An adventurous trip along the mighty Mississippi, a magical tale set in the Caribbean, a madcap romp on Broadway: Peach State Summer Theatre’s 2009 season has all of these things this year.
And there's only one more week to see these fine shows.
In case you haven’t been paying attention during the past several weeks, here’s a recap of what’s playing.
BIG RIVER: Country singer Roger Miller hit upon a classic idea with this concept: Why not set Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to music? Miller did, and “Big River” was the award-winning result. Featuring bluegrass and country music, “Big River” charts Huck and Jim’s journeys along the mighty Mississippi River.
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND: Created by the same team who translated E.L. Doctorow’s book “Ragtime” into a musical, lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty retell Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of the Little Mermaid, minus the mermaid, and a wee bit of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” tossed in, all told in the French Caribbean. This is a one-act play of awesome power and magical thrills.
THE PRODUCERS: Originally, this was a non-musical 1968 Mel Brooks movie starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, then this movie became the basis for Mel Brooks’ smash, live Broadway musical starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who then went onto create a movie version of the musical. But it was the live Broadway show that became a phenomenon, with its story of two con men who oversell what they are certain will be a Broadway flop (“Springtime for Hitler”) so they may profit. Funny lines, funny songs, funny characters. Also, adult language and themes.
Peach State is a professional theatre company, underwritten by the talented folks with Valdosta State University Theatre. PSST! is the state’s official musical theatre.
The Valdosta Daily Times is proud to serve as Peach State’s corporate sponsor. PSST! is an opportunity to increase Valdosta’s potential as a destination and the theatre keeps culture alive locally during the summer months.
All three shows play several times this last week. If you haven’t seen all three performances yet, now’s the time before the curtain closes on another season.
