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Home , A Dirty Shame, Bradley Dean, Debbie Gravitte, Doctor Zhivago (musical), Douglas Carter Beane, Drama League Award

THE BIG TIME AN OLD CARTER FARM CONCERT READING OF A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY

Book by Music and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen

Music direction by Directed by Fred Lassen Douglas Carter Beane

Featuring Raymond Bokhour, Bradley Dean, , , , Michael McCormick, , 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, , 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 , 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 , , was always someone asking me after- Jones, , 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, 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 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 ! 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 . He opened the 1st don Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Tour of 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 , A Little Night her Broadway debut in the original cast Music, The Last Ship, Company, , of They’re Playing Our Song, she went on , Jane Eyre, , The to appear in Perfectly Frank (Drama Desk Story of My Life, and . nomination), Blues in The Night, Ain’t audiences have also seen Broadway Grand, , 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 An- SANTINO derson, and the legendary George Burns. FONTANA A favorite with symphony audiences, she (Tony Stevenitti) has sung with over 175 orchestras around Broadway: (Tony the world including The Boston Pops, Award); R&H’s Cin- Lang Lang and The Chinese Philharmon- derella (Tony and ic, The Philly Pops, The National Sympho- OCC award noms.); Hello, Dolly!; Act ny, NY Pops, Atlanta Symphony, Cleve- One; The Importance of Being Earnest land Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, (Clarence Derwent Award); Brighton Moscow Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, Beach Memoirs (); St. Louis, Houston, Dallas and ; Billy Elliot; Symphonies. On television, Debbie co- and Sunday in the Park with George. starred on the CBS series Trial and Error, Off-Broadway: God Bless You, Mr. Rose- NBC’S Pursuit of Happiness, and in sev- water, 1776, Zorba!, Sons of the Prophet eral specials for PBS, including Live from ( and Obie awards), Film: The Kennedy Center, The Boston Pops , Sisters. TV: /Verdon, Crazy Celebrate Bernstein, Rodgers and Hart Ex-Girlfriend, Shades of Blue, Mozart in for Great Performances, and Ira Gersh- the Jungle, and . win’s 100th Birthday Celebration. Debbie has four solo CDs: Big Band Broadway, Defying Gravity, The MGM , and Part of Your World: The Music of Alan The Sitter, The Extra Man, How to Seduce Menken. She has sung with New York Difficult Women, A Dirty Shame, Garden City Ballet at , appeared State, II, and Mo’ Money. with in the Universal Fea- On Broadway, Hoffman has co-starred in ture Isn’t She Great? and can be heard Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, On the as one of the voices in Disney’s The Little Town, , Xanadu, and Mermaid. Debbie is the proud mother of , for which she won a Theatre three beautiful children. She is also proud World Award. Off-Broadway, Hoffman owner of group5productions...booking starred as Princess Winifred in the Trans- all the people you love! port Group’s , and received a nomina- JACKIE HOFFMAN tion for her performance. Her additional (Grusha Vashnadze/ theater credits include A Chanukah Char- Naomi Goldfarb) ol, The Gingerbread House, Straight- Nominated for an jacket, Incident at Cobbler’s Knob (Lin- Emmy for her role coln Center Theatre Festival), and One of Mamacita in FX’s Woman Shoe. Hoffman has performed Feud: Betty and Joan, Jackie Hoffman in regional theater, as well in Chicago at can currently be seen in the critically-ac- The MUNY and The Sisters Rosensweig claimed Yiddish, Off-Broadway produc- at the Globe Theatre. She starred in six tion of . She is also revues at The Second City Theatre in in ’s latest series The Chicago, where she won the Jeff Award Politician, TruTV’s At Home with Amy for Best Actress. Her solo shows at Joe’s Sedaris, and Laura Kosann’s most recent Pub have received critical acclaim. They film The Social Ones. A staple on televi- include The Kvetching Continues, Jackie sion, Hoffman’s numerous credits include Five-Oh!, Chanukah at Joe’s Pub (Bistro The Other Two, Difficult People, Gilmore Award), Scraping the Bottom, and Jack- Girls, I Shudder, Girls, Six by Sondheim, ie with a Z. In 2009, Hoffman received the The New Normal, The Good Wife, Inside Mac Award for Best Female Stand Up. Her Amy Schumer, , Melissa show Jackie Hoffman: Live from Joe’s Pub and Joey, On We Go, , , is available on disc. Website: www.jackie- Hope and Faith, , hoffman.com, Facebook: www.facebook. , TV Funhouse, Late com/officialjackiehoffman, : @jack- Night with Conan O’Brien, Soulman, and iehoffman16 Cosby. A distinguished voice actress, she has also appeared in the cartoons High MICHAEL School USA, Family Guy, Dilbert, PB & McCORMICK J Otter, and the film Robots. In film, Hoff- (Col. Vlad Residu/ man has appeared in memorable roles Morty Caccitore) in Birdman, Kissing Jessica Stein, Decay, Broadway: currently The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in ; phony concert career has included broad- Hello Dolly!; Chaplin; ; ; The cast performances with the The Mormon Grinch/Xmas; The Pajama Game; Kiss Me, , Live From Lincoln Center Kate; 1776; ; Marie Christine; Kiss of (PBS), The (CBS), the Spiderwoman; La Bete. National tours: (PBS), American Songbook La Cage, , Les Miserables, at NJPAC (PBS), Six By Sondheim (PBS), Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Off-Broadway: and more. @lauraosnes Fly By Night, Tin Pan Alley Rag, A Man of No Importance, among others. TV: House WILL SWENSON of Cards, The Good Wife, Orange is the (Pavlov Pushkart) New Black, all three Law & Order series. Broadway: , Film: Pretty Bird, A Very Serious Person, Disaster!, Les Misera- The Producers. He has recorded 18 orig- bles, Priscilla: Queen inal Broadway and Off-Broadway cast al- of the Desert, (Drama bums. Michael made his Broadway debut League nomination), (Tony, Drama in 1965 in Oliver! Desk and Drama League nominations), , , . Off LAURA OSNES Broadway: Nantucket Sleighride, Jerry (Penelope Springer: The Opera (), Mur- Briggs-Hopkins) der Ballad, Rock of Ages, Little Miss Sun- is a two-time Tony shine, Adrift in Macao, Two Gentlemen Award nominee for of Verona, Pericles. Tours and other: Miss her memorable per- Saigon, We Will Rock You, - NY formances in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Philharmonic ...!, Pirates of Cinderella (Drama Desk Award) and Bon- Penzance, Moon for the Misbegotten, nie & Clyde. Other Broadway: Bandstand, The Royal Family of Broadway. Film & , , . Television: The Kitchen, The Greatest She made her film debut starring in two Showman, This is Where I Leave You, Hallmark original movies last year, In The The Switch, The Chilling Adventures of Key of Love and A Homecoming For The Sabrina, Law & Order (SVU & CSI), The Holidays and portrayed Shirley MacLaine Good Wife, No Tomorrow, The Code. in the F/X miniseries Fosse/Verdon. Oth- Will is currently at work on a brand new er NY/regional: The Scarlet Pimpernel drama being produced by Netflix. Will’s and ( Concert most impressive performance to date Productions); (At- is the role of “husband” in his marriage lantic Theater); , Pipe to global superpower Audra McDonald. Dream (City Center Encores!); The Sound With his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in of Music (), (Lyric “Acting”, he has somehow convinced her Opera of Chicago), (Boston of his adequacy, and plans on continuing Pops). Her extensive and sym- in the role for the rest of his life. THE CREATIVE TEAM

Douglas Carter Beane (Book & Direction) bers); Children’s Letters to God (Lamb’s is the author of the plays Theatre). Doug also penned scores for The (Broadway and PBS), The Little Dog Opposite of Sex (Williamstown Theatre Fes- Laughed (Tony nom., Olivier nom. tival), Glimmerglass (Goodspeed, NAMT GLAAD Media Best Play), As Bees In Hon- Festival), and A Charles Dickens Christ- ey Drown (Outer Critics Circle), Shows mas (Theatreworks/USA, Urban Stages). for Days, Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, Music From A With collaborator Cheryl Davis: Bridges Sparkling Planet, The Country Club, Ad- ( Finalist, Ignite Series vice From A Caterpillar, The Cartells, The at Times Center; Berkeley Playhouse Closet, and the upcoming Fairycakes. His world premiere) and Barnstormer (Jonathan musical books include Cinderella (Tony Larson Grant for Lark Theatre bare bones; nom.), (Tony nom.), Sister NAMT). Upcoming: Valentino, starring Act (Tony nom.), Xanadu (Tony nom., Dra- and directed by Chet Walker ma Desk Best Book, Outer Critics Circle (music by by Howard Marren). Doug is a Best Musical), and the upcoming Hood. member of the Dramatist Guild, ASCAP, He also wrote the new libretto for the op- and teaches at The Neighborhood Play- eretta Die Fledermaus for the Metropoli- house. Website: douglasjcohen.com. tan Opera and the Summer Spectacular. He has begun cre- Fred Lassen (Music Director) ating shows as both author and director. is a seasoned Broadway conductor, mu- These include Star-Spangled, Me and sic director, and arranger. Broadway pro- the Girls, the musical version of his film ductions he has conducted or supervised To Wong Foo, and tonight’s show. He include: , Bandstand, couldn’t do it without the love of Lewis Mean Girls, King Kong, Finding Nev- Flinn and Cooper and Gaby Flinn-Beane. erland, Once, , South Pacific, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spama- Douglas J. Cohen (Music & Lyrics) lot, Cabaret, , Once Upon A is the winner of the 2010 Award, Mattress. Off-Broadway/Regional: Sing two Richard Rodgers Awards for his mu- Street (New Workshop), sic/lyrics/book, and a Drama Desk Award The (, w/Har- nominee. Off-Broadway: The Evolution of ry Connick, Jr.), The Threepenny Opera Mann (with collaborator Dan Elish, The (Atlantic Theatre, dir. Martha Clarke), Cell Theatre); No Way to Treat a Lady (Alliance Theatre). Internation- (Hudson Guild Theatre and York Theatre al: Prince of Broadway (Tokyo/Osaka), Company); The Gig (MTC Stage ll, NYMF 4STARS, (Tokyo/Osaka), ’s Festival––five NYMF Awards, -Good Peony Pavilion (Beijing), Cabaret (Folies speed; Boozy (directed by Alex Tim- Bergère, ). He was nominated for a Award in Washington, DC, Pan and . Fred gradu- in the category of Outstanding Music ated with a degree in Organ Performance Direction, for Ricky Ian Gordon’s musical from Oberlin Conservatory, and lives in Sycamore Trees. Fred has arranged and Brooklyn with his wife Vaishali, an inde- recorded two with Laura Osnes. pendent documentary filmmaker, and his He was the Associate Music Supervisor 5-year-old son Luca. for NBC’s live musical broadcasts of Peter 2019 GREGORY PORTER 2020 Highlights

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 GREGORY PORTER

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 CLAIRE CHASE, flute Density 2036: part v (“Pan”)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 ROMEO & JULIET ROMEO & JULIET National Ballet Theatre of Odessa

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE

RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20 LEWIS BLACK It Gets Better Every Day

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 BRUCE HORNSBY AND yMUSIC JOEY ALEXANDER FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 JOEY ALEXANDER TRIO with special guest the Edmar Castañeda Trio ISAAC MIZRAHI

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29 ISAAC MIZRAHI Movie Stars and Supermodels

TICKETS STARTS AT $25

Signature Series Dance Series sponsored by: MCCARTER.ORG sponsored by: The Jerome Robbins Foundation