Get on
board for musical fun and farce as the Theatre and Dance Department at the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point stages “On the Twentieth Century.”
Set on
the Twentieth Century Limited train as it travels between Chicago and New York
City, this musical celebrates the art deco decor and classic screwball comedies
of the 1930s. The show will be performed in Jenkins Theatre in UW-Stevens
Point’s Noel Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28, and
Wednesday through Saturday, March 4-7. A 2 p.m. matinee will be offered Sunday,
March 1.
Described
as “an unknown gem” by its director, Assistant Professor Alan Patrick Kenny,
the show was originally a Broadway play adapted into a 1934 film starring
legends Carole Lombard and John Barrymore. It became a Broadway musical in
1978, with highly theatrical dialogue and musical styles that blend vaudeville,
operetta and slapstick.
Jenkins
Theatre will feature three train compartments fit end to end, designed by
Assistant Professor Greg Kaye in an iconic art deco style.
“This is
a tricky show, but I feel we have the right talent for it,” Kenny said. “We
have students with strong vocals, who can sing in a three-octave range while
being funny, oversized and yet believable characters.”
The
story features down-and-out theater producer Oscar Jaffe (played by Bryce
Dutton of Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and his former girlfriend, Hollywood starlet
Lily Garland (played by Tatyana Nahirniak of Cottage Grove). Desperate to have
Lily in one of his shows, Jaffe sneaks onto the train to convince her.
Entertaining musical numbers with smart, funny lyrics reflect the couple’s
love-hate relationship and their interactions with Lily’s handsome but dumb
co-star and a rich eccentric who wants to back Jaffe’s next production.
“All of
these inflated personalities take up the tiny spaces of the train cars,
creating humor as well as challenges for the actors,” said Kenny. “Every moment
is begging for a laugh, so we’re having fun seeing how far we can go.”
Tickets
are $19 for adults, $18 for seniors, $14 for youth and $4.50 for students with
UW-Stevens Point ID. Tickets are available at the UW-Stevens Point Information
and Tickets Office, located in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, by
calling 715-346-4100 or at http://tickets.uwsp.edu.
Skip to main content
