The Big Time an Old Carter Farm Concert Reading of a New Musical Comedy
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THE BIG TIME AN OLD CARTER FARM CONCERT READING OF A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY Book by Music and lyrics by Douglas Carter Beane Douglas J. Cohen Music direction by Directed by Fred Lassen Douglas Carter Beane Featuring Raymond Bokhour, Bradley Dean, Santino Fontana, Debbie Gravitte, Jackie Hoffman, Michael McCormick, Laura Osnes, Will Swenson and musicians of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra Stage Manager Jen Wiener FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2020 8:00PM in the Matthews Theatre Assistive listening devices and large print program are available in the lobby. There will be a 15-minute intermission. No audio or video recording or photography permitted. DIRECTOR’S NOTE Douglas Carter Beane From his table at: Sardi’s, Broadway, USA Hello Theater Pals, Welcome to my subconscious––I sure Mr. C. has a way of getting into char- hope you got an aisle seat. How you are acter and telling a story but still making it about to experience this evening is one of all swing and having you feel like you’re my favorite ways to see a musical. A con- riding in a Cadillac convertible. You’ll fall cert—no sets, costumes, choreography, in love tonight. or fancy staging. Just material and talent. So, our show about a wacky terrorist Wow. I even formed a little company, was primed to open and the unthink- “Old Carter Farm,” to do these concerts, able happened: September 11th. The I love them so much. The name, you’ll show was put on hold. Whenever we’d forgive, came from my grandparents’ get ready to do the show again, another turkey farm. I know, I know, the apple terrorist attack would happen. Bad taste, doesn’t fall far from the tree. it would seem, is a delight, but a tricky Enough of the how, what you are about business model. I set it aside and many to see is precious to me. It’s the very first other shows took my attention, but no no-lying-about-it musical comedy I wrote. matter how successful they were, there Yes, before there was Xanadu, Sister Act, was always someone asking me after- Lysistrata Jones, Cinderella, or the up- ward, “Whatever happened to that Eydie coming Hood on Broadway, there was Gorme musical?” this little musical comedy entrenched in Then, like so many of the actresses I the worlds of Ealing Studios, Comden work with, it struck me. Could we set it and Green, and Capra Corn. so far in the past that our musical inter- This musical started, believe it or not, ludes weren’t the end of an era, but the as a screenplay for Oliver Stone as a paro- shining center? And, in the past, wouldn’t dy of the insane Steven Segal masterwork we know that everyone survived because Under Siege (you remember, the ship otherwise we would have heard about was taken over by terrorists and the chef it? Right. Communists are hilarious and turned out to be a retired Navy Seal). I so much more fun than terrorists. Russia thought it was a better premise for a mu- hasn’t been a threat to our country in sical than “Tevya and his Daughters,” so I years, so (okay, maybe not so much the wrote it as one. Well, Hollywood wanted last sentence, but the others, sure!)… more violence and less numbers, so I took Let’s go back to the subconscious part it back to New York to do as a musical. and we’ll wrap this up with a bow. I feel, I quickly found Douglas J. Cohen and and maybe you do, too, that deep within things got real good real fast. each of us is the desire to create beauty and equally the need to destroy it. The As Big Apple sings it, “To sing a song, great show of life is watching us all struggle to dance a dance, not a bad reason for with that to see which side wins. Tonight’s living.” concert comes down pretty hard on the beauty side of that argument. For the –DCB sake of mankind, I sure hope life does, too. THE CAST Tony Stevenitti.................................................................Santino Fontana Donna Stevenitti..............................................................Debbie Gravitte Penelope Briggs-Hopkins................................................Laura Osnes Pavlov Pushkart................................................................Will Swenson Col. Vlad Residu/Morty Caccitore....................................Michael McCormick Big Apple/Paul “Skinny” D’Amato...................................Bradley Dean Mimke Korsakov/LTG Marshall Carter...............................Raymond Bokhour Grusha Vashnadze/Naomi Goldfarb................................Jackie Hoffman SYNOPSIS It’s the height of the Cold War when Russian spies take over an ocean lin- er holding all of NATO. Leave it to the lounge singers on board to save the day by teaching the communists to put down their Kalashnikovs and pick up singing, dancing, and comedy. The war is cold but the numbers are hot in this show with a ring-a-ding score that might just bring back the Rat Pack! THE PROGRAM Scene 1 – The 500 club lounge, Atlantic City, NJ “MEDLEY OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HITS”.....................Tony & Donna “A SONG OF PEACE” ..............................................Tony & Donna Scene 2 – Backstage at the 500 club “I COULD GET USED TO THAT” ......................................... Donna Scene 3 – Various “PHONE CALLS” ………………….…......Naomi, Morty, Penelope, Big Apple Scene 4 – The Deck of a NATO Peace-keeping ship “ALL ABOARD” ...............................................................Company “I’VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU” …………….............................Pavlov “ALL AT SEA” ……………………………………................Company Scene 5 – Suite 17 F “I COULD GET USED TO THIS” ..........................................Donna Scene 6 – Backstage Scene 7 – The Ballroom “IT MIGHT AS WELL BE YOU” .................................Tony & Donna “WESTERN WAYS” ........................Residu, Pavlov, Mimke, Grusha Scene 8 – The Useful (not at all) room “IF I WAS YOU”.........................................................Donna & Tony Scene 9 – Residu’s Quarters/ The Useful (not at all) room “EYE TO EYE” ..............................................Donna, Tony & Residu Scene 10 – The Useful (not at all) room “WE ARE GONNA SAVE THE WORLD” ..........................Company –INTERMISSION– ACT 2 Scene 1 – The Useful (not at all) room/ just outside “HOW” .......................................................................... Company “A GUY WITHOUT A GIRL” ..................... Tony, Penelope, Donna, Big Apple, Pavlov Scene 2 – The deck of the NATO ship “BORN TO BE IN THE BIZ”..........Tony, Donna, Big Apple, Mimke Scene 3 – The Gym “THE BORDER SONG” .....................................Grusha, The Band Scene 4 – The deck of the NATO ship “A LITTLE SOFT SHOE” ...............................Pavlov and Penelope Scene 5 – The communication room “BORN TO BE IN THE BIZ” (reprise) .............................Big Apple Scene 6 – The deck of the NATO ship “WHO IS THIS GUY?” ……................................................. Donna “A GUY WITHOUT A GIRL” (reprise) .................. Tony and Donna Scene 7 – The Ballroom “THANK YOU FOR TODAY” .......................................... Penelope “THE BIG TIME” ............................................................ Company “FINALE” ……………………………...........…………….. Company PRINCETON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Rossen Milanov, Edward T. Cone Music Director, ENDOWED IN PERPETUITY Nell Flanders, Assistant Conductor The Big Time – January 31, 2020 Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax Trombone Chad Smith Nathan Mayland Sara Jacovino Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax Lars Wendt Thomas Murray Bass Trombone Clarinet, Tenor Sax Jeffrey Nelson Dave Noland Piano Clarinet, Tenor Sax John Samorian Sherry Hartman-Apgar Bass Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax Peter Donovan Alden Banta Drums Lead Trumpet, Flugelhorn Steven Bartosik Nicholas Marchione Trumpet, Flugelhorn Bud Burridge Jerry Bryant Alexander Bender ABOUT THE CAST RAYMOND Closet at Williamstown Theatre Festival. BOKHOUR (Mimke With David Bridel, he is co-author of the Korsakov/LTG new musical comedy The Glorious Death Marshall Carter) of Comrade What’s-His-Name and the holds the record comedy Big Shoes. He is also a composer for performances as Mr. Cellophane in with original works recorded by the Lon- Broadway’s Chicago. He opened the 1st don Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Tour of Once as Da. Recent work and Moravian Philharmonic Orchestras. includes Douglas Carter Beane’s The BRADLEY DEAN DEBBIE GRAVITTE (Big Apple/Paul (Donna Stevenitti) “Skinny” D’Amato) Tony Award winner, returns to McCar- Grammy Award and ter Theater Center Emmy nominee, Deb- where he starred as bie Gravitte (Jerome Tito in the world premiere of A Comedy Robbins’ Broadway), one of Broadway’s of Tenors. Currently appearing on Broad- biggest personalities, has found herself in way as Monsieur Andre in Phantom of the demand from the Broadway stage to the Opera, Mr. Dean’s other Broadway credits concert stage and beyond. After making include Dear Evan Hansen, A Little Night her Broadway debut in the original cast Music, The Last Ship, Company, Spamalot, of They’re Playing Our Song, she went on Doctor Zhivago, Jane Eyre, Evita, The to appear in Perfectly Frank (Drama Desk Story of My Life, and Man of La Mancha. nomination), Blues in The Night, Ain’t New York City audiences have also seen Broadway Grand, Zorba, Chicago, and Bradley in Bat Out of Hell (City Center); Les Misérables. Debbie has performed Sweeney Todd (NY Philharmonic); A New her nightclub act worldwide, from New Brain, The Most Happy Fella (City Center York’s Rainbow and Stars, 54 Below, and Encores); and The Big Time (NYMF). Birdland to London’s Pizza on the Park, to Atlantic City, with Jay Leno, Harry