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Crazy for You at The Shedd, circa 2002
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LORD LEEBRICK THEATRE COMPANY
Added
Performances
June 3, 4 & 5
call now
Summer at The Shedd
Hot jazz, cool musicals on tap for OFAM
T
he Oregon Festival of American
Music turns 20 this year, and the
celebration is all in expansion
and additions, making this one swinging
summer for Eugene. On the hunch you’re
not going to plan your hot months around
the massive explosion of fi lm de l’été, I
spoke with Shedd executive director James
Ralph to get his take on OFAM, Shedd
Theatricals, Now Hear This and what’s
defi nitely worth booking early.
Too Marvelous For Words: Ella, Frank
and the Classic American Songbook is the
2011 OFAM theme. Running from July
29-Aug. 6, it will include fi ve evening con-
certs, three matinees, free fi lms and lec-
tures and, of course, a magnifi cent musi-
cal. Music director Ken Peplowski is once
again at the helm, and fun is bubbling up
around him. One evening concert, Let’s Do
It! Ella & Louis Jazz Party, will be “more
like a jazz party than a concert,” Ralph
says, with a bar, cabaret seating and a little
audience participation. Ian Whitcomb re-
turns as special guest scholar. While you
won’t see him performing on stage, Whit-
comb has been engaged to give fi ve lec-
tures on the festival theme.
Girl Crazy is this year’s spotlight
musical, a George & Ira Gershwin show
that Ralph says captures the “absolute,
unabashed silliness of the 1930s musical.”
Sent out West by his father, a New York
City playboy pulls up in the great state of
Arizona in a taxi, and confusion, mayhem
and love ensue. “This show was written
as a money maker,” Ralph says, “and
includes sparkling numbers,” such as
“Embraceable You.”
The play was awkwardly re-written
in the ‘50s, and then radically updated in
1991 as Crazy For You. “We fi nally found
a copy of the original 1930 script by Guy
Bolton and Jack McGowan at USC of all
place and are now working on re-synching
the music.”
The choice to stage Girl Crazy is due to
Ralph’s mission to champion older prop-
erties, “giving the community the basis
of what the modern musical came from.”
There will be no broomstick defying grav-
ity, no helicopter landing on stage and no
massive marketing campaign — just the
simple, straightforward genius of a Gersh-
win musical.
Played in its shadow will be the quieter,
more sophisticated musical Pal Joey.
Written in 1940 by Rodgers and Hart, Pal
Joey is based on an epistolary novel by
John O’Hara. The show is indicative of a
time when Rogers and Hart were growing
dissatisfi ed with the traditional musical.
“They were looking for something new,
something different,” Ralph explains. The
show, while having a nominally happy
ending, is a little darker and more thought-
provoking than other period musicals.
For both shows and most of the OFAM
concerts, Ralph has tried to rely on local
talent. We are fortunate to be home to
Shirley Andress, Bill Hulings and Siri Vik,
and at least a temporary home to Evynne
Hollens and Matt Musgrove.
To enjoy some non-native talent, there’s
a whole line up of concerts, as this summer
there’s no stopping Now Hear This. I’m
excited to hear Dr. John and Mary Chapin
Carpenter; Ralph says you won’t want to
miss Leon Russell; and Steve Earle arrives
July 1.
These are just a few highlights. To
really plan your summer around hot jazz
and classic musicals, check out the OFAM
website at www.theshedd.org
The Oregon Festival of Music, Too
Marvelous For Words: Ella, Frank and the
classic American Songbook, runs July 29-
ew
Aug. 6 at The Shedd.
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
Shakespeare’s Romance Adapted & Directed by John Schmor
Suzi Steffen says, “Winter’s Tale beautifully caps off Lord Leebrick’s season
...go see Winter’s Tale” - MyEugene.org
Rick Levin says, ”Winter’s Tale feels just right for right now, like a spring
thaw before summer’s breeze.” - Eugene Weekly
General Auditions for 2011-12
By Appointment
OPE
Saturday, May 21
Audi N
tions
TICKETS
54
541-465-1506
lordleebrick.com
lo
Call 541-684-6988 to schedule.
EUGENE WEEKLY MAY 19, 2011 29