Kander & Ebb's 'Happy Time' Opens 4/1 at Signature

The Signature Theatre continues its national Kander and Ebb Celebration with a new production of the Broadway greats' forgotten musical The Happy Time, performed in Signature's 110-seat ARK Theatre.  The Happy Time is part of a four-month celebration of the works of John Kander and Fred Ebb, the longest song-writing partnership in the history of the American musical theater.  The Happy Time plays Tuesday, April 1 through Sunday, June 1, in repertory with Kiss of the Spider Woman in The MAX Theatre (through April 20), then The Visit (May 13 - June 22).

Headlining The Happy Time are three Broadway talents:  Michael Minarik as Jacques, the charming but reckless photographer, David Margulies as his colorfully cantankerous father, and George Dvorsky as his brother, the stern father of an impressionable young boy, Bibi, played by young newcomer Jace Casey.  The Happy Time is directed by Michael Unger, with music direction by David Holcenberg and choreography by Karma Camp.  The Happy Time's book is by N. Richard Nash, based on a play by Samuel Taylor.

"The Happy Time was originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick in 1968, just after Kander and Ebb's huge hit Cabaret.  Directed and choreographed by Gower Champion and starring Robert Goulet, the production won them both Tony Awards®, and garnered another seven nominations.  Signature Theatre is producing a revised version of The Happy Time, restoring four numbers from the Broadway production that had been cut following the Broadway run. The show tells the story of Jacques Bonnard, a world-traveling photographer, who returns home to the small French-Canadian town of St. Pierre in search of his happy youth.  Along the way, Bonnard fires up the romantic spirit of his hometown's inhabitants - including his old flame Laurie - and tempts his godson with dreams of escape," press notes state.
 
The cast also includes Tracy Lynn Olivera as Suzanne, Rob McQuay as Louis, Carrie A. Johnson as Laurie, Amy McWilliams as Felice, and performing in the ensemble are Kate Arnold, Emily Levey, Lauren Williams, and Rachel Zampelli.  William Beech, Rafael Hernandez-Roulet, Jordan Moral, Matthew Nee, and Jordan Silver play the schoolboys.  The creative team is completed by costume designer Kathleen Geldard, scenic and projection designer Todd Edward Ivins, lighting designer Mark Lanks, sound designer Matt Rowe, and production stage manager Katherine C. Mielke.

Tickets to The Happy Time are $45 - $69 and are now on sale at Ticketmaster at (703) 573-SEAT (7328) or by visiting www.signature-theatre.org. The Signature Theater is located at 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA and online at www.signature-theatre.org.

Schedule

April 1 - June 1, 2008
Press Opening: Sunday, April 6 (7pm) and Monday, April 7 (8pm)
Show times:  Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sunday at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Exceptions:  There is no 2:00pm matinee performance on Saturday, April 5, no 7:30pm performance on Tuesday, April 8, and no matinee and evening performances on May 17.

Signature is a non-profit professional theater company dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. To date, Signature has presented over 20 world premiere productions and commissions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with an intimate playing space, and frequently using live orchestras with unamplified performers. In addition to the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been a home to such theater luminaries as Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, John Kander and Fred Ebb, and, of course, Stephen Sondheim, the company's signature. 

In 2007, Signature moved into a new two-theater complex in Arlington, Virginia, located just ten minutes by car from downtown Washington, DC.  Under Co-Founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, Signature has been nominated for 238 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in professional theater to date and has been honored with 54 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Musical in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2005, and 2006, and Outstanding Play in 1999.   

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