1 '-;J , I.") '-,I c. ' WEST VALLEY LIGHT OPERA PRESENTS Our 38th Season:2002-2003 Performing at the SARATOGA CIVIC THEATER 13777 FRUITVALE AVE. in SARATOGA March-April 2003 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE We/come to the second production ofWVLOA's 38th season, "Forever Plaid". We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful nostalgic journey back to the music of the 1950's. Our final production of this season will be a delightful and patriotic produc- tion of "George M!", with a rousing score by George M. Cohen. You're Invited! Whether you are already one of our 1,500+ subscribers or here in the Saratoga Civic Theater for the first time, we invite you to join us this coming November for West Valley Light Opera's 39th season. It will open with Jerry Herman's "Hello, Dolly!", the musical comedy based on Thorton Wilder's "The Matchmaker"; followed by ''A Chorus Line", the musical celebration of the unsung heroes of the theater, the chorus dancers; and will close with "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", a tale of an Oregon pioneer family and the rustic romances of seven wild backwoodsmen. Look at Our Centerfold! Included in this program is a special blue insert which we invite you to use to subscribe to WVLOA's 39th musical season. Subscribe NOW to ensure good seats and substantial saving over the cost of indi- vidual tickets. Current subscribers may also use this form to renew for next sea- son. All subscriptions and individual ticket orders will be processed according to the date on which they are received, but actual tickets will not be mailed until after this season's last production has concluded in August. Let me close by stating that you, the audience members who share your sup- port and enthusiasm for WVLO's endeavors, make it a truly gratifYing experience for all of us involved, both on the stage and behind the scenes. And we extend our special gratitude to those subscribers who have donated additional funds to en- sure the excellent quality of sets and costumes that we strive to bring to this stage. We hope that you have a marvelous time at this musical and that you will join us for our future productions. Edward Hand, President West Valley Light Opera Association •••••••••••••••••• WEST VALLEY LIGHT OPERA ANNOUNCES NEXT SEASON: 2003-2004 We invite you to become a subscriber to WVLO's New Season. Please use the insert in this program! Subscribe NOW to assure good seats and substantial savings! Current subscribers may use this form to renew for next season. •_.• 'West 'TJa[[eyLigfit Opera ~Ss&latIcl\-.r-;» Presents Starring (in alphabetical order) Michael Amaral, Robin Melnick, Tim Reynolds, Nick Spangler Director/Choreographer: Brad Handshy Music Director: Steve Shapiro Assistant Director/Vocal Director: Diane Milo Producer: Kristine Dudley • •••• •• • •• •• ••• • •••• •• ••• •• ••• ••• •• •••• • •• : GALA OPENING: Saturday, March 15, 2003 .. 8:00 PM : : Fridays: March 21,28, April 4, 11 8:00 PM : : Saturdays: March 22, 29, AprilS, 12 8:00 PM : .: .Sunday.....Matinees......:.March.....16,...23,..30,...April...6.....2:30...PM....: "Forever Plaid" is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Music Theatre International, 420 W 54th St., New York, NY 10019 Visit our web site: www.wvlo.org e-rnail: [email protected] Playwrights Notes When most of us think of the 1950's, we think of rock en' roll, greasers, hot rods, Elvis, Annette, Fabian, D.A. haircuts and teenage rebel- lion. But there was a flip side to this era: the side of harmony, innocence and the sincerity of dreams. It is the side that's been lost in the shuffle of progress. It was a time when most parents and kids listened and danced to the same music; when families partook of the ritual of gathering in front of the TV to watch their favor- ite variety shows, like The Ed Sullivan Show or The Perry Como Show. It was a time when every family worked hard to fulfill the American Dream. It was a period when four-part guy groups harmonized their way across the airwaves, jukeboxes and hi-fis of the country. Throughout the land they would stand at a quartet of microphones, crooning a multitude of chaperoned prom- goers into dreamy romance. They wore dinner jackets and bow ties (or perhaps cardigans and white bucks). Each move was drilled to precision. Each vocal arrangement soared to stratospheric heights of harmony. This sound crested right before rock en' roll stole the heart- beat of music across the globe. During this time, guys across the country banded together to sing in the basement for fun. If things worked out they might be hired to sing at weddings, conventions, proms and country club socials. Inspired by the success of the re- cording stars, they made plans to zoom into careers of fame and fortune. But the musical taste of the U.S.A. was changing, and the country would not stop to listen to their dreams. This is the story of such a group: Forever Plaid Once upon a time, there were four guys (Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie) who loved to sing. They all met in high school, when they joined the audiovisual club (1956). Discovering they shared an affection for music and entertaining, they got together and dreamed of becoming like their idols: The Four Aces, The Four Lads, The Four Freshmen, The Hi-Lo's and The Crew Cuts. They rehearsed in the basement of Smudge's family's plumbing supply company. It was here they became Forever Plaid: a name that connects the continuation of traditional values of family, home and harmony. Although rock en' roll was racing down the fast lane like a candy apple '''Vette,'' they believed in their music. As their sound devel- oped, they sang at family gatherings, fundraisers, and eventually graduated to supermarket openings and proms. They had little time for romance or leisure for 2 they supported their fantasy by holding down day jobs: Frankie was in dental supplies, Jinx was into auto parts, Smudge was in bathroom fixtures, Sparky was in better dresses. They devoted themselves to their singing at nights and on week- ends. Then, finally, they landed their first big gig at the Airport Hilton cocktail bar: the Fusel Lounge. Feb. 9, 1964: En route to pick up their custom-made plaid tuxedos, they were slammed broadside by a school bus filled with eager Catholic teens. The teens were on their way to witness the Beatles make their U.S. television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show and miraculously escaped uninjured. The members of Forever Plaid were killed instantly. It is at that moment, when their careers and lives ended, that the story of Forever Plaid begins. Through the Power of Harmony and the Expanding Holes in the Ozone Layer, in conjunction with the positions of the planets and all that astro-technical stuff, they are allowed to come back to perform the show they never got to do in life. And, having completed their Mission of Harmony, our men in plaid must return to the cosmos. Although they may be gone, through this production their dreams live on forever. OUR CAST . Sparky NIck Spangler Frankie Tim Reynolds Jinx Michael Amaral Smudge Robin Melnick Announcer Ted Kopolous OUR MUSICIANS Piano Steve Shapiro Bass Rick Silvestri & Chris Rudy FOREVER PLAID is dedicated to the good guys: • To the guys who wheeled the projector • To the guys who sang around the piano carts for the audiovisual club. in the family room just for the love of it. • To the guys who carried an extra white • To the guys who never wen t beyond first handkerchief in the back pocket of their base (and if by some miracle they did, chinos. they didn't tell anyone). • To the guyus who saved their allowances to give their parents an extra-special *WE SALUTE YOU! * night on the town for the anniversary 3 MUSICAL NUMBERS (in alphabetical order) ANNIVERSARY SONG by Al Jolson & Saul Chaplin. © MCMXLVI Mood Music Co., Ine. New York, NY. Copyright renewed, Worldwide Copyright Administrator: Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Ine. Used by permission. CATCH A FALLING STAR by Paul Vance & Lee Pockriss. Used by permission of Emily Music Corp. CHAIN GANG by Sam Cooke. Published by Abkco Music Inc. Used by permission CRAZY 'BOUT YA BABY by Pat Barrett & Rudi Maugeri. Used by permission of Wanessa Music Production Co. CRY by Churchill Kohlman. © MCMLI Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc. New York NY. Copyright renewed. Used by permission. DAY-O by Erik Darling, Bob Carey & Alan Arkin Used by permission of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc. DREAM ALONG WITH ME by Carl Sigman. Used by permission of Major Songs Co. GOTTA BE THIS OR THAT by Sunny Skylar. Used by permission of Music Sales Corp. (ASCAP), copyright owner HEART AND SOUL by Hoagy Carmichael & Frank Loesser. Used by permission of Famous Music Corp. HOT DIGGITY by Al Hoffman & Dick Manning. © 1956 by Roncom Music Co. JAMAICA FAREWELL by Lord Burgess. Used by permission of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc. KINGSTON MARKET by Irving Burgie. Used by permission of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc. LADY OF SPAIN by Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell & Henry Tilsley. Used by permission of Sam Fox Publishing Co., Inc. LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING by Paul Francis Webster & Sammy Fain. Used by permission of EMI Miller Catalog, Ine. MAGIC MOMENTS by Burt Bacharach & Hal David. Used by permission of Famous Music Corp. MATILDA by Harry Thomas Used by permission of MCA Publishing, a division of MCA, Inc.