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MEDIA CONTACT: Stacia Smith
561-297-2971; ssmith@fau.edu
Downloadable photos are available at www.fau.edu/celebration, Festival Repertory Theater 2003
Delightful British Comedy "Hay Fever" and Classic American Musical "South Pacific" Coming to FAU
BOCA RATON, FL (June 3, 2003) - The delightful British comedy "Hay Fever" and the classic American musical "South Pacific" are coming to Florida Atlantic University for a four-week run, starting June 20 and running through July 20 as part of FAU's Summer Festival Repertory Theater. The plays will take place in the Schmidt Performing Arts Center on FAU's Boca Raton campus. Ticket prices are $15 for one show and $25 for both.
There will be an opening night VIP reception and performance of "South Pacific" on Friday, June 27. The reception starts at 6:30 p.m. and the play at 8 p.m. Tickets for the reception and performance are $45. An additional ticket for "Hay Fever" may be added to the above for $55. Investments Limited and the FAU Foundation are sponsoring the reception.
"Hay Fever," which was written by Noel Coward and is directed by FAU's Department of Theatre Chair Jean-Louis Baldet, will take place in the intimate Studio One. The play features the eccentric and Bohemian Bliss family. Judith is a retired actress for whom the whole world is a stage and everyone her audience. Her husband, David, is a novelist, and their two children are as selfish as they are ill mannered.
One weekend, they all announce that they are expecting a guest. The mother has invited an athletic youth who is in love with her, the father a flapper, the daughter, an athlete, and the son, an intense young woman. The guests arrive at the residence expecting an idyllic weekend in the country, and instead receive an unusual and rude reception. They are alternately ignored, humiliated and ultimately abandoned as the Bliss family enters into a blazing family row. Outrageous emotions and explosive banter make this an exceptionally funny play.
"South Pacific," the timeless Broadway musical of wartime romance on an island paradise, will take place in the spacious University Theater. It is considered by many to be one of the best musicals ever written. Based on two short stories from James Michener's wartime collection, "Tales of the South Pacific," this classic focuses on two love stories. The first involves the unlikely attraction between Nellie Forbush, a naïve Navy nurse from Little Rock, and Emile de Becque, a worldly French painter. The second is the tender and tragic romance between Lt. Joe Cable and a young island girl.
Set in the South Pacific during World War II, this musical provides wonderful romantic ballads like "Some Enchanted Evening," "Younger Than Springtime," as well as the upbeat and funny "A Cockeyed Optimist" and "There is Nothing Like a Dame." The play addresses the effects of war on a pristine paradise and the price of hate and racial prejudice. It was the second musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949.
The play is based on a book by Joshua Logan and Oscar Hammerstein, and the music was written by Richard Rodgers. Coincidentally, Logan was the first Eminent Scholar at FAU 20 years ago. Richard Gamble, associate professor at FAU, is directing the play.
The plays will feature Tony Award nominee John Herrera and professional actor David Mann. FAU faculty involved in the plays include FAU's Director of Instrumental Studies and Professor of Music George Sparks, who will direct all the music for "South Pacific" and production stage manager Paul Sargent. FAU Associate Professor Den Kopani is the scenic design coordinator for the Repertory and will oversee set design for both shows.
Clarence Brooks will direct choreography for "South Pacific." Brooks teaches ballet, modern, jazz and musical theater at the Middle School of the Arts, an arts magnet program in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The schedule follows:
Hay Fever
Friday, June 20, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 21, 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 22, 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 5, 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 6, 2 p.m.
Friday, July 11, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 12, 8 p.m.
Thursday, July 17, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 19, 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 20, 2 p.m.
South Pacific
Friday, June 27, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 29, 2 p.m.
Friday, July 4, 4 p.m.
Saturday, July 5, 2 p.m.
Thursday, July 10, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 12, 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 13, 2 p.m.
Friday, July 18, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 19, 8 p.m.
The sponsors for this year's Festival Repertory Theater are WXEL, "Boca Raton/Delray Beach News" and Brasserie Mon Ami. Patrons are invited to visit Brasserie Mon Ami after the play and enjoy a complimentary specialty drink or appetizer.
Group rates are available for parties of 20 or more. For ticket information, call 561-297-3737. For information about the shows, call 561-297-3810. FAU's Boca Raton campus is located at 777 Glades Road, ½ mile east of I-95. Follow signs to "Theatres and Galleries."
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