Season 7 at the Cohoes Music Hall
Release Date: April 28, 2009
DREAMGIRLS
SEPTEMBER 10-27
Sponsored by LINGUALINX
Dreamgirls is a show about a time in American musical history when what is called rhythm and blues blended with other styles of popular music creating a new American sound. Act One is set in the fabulous sixties-a time when we were still screaming at Elvis and listening to the Beatles, but were dancing to the new beat of countless girl and boy groups like The Supremes, The Marvelettes, The Temptations and The Shirelles. Dreamgirls is not just about the singing and the dancing and the performing. The play is also about the behind-the-scenes reality of the entertainment industry-the business part of show business that made possible this cultural phenomenon. Act Two shows the creation and the arrival of disco-though the word is never used in the script. The subject matter of this play deals with a musical contribution to America of such importance that only now-two decades later-are we beginning to understand.
SWEENEY TODD
OCTOBER 15-25
with
Jim Charles as Sweeney Todd
and
Monica M. Wemitt as Mrs. Lovett
Sponsored by MICHELE A. SANTUCCI
The rare instance of a musical thriller, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-ism and culinary crime tells the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. His thirst for blood soon expands to include his unfortunate customers, and the resourceful proprietress of the pie shop downstairs soon has the people of London lining up in droves with her mysterious new meat pie recipe! Sophisticated, macabre, visceral and uncompromising, Sweeney Todd nevertheless has a great sense of fun, mixing intense drama with funny moments of dark humor!
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
DECEMBER 3-20
Sponsored by MARRA'S PHARMACY
Beauty and the Beast is the stage adaptation of the animated Walt Disney 1991 film that tells the story of a strong-willed young woman, Belle, who breaks the spell that turned a handsome prince into a monstrous beast. Trying to save her beloved (but eccentric) father from the Beast's clutches, Belle agrees to become his prisoner forever. But once she is inside the Beast's enchanted castle, the members of his court -- who have been transformed into household objects like clocks and candlesticks -- decide to play matchmakers. As the Beast begins to fall in love with Belle, he becomes progressively less beastly. But the spell can be broken only if the Beast can get her to love him in return. And time is running out since the jealous Gaston, Belle's would-be suitor, leads a mob of villagers to attack the Beast's castle. Happily, the spell is broken and Belle and the Prince are united by play's end.
Gilbert & Sullivan’s THE MIKADO
FEBRUARY 18-28
Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical opera, The Mikado, is arguably the most frequently played musical theatre piece in its 125-year history. The Mikado tells a tale of preposterous carryings on in the mythical Japanese village of Titipu. A Japanese prince will do just about anything to win the hand of the national executioner's daughter, for she is his one true love. Over a century later, the themes of The Mikado still resonate with modern audiences with references used in films and television from "Chariots of Fire" to "The Chipmunks". The ultimate classic love story set in the most famous Savoy Opera continues to captivate audiences.
GYPSY
APRIL 8-18
Sponsored by SIXNET
Gypsy tells the story of Rose, an overbearing stage mother who is determined to break into the big time by pushing the vaudeville career of her younger daughter June. However, unwilling to tolerate her mother's manipulations, June elopes with a dancer. Rose then turns all of her attention on her older and less talented daughter Louise. Eventually Rose's dreams come to fruition when she successfully transforms Louise into a famous burlesque stripper known as Gypsy Rose Lee. No sooner has she succeeded, however, than Rose suffers a mental breakdown, realizing that she is no longer needed in her daughter's career.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
MAY 13-23
This humorous, nostalgic, musical is based on the movie industry's awkward transition from silent pictures to sound. A silent-era matinee idol, Don Lockwood, meets a struggling young movie extra, Kathy Selden, when he escapes from overactive fans by jumping into her car. A romance develops, irritating Don's screechy-voiced co-star, Lina Lamont. Lina is forced to grudgingly accept Kathy, however, because the young actress has a lovely voice and can dub Lina's dialogue and songs when Lina's silent film, "The Duelling Cavalier", is remade into a talkie and re-titled "The Dancing Cavalier". Even so, Lina does everything she can to destroy Kathy's movie career. In the end, this inventive backstage musical ends up lampooning the foibles of the fledgling movie industry with affection and genuine wit.
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C-R KIDS PRODUCTIONS
THE WIZARD OF OZ
November 5 – 8, 2009
Dorothy of Kansas, like so many girls her age, dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Come join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy's imagination.
FOOTLOOSE
January 14 – 17, 2010
Footloose is a story of a young man from Chicago, Ren, who is forced to move with his mother to a puritanical small town. To Ren's shock dancing and Rock 'n' Roll are forbidden in the town. Through tenacity and clever use of the Bible, Ren manages to convince Reverend Moore to let the town dance again. "Let's hear it of the boys!"
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