Smash Productions Is Getting Prepared For The Next Play
The road ahead for Smash Productions’ upcoming production appears to be clear after some COVID-19 speed bumps.
“Rhapsody in Rhythm: The Best of Gershwin & Porter” is planned for 7 p.m. Nov. 3-5 at Savannah Center, following delays and cancellations in the spring and fall last year.
Tickets will go on sale in August and can be bought at any Villages Box Office location or online at thevillagesentertainment.com.
Smash Productions’ Susan Feinberg and director Barry Corlew sought a production with popular music in the initial stages, and “Rhapsody in Rhythm” filled the criteria.
When the group was forced to shut down three weeks before the concerts, it was practically show-ready.
“I think everyone’s so happy that the show is going to happen,” said show producer Feinberg. “It creates a lot of excitement, and I feel that with the production team.”
Joe Mankowski, Barbara Byers, Brooke Carter, Mary Ann Rockenbach and Sammie Brassette were among the members of the team who gathered earlier this month to plan out details such as bringing in a piano.
The band, including the piano, will be an important part of the act, according to Feinberg.
Powerhouse vocalists Billie Thatcher and Bonnie Williams will perform a reprise of George and Ira Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” from “Girl Crazy” in a number she refers to as “dueling Ethel Mermans.”
A dance piece will be performed by Bill Krone and Bill Davis to Cole Porter’s “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from “Kiss Me, Kate.”
Even though some of the songs are from the 1930s and 1940s, Feinberg says they will be performed with a modern jazz or rock touch.
“Everyone will be singing along and probably want to dance if that’s allowed,” she said. “It’s (that) kind of thing because everyone knows the songs.”
Cast members have already begun practicing their numbers, and Feinberg anticipates that full-cast rehearsals will begin in August.
“Everyone was excited because we were so close to doing the show last April, but I think that’s one of the things that will make it special: the commitment of the cast and crew,” she said.
In 2022, “The Honeymooners: From New York to The Villages,” “The Sound of Music,” and “A Fiddler in the Villages” are also on the schedule.
