song."
Dates: Low-Priced Previews April 4, 5, 6 Opening Sat. April 7 through April 22, 2012

Finally, 42nd Street Moon journeys to Greece and Crete, for the Kander and Ebb classic, ZORBÁ (1968), which will be directed by Greg MacKellan. Based on the book Zorbá the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, this rich, uncompromising musical is a salute to the spirit of Greece, where Zorba celebrates life - the sound of the bouzouki, the taste of an olive, the scent of a woman - but also lost love, heartbreak and death. Great songs include "Life Is," "The Butterfly," "Only Love," "Why Can't I Speak," and "I Am Free."
Dates: Low-Priced Previews May 2, 3, 4 Opening Sat. May 5 through May 20

Salon Evenings at the Alcazar Theatre:
42nd Street Moon's highly acclaimed series of "salon evenings" continues at the Alcazar Theatre with a salute two great composer/lyricists: Cole Porter and Jerry Herman.

WHAT A SWELL PARTY! The Cole Porter Salon, September 15, 2011 at 7 pm
Broadway's dapper party boy and one of its most popular songwriters, Cole Porter wrote standards that are still the backdrop for everyone's lives: "Night and Day," "You're the Top," "Just One of Those Things," "What Is This Thing Called Love?," "It's All Right With Me," "C'est Magnifique," "Let's Do It," "At Long Last Love" ... the list is endless, but there are also surprises such as "You Irritate Me So," "Fish," and "I'm Throwin' a Ball Tonight!"

THE BEST OF TIMES The Jerry Herman Salon, January 26, 2012 at 7 pm
An 80th Birthday salute to another beloved Broadway tunesmith! Jerry Herman's career began as Cole Porter's was ending, and his shows lit up Broadway through the 1960s, 70s, 80s and into the 90s. "Through the Bottom of the Glass," a little known song from Dear World, typifies the Jerry Herman worldview: you just have to know where to aim your gaze, and life as it should be reveals itself. "Open a New Window," "Hello, Dolly!," "It Only Takes a Moment," "Mame," "Take Me Back," "It's Today!," "Milk and Honey," "Shalom," "Time Heals Everything," "I'll Be Here Tomorrow," "I Am What I Am" - these great songs and more will radiate from the Alcazar stage for one special evening.

Subscriptions for the season at the Eureka Theatre, ranging from $90 - $189 with discounts for seniors and students and for those under 30-years-of-age, are available through the 42nd Street Moon Box Office at 415/255-8207 (Tues. - Fri. from noon to 5 pm), or through the website (no order fees) www.42ndstmoon.org <http://www.42ndstmoon.org> . A special Family Matinee Subscription Series is also available for a 1 pm performance on the second Saturday of each production. Salon subscriptions are priced at $100 for both shows.

Current season subscribers are urged to renew by July 1, in order to guarantee the same seats for each performance. (Note: Early Bird deadline is March 25). Single tickets will go on sale August 1 to subscribers, and on August 15 to the general public. The five mainstage performances are presented at San Francisco's intimate Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson Street. The salon evenings are presented at San Francisco's historic Alcazar Theatre, 650 Geary Street.

42nd Street Moon celebrates and preserves the art and spirit of the American Musical Theatre, contributing to its evolution and continuing vitality by presenting intimate productions of "Uncommon Musicals" -- classic and rarely performed shows by the great 20th century composers and lyricists. Through productions, educational programs, and community outreach, the company is committed to increasing the awareness and appreciation of the rich heritage and cultural perspective of the musical theatre and its vast influence on the world stage. Since 1993 the company has staged more than 107 musicals, as well as several revues celebrating the dazzling legacy of the 20th Century's greatest musical theater composers and lyricists.

 

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