Majestic to fill 2009 stage with swooning lumberjacks and Beatles

Date: 12/16/2008

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD As the curtain falls on 2008, the Majestic Theater is wrapping up its final show of the year and gearing up to light the stage for 2009.

Audiences only have a few more days to catch the classic holiday tale "It's a Wonderful Life" before its final show on Dec. 21. The Majestic will kick off 2009 with the musical "Lumberjacks in Love" on Jan. 8, followed by "Bus Stop" on Feb. 26 and "John and Paul" on April 16.

Danny Eaton, producing director of the Majestic Theater, explained that each of the remaining shows bring its own unique interpretation of timeless characters and themes.

"I liked the novel approach [of this particular production of 'It's a Wonderful Life'] presenting it as a live radio play in 1946," he said. "It's a novel idea for what's become a traditional holiday story."

The play takes the actors into a radio studio as they broadcast the tale of George Bailey in his greatest hour of need.

Eaton explained that the resounding popularity of last year's musical "Guys on Ice" prompted him to include another musical comedy called "Lumberjacks in Love." He said the production tells the story of several funny, musically-inclined lumberjacks with a mixture of hidden identities and gut-splitting humor.

Eaton was quick to point out that while audience members might have seen the 1956 film "Bus Stop" starring Marilyn Monroe, the stage production is far more compelling.

"'Bus Stop' is a story about people's loneliness and their attempts to overcome that and reach out and touch others," Keith Langdale, director of "Bus Stop," said. "You have some empathy for these people and understand what's missing from their lives and how they go about filling that void . I think that's what really connects people [to the play]."

Eaton explained that he chose to include "John and Paul" in this production schedule after listening to the original music by Stephen Schecter. Eaton later created the narrative and dramatization in order to adapt it into a full-scale production.

"[The soundtrack] is a string of 21 songs all original compositions, not Beatles music and tells the story of Lennon and McCartney form the time they were born until Lennon's death," he explained. "[The production] humanized Lennon and McCartney and takes them out of the pantheon of the Beatles and you look at them as people."

"John and Paul" director Rand Foerster said he hopes audiences form an appreciation for the bond between the two characters and how they were able to develop their craft into a worldwide sensation.

Tickets for "It's a Wonderful Life" are $21 and $24 and can be purchased by calling the Majestic Theater box office at 747-7797.

Remaining performances of "It's a Wonderful Life" are as follows: Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 19 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 20 at 8 p.m.; and Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.

For more information about the Majestic Theater's 2009 lineup go to www.majestictheater.com.