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-- Musical dazzles Town Hall April 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Hugh and Roberta Baird, a real life husband and wife team who play a jolly captain and a crabby boat owner, will be just two of a cast of many to delight audiences in Show Boat, the Scugog Choral 'Society's presentation of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's musical extravaganza. Town Hall 1873 will host the show April 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. Ticket information is available by calling 985-2635. - radical, When he teamed up with Oscar Hammers- tein 2nd to compose the songs for a proposed - musical comedy called Showboat, Jerome Kern knew, as usual, that something big would come of it. But the gifted New York musician and com- poser was a relative newcomer to the American stage at that point. He couldn't have known how big or how lasting the product of their labors would be. Those who witness the Scugog Choral Society's production of Showboat at the Town Hall April 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 will, of course, be in a better position to know. To vir- tually everyone there, the songs, the incidental music and the style will be passingly familiar at the beginning of the per- formance and haunting- ly familiar by the end. It was not so to those first audiences in 1927 and 1928. Showboat was a controversial and refreshing departure from the usual light- weight revues that dominated North American musical theatre. It was -- and is -- the granddaddy of modern American musical comedy. Fifty- eight years after its premier performance in New York's Ziegfield Theatre, it is still alive Li + yp 3 Washers and Dryers NWA 339° 3 QUALI PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, April 16, 1985 -- 15 and well. Songs like OI' Man River, Only Make Believe, and Why Do | Love You? have become classics, bolstering the strong case of those who argue that Showboat re- mains the greatest musical' comedy ever produced on this side of the Atlantic, Showboat based on the Edna Ferber novel, makes black people become real suffering persons, not mere caricatures. And that ap- proach ~ the introduction of seriously believable characters - itself made Showboat the sparkling success it was, encourag- ing the rest of American musical theatre to aim for something higher than the goal of mere amusement. On this firm founda- tion, the Scugog Choral Society has been building since January in an ef- fort to mount its best pro- duction yet. And why not? Showboat deserves and inspires the best. It's a colorful extravaganza. It makes full use of the Society's remarkable choral and production heritage and draws on the talents of a wide range of Durham singers, dancers, actors, set designers, musicians and producers. 'Principal characters are played by seasoned singer-actors such as Catherine Millar, Hugh and Roberta Baird, Vic Agnew, Diane Lackie, Jean Kennedy and Ken Jackson. But equally im- portagf and just as demghding in many respects in Showboat are the many supporting roles. Jerome Kern, trained in 'the classical music tradition, . in- geniously wove together a range of folk and popular musical styles in his production that de- mand -- and get -- specialized and rigorous treatment by SCS members and guests. Set in Mississippi in the late 1800's, the story revolves around the paddle-wheel showboat, Cotton Blossom, and the lives of its crew of travelling entertainers, Something big out of Showboat stevedores and followers. Though class- ed as a comedy -- which it is - it contains a heady dose of pathos, a healthy measure of still-relevant social comment and enough sentimentality to melt away what remains, of the winter snows. In short, Showboat is precisely what the doctor ordered for the closing days of April. Remaining-tickets for | the 8 p.m. performance on April 24, 25, 26 and 27 are $7.50. For the Sun- day, April 28, 2 p.m. per- formance, the cost is $5.00. Advance tickets are available from Irwin Smith Music, 985-2635 or - from any member of the Scugog Choral Society. : Planning Your Wedding? Don't let the high costs put a cloud over your day. We have menus to suit any occasion FRON $7.00 PER PERSON COUNTRY STYLE COOKIN' AT IT'S BEST! AL'S CATERING Weddings & Anniversaries - Our Specialities Call for a quote on your needs - large or small! 985-2415 TY BRAND- NAME TEAMS! CE TE Ws RR HRI BRE Nh DE TC = Keldvenaftor ~~ gems Subject To Prior Sate. MOVIES ... $2.00 All the Time! KELVINATOR 17' REFRIGERATOR '879 KELVINATOR *=3 RANGE Self- Clean i REFRIGERATORS & RANGES