I was honored to be invited to a Blogger Night at The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts last evening.
We enjoyed Broadway Songbook: Musicals of the 1950s, the first in the 2013-2014 Broadway Songbook series. (The series will continue in 2014 from January 3-5 with "George Gershwin" and conclude June 13-15 with "Comden and Green".)
The show highlights songs from many familiar musicals including South Pacific, The King and I, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music. In between numbers, host (and Producing Artistic Director) James Rocco, provides history and background about the musicals bringing you back to a time when America was recovering from World War II and Musical Theater was the country's favorite form of entertainment.
While most of the songs performed are from well-known musicals, a few were unfamiliar to me (Call Me Madame, Juno, Bells Are Ringing). However, one of my favorite overall performances was from a show that I had never heard of: "Politics and Poker" from Fiorello.
In an interesting twist, the entire audience was seated in chairs on the actual Ordway stage. This gives the show a very informal, intimate feel. The production is simple and relaxed, consisting of a very talented ensemble of local musical performers (with theatrical backgrounds), accompanied by a grand piano.
The performers genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves, which made the show fun to watch (there were many moments that made me smile). If you are a fan of Broadway musicals from the 1950s, I think you will really enjoy this show (especially from the unique perspective of the Ordway stage)!
The show runs approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes (with a 20+ minute intermission).
Remaining Performance Dates (2013):
- Saturday, October 19th at 2:00 p.m.
- Saturday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, October 20th at 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday, October 20th at 7:30 p.m.
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
St. Paul, MN 55102
Ticket Office: 651.224.4222
Groups: 651.282.3111
ordway.org
I would like to thank the Ordway for providing these tickets!
(A positive review was not required.)
