Wave the American flag for patriotism and mom's apple pie as "The Andrews Brothers" come to a USO near you. Yes, that's the Andrews Brothers and it's not a misprint. The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre in Berlin is harkening back to World War II, specifically to the South Pacific in 1945 when entertaining the troops was a priority.
Weekends until Saturday, July 27, you're invited to cheer on this red, white and blue sparkler of a musical, written by Roger Bean, directed and produced by Kris McMurray and musically directed by Pawel Jura.
Kaite Corda's Peggy Jones is stuffed with enthusiasm and good spirits in her quest to make the soldiers on base feel appreciated. After all, they're shipping out tomorrow and she feels responsible for making their last evening a memorable one.
When her back-up singers fail to arrive, she reluctantly accepts the help of a trio of stagehands who are star struck and want to perform, even though their prior experience wouldn't fill a bucket of soap suds.
With skill and finesse, Peggy teaches her willing pupils the words and dance routines to such numbers as "Rosie the Riveter," "Breathless," "Mairzy Doats" and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." They go over the top with tunes with a distinctly Hawaiian flavor, from "Hawaiian War Chant" to "Hula Ba Luau" to "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar." Believe me, those little grass skirts really sway.
When the headline act of The Andrews Sisters bails on Peggy, due to a case of the chicken pox, she chooses the only reasonable option. To not disappoint the military, she takes Erik Bloomquist's Patrick and makes him Patty, Kevin Ladd's Max morphs into Maxine and she encourages Seth Price's Lawrence into becoming Laverne. As "gals," these guys deliver such gems as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Shoo-Shoo Baby," "Stuff Like That There" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." They hit a home run when they "enlist" two guys from the audience to belt out "Six Jerks in a Jeep," complete with sound effects. As a morale booster and a salute to flag wavers everywhere, the show will get you right in the spirit for the Fourth of July!
For tickets ($30), call the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre, 31-33 Webster Square Road, Berlin at 860-829-1248 or online at www.ctcabaret.com.
Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:15 p.m. Bring your own goodies to enjoy at your table or purchase desserts at the canteen on site. This is Connecticut Cabaret's 16th season providing local talent with a welcoming stage presence.
Let Peggy, Patrick, Max and Larry entertain you and the troops in this firecracker of a show.
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