The company welcomes Cap'n Andy!
Cap'n Andy asks Parthy the musical question, "Why Do I Love You?" (Lois Sonnier Hart and me)
Cap'n Andy invites the crowd to the wedding of Magnolia and Gaylord.
This was, indeed, a special event. Our conductor, Jay Dias, spent almost a year in the archives at Rodgers & Hammerstein assembling the script and score of this seminal work of the American Musical Theatre. The opening night in 1927 ran over 4 hours. There were immediate cuts made, and many more over the years. The official licensed version offered today is the cutting for the 1946 revival. It was a delight to hear scenes that were actually never performed before an audience. Most of the music was recorded by John McGlinn for an archive edition in 1988, but had not been heard by a live audience with the full orchestrations since 1927. It was a great event that was, alas too short. It was, also, a pity that we ended up cutting scenes (and portions of scenes) to bring the show within a 3 1/2 hour time (with intermission).
A big thanks to Steven Jones for allowing me to revisit my friend, Cap'n Andy, and to be a part of this unique show. Also, I congratulate Jay Dias for his research as well as his musical direction and conducting duties, Ann Neiman for giving the program a visual structure and to the company for providing a memorable treat that too few will be able able to say, "They were there for it."