Previews: Midnight Company to Present PROFESSOR SUNSHINE'S TRAVELING POST-APOCALYPTIC ROCK 'N ROLL REVIVAL at The Blue Strawberry Showroom And Lounge

Kelly Howe and Joe Hanrahan, the creative minds behind the blockbuster Linda Ronstadt show JUST ONE LOOK are premiering a brand-new narrative driven cabaret show titled PROFESSOR SUNSHINE’S TRAVELING POST-APOCALYPTIC ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL on September 20th and 23rd at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis. Loosely based on Old West Traveling shows, PROFESSOR SUNSHINE’S TRAVELING POST-APOCALYPTIC ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL will feature the music of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and more.

Broadway World sat down with Howe and Hanrahan to learn more about this new narrative driven cabaret show produced by Hanrahan’s Midnight Company. Howe told Broadway World, “Jim Dolan, the owner of Blue Strawberry, wanted me to do a solo cabaret show, but I wanted to do another narrative driven cabaret show and continue working with Joe and the band from JUST ONE LOOK. I happened to be in a rather dark mood after losing a friend and I told Joe I wanted to do a show that is full of doom and despair, and I suggested we open with ‘We Gotta Get out of this Place’ by The Animals.

Hanrahan added, “When I tell others about Kelly’s concept and how the show opens, most people have said, I’m there! Then Kelly gave me a number of other songs that have that consistency, so I basically wrote this show from the ground up, working those songs in with some others that we added.” Hanrahan shared that the rough concept of the show is like an old west touring show, but we are in the new wild west. “We’re in a post-apocalyptic land of darkness and doom, crumbling cities, and here comes the show to bring the rock songs plus a little bit of salvation,” Hanrahan said.

Howe shared that they picked the music based on the mood of the piece. She said, “some were songs I wanted to sing, some were inspired by the friend I’d lost, and most are just bad-ass rock ‘n roll.” Hanrahan added that the songs include, “a little Beatles, Dylan and some Zeppelin.”  

Hanrahan wrote the script and plays Professor Sunshine who is bringing his show to town to lift the people’s spirits with rock songs and road stories. Professor Sunshine presents the sultry singer Cheyenne, played by Howe, who delivers her signature renditions of the classic, savage rock 'n roll songs that the audience remembers.

Hanrahan and Howe will be joined on stage by The House Divided Band for this rock ‘n roll revival. Music director and pianist Curt Landes leads the band, with Tom Maloney on guitar, and Mark Rogers on drums and vocals.

Howe says, “she wants the audience to have fun and get the feeling that they can dig themselves out of a dark spot in life when they have the feelings that they cannot go on.”  

“We’ve been having so much fun creating this new theatrical genre that I’m calling cabaret theatre.” Hanrahan shared. He continued, “These shows offer great music with compelling stories in an intimate setting. The audience reaction has been tremendous, and we look forward to continuing to do this type of work.”

PROFESSOR SUNSHINE’S TRAVELING POST-APOCALYPTIC  ROCK ‘N ROLL REVIVAL premieres at The Blue Strawberry on Wednesday, September 20th at 7:30pm. It will be performed a second time on Saturday, September 23rd at 8:30pm. Click the link below to purchase tickets.

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