Student production of 'Bullets Over Broadway' at CCU using original props from Broadway musical
"This musical is an adaptation of the early '90s Oscar-winning film brought to life by one of Broadway's powerhouse women, Susan Stroman, who is a big reason why we selected this production," said Adam Pelty, assistant professor of theatre who directs and choreographs the production. "It's a very prop-heavy show, and we rented the props package from the original Broadway production, including a 1920s car on the stage, so there's a real sense of authenticity."
Performances will be in CCU's Wheelwright Auditorium from Thursday, Feb. 8, through Saturday, Feb. 17. Reserved seating tickets range from $20 to $25, with discounts available.
The final evening is a command performance that benefits scholarship opportunities in the Thomas W. and Robin W. College of Humanities and Fine Arts and includes a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. and a dessert reception afterward; tickets to the special performance are $50 and are tax-deductible.
Nominated for six Tony Awards, "Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical" is set amid tap-dancing gangsters and high-stepping chorines in the 1920s, featuring a pretentious playwright, an aging leading lady, a ditsy leading man, a desperate producer, a dimwitted chorus girl and her gangster sugar daddy. Young playwright David Shayne arrives in New York with big plans to succeed on Broadway, yet financial reality hits immediately. To secure funding for his play, he hires Olive Neal, the demanding and talentless girlfriend of a gangster, to play the lead. Her escort, Cheech, makes continuous changes to the play, while Shayne loses control of not only the plot but also all the players involved. This musical is a love letter to the Golden Age of Broadway, loaded with laughs, colorful characters and songs that made the '20s roar, including "Let's Misbehave," "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do" and "There's a New Day Comin'!"
The performance schedule is as follows:
" Thursday, Feb. 8-Saturday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.
" Wednesday, Feb. 14-Friday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.
" Saturday, Feb. 17, 3 p.m.
" Command performance Saturday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.
The cast includes BFA musical theatre majors Ben Southerland, a senior from Dalton, Ga., as David Shayne; Sophia Kider, a senior from Warren, N.J., as Helen Sinclair; Bryce Ridley-Williams, a sophomore from Virginia Beach, Va., as Warner Purcell; Austin Dare, a sophomore from Annapolis, Md., as Nick Valenti; T.J. Little, a junior from Keller, Texas, as Julian Marx; Erin Paxton, a senior from Severna Park, Md., as Ellen; Hannah Garmon, a senior from Cumming, Ga., as Eden Brent; and BFA acting majors Noah Pelty, a junior from Myrtle Beach, as Cheech; and McKenna O'Grodnik, a sophomore from Townsend, Del., as Olive Neal.
Assistant director is Guy Bannister, a junior from Alabaster, Ala.; dance captain is Amelia Dobbs, a junior from Norfolk, Va.; and assistant choreographer is Chelsea Ashton, adjunct instructor.
The production contains content that may be inappropriate for children. Parental discretion is advised.
Reserved seating tickets are $25 and $20. Senior citizens, OLLI members, CCU alumni, teens and CCU/HGTC faculty and staff are $20/$16. Children and CCU/HGTC students are $7 with student identification.
Upcoming CCU Department of Theatre productions include "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" with an all-female cast in March through April and "35MM: A Musical Exhibition" in April.
For more information on the event, contact Amy Tully, associate professor of music and associate dean of the Edwards College, at atully@coastal.edu or 843-349-2352.
For tickets, call the Wheelwright Box Office at 843-349-ARTS (2787) or visit coastal.edu/culturalarts or ticketreturn.com. The Wheelwright Box Office is located at 108 Spadoni Park Circle on the Conway campus, and hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.