A Sign of the Times, the new pop-fueled musical featuring songs made famous by Petula Clark and other hit-makers of the 1960s, recently wrapped up a successful five-week run at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. where the show played from July 29 – September 4 to packed houses. News of an upcoming production will be announced.

“Welcoming A Sign of the Times for its first full developmental production, and watching it grow over the course of its run, was a thrill for all of us at Goodspeed Musicals,” said Executive Director Michael Gennaro. “We’re so pleased that the show proved to be one of the most highly rated shows by Goodspeed audiences.”

Creator and producer Richard Robin added, “A Sign of the Times truly found its feet under the guidance and support of the top-notch team at Goodspeed. After a summer of audiences humming the sounds of the 60s and connecting with our show’s heroine as she struggles to find her place in an era of change, we’re now looking forward to what’s next as A Sign of the Times explores options for future productions.”

Below is a sampling of what audiences had to say after attending A Sign of the Times:

– “A Sign of the Times was absolutely wonderful, lifting my heart and spirits. It brought back that youthful uplifting feeling of great hope.”

– “Just loved this play! It brought me back to my middle to late teenage years. The music and singing and dancing was super! I especially liked that it had humor but also took a look at the racial issues and women’s rights that were so front and center during those years. All in all it was just delightful!”

– “I have never had a show leave such an impression on me! I grew up with Petula Clark…”Downtown” was my first 45 record. I can’t get the music out of my head.”

– “My wife and I have been to nearly every show that you have produced at both theaters over the last eight years. This is your best so far!”

– “A Sign of the Times captured the legacy and impact of the cultural changes wrought by the 60s that were expressed through its music. An inspiring array of songs, outstanding script, crisp choreography, great sets and outstanding performances by all. Bravo for a fabulous show!”

This is the story of Cindy, a 20-something whose dreams are bigger than her Midwestern hometown will allow. Set against the backdrop of New York City in the 1960s -women’s liberation, the civil rights movement, and protests of the Vietnam war-Cindy searches for her place in the world. A Sign of the Times, featuring chart-topping hits from the 1960s, celebrates friendship, love, and discovering one’s sense of self. A Sign of the Times was sponsored by Essex Savings Bank.

1965. The pulse of a changing era lures Cindy from Middle America to the swirl of Manhattan. Unexpected friends, lovers, careers, and conflicts are all a subway ride away in a pop-fueled new musical featuring songs made famous by Petula Clark and other hit-makers of the day. “I Know a Place,” “The Shoop Shoop Song,” and “If I Can Dream” are among the fabulous favorites on an eye-opening ride from innocence to experience. Forget all your troubles, forget all your cares – go “Downtown” and find out who you are!

A Sign of the Times includes popular hits by Petula Clark, as well as classics by Elvis Presley, Lesley Gore, Nancy Sinatra, and Fontella Bass. The musical’s original book is by Emmy Award-winning writer Bruce Vilanch. Vilanch’s career as writer and performer spans the worlds of television, film, and stage. For television he has written for shows as diverse as “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour,” “Donnie and Marie,” “Comic Relief,” and “Hollywood Squares,” as well as serving several years as head writer for the Academy Awards. For Broadway, Bruce not only appeared as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, but wrote the book for the musical Platinum and penned special material for a number of revues and concerts for the likes of Bette Midler, Michael Feinstein, and Diana Ross, among others.

The cast of A Sign of the Times featured Ephie Aardema (Broadway production of The Bridges of Madison County and Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre production of Snapshots) as Cindy; Robert Lenzi (Broadway’s Tuck Everlasting, and South Pacific) as Brian; Bryan Fenkart (Broadway’s Memphis) as Dennis; Nick Bailey (Broadway production of Casa Valentina) as Matt; and Crystal Lucas-Perry (Little Children Dream of God at the Roundabout Theatre) as Tanya.

The ensemble includes Lauren Boyd (Broadway’s West Side Story), Lauren Nicole Chapman (Broadway’s Kinky Boots), Melessie Clark, Drew Franklin (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at The Goodspeed and Broadway’s Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Jeremy Gaston (1st National Tour of Sister Act), Alexandra Matteo (Broadway’s Annie), Keven Quillon (Broadway’s Grease, Shrek the Musical, and Annie), Kevin Santos (Broadway’s In the Heights and the National Tours of A Chorus Line, and West Side Story), Dave Schoonover (National Tour of Young Frankenstein), and Alet Taylor (National Tour and Las Vegas productions of The Producers) who will play Cleo.

A Sign of the Times was directed by Gabriel Barre and choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter. The creative team included Paul Tate DePoo lII (scenic design), Jennifer Caprio (costume design), Ken Billington (lighting design), Benjamin Pearcy (projection design), and Jay Hilton (sound design). Music Direction was by Rick Fox, Music Supervision by Joseph Church, Dance Arrangements by David Dabbon, and Casting was by Tara Rubin Casting.

The story of A Sign of the Times was created by Richard Robin. This production made possible by special arrangement with Richard Robin, president of Wells Street Productions.

For 30 years, The Terris Theatre has been Goodspeed’s home for developing fresh, innovative, and original new musicals. These new works have been developed in Chester, Conn., before they’ve moved on to Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours, and other Regional Theatres. Because this is a developmental theatre, the show can change on a day-to-day basis. New scenes are added, songs are moved, costumes are changed, dialogue is tweaked?all based on audience response and feedback.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Michael Gennaro, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the preservation, development and advancement of musical theatre. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn. and additional productions at The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of United Airlines, the official airline of Goodspeed Musicals, and official auto sponsor Hoffman Audi. Goodspeed is supported in part by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development with support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

The post Future Productions Planned for New Musical A SIGN OF THE TIMES Following Goodspeed Run first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

We live in a world of lies, bombarded daily by half-truths, obfuscations and outright falsehoods from promoters and politicians. So let’s get erect and give a standing ovation to Naked Boys Singing for earning the “truth in advertising” award. This spirited musical revue may not have any dialogue, characters or plot, but it’s got more exposed penises than a half-dozen productions of Equus. Which just goes to show how far our city has evolved: Back in 2000, a lone Naked Guy at the Orlando Fringe faced threats of arrest, but in 2016 seven nude dudes can strut on the Footlight stage for five weekends and no one blinks an eye.

A long-running hit in New York, NBS comes to Orlando courtesy of producer-director Tim Evanicki, who recently took the reins of the Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre. Under former artistic directors Michael Wanzie and David Lee, Footlight hosted not only PH’s popular drag shows, but legit dramas and comedies that drew audiences of every orientation. That leaves Evanicki some big shoes to fill in his new role, as he graciously acknowledged at the packed press preview.

“I am loving this job,” Evanicki told me in an interview after opening night. “Parliament House is an LGBT resort that caters to everyone. I’d like the programming in the theater to reflect that. We will be bringing in more book musicals and big names that appeal to all walks of life.”

Evanicki first saw Naked Boys Singing at NYC’s Actors Playhouse in 2004 and made it his top priority upon becoming PH’s new artistic director. “I wanted to make sure we kicked it off with something that would put the Footlight Theatre on the map,” he said. “I also wanted to pick a show that would cater to and attract more than just the LGBT community.” Of course, assembling a show where the cast is unclothed nearly the entire time required some adjustments. “Singing auditions were fully clothed, but the dance callback was done nude,” Evanicki recalled. “It was funny, because we have union performers, and the union required us to have a monitor from Actors’ Equity audit the audition process. Poor Doug Truelsen.” The early rehearsals were done dressed, but drawers were dropped once Pete Simpson’s choreography – which puts a floppy twist on the classic chorus kickline – was complete. “I left it up to the boys as to when they felt comfortable rehearsing nude,” said Evanicki. “We had 12 total rehearsals, and they were nude on day seven.”

It’s one thing to hoot and holler at a stage of stripped strangers, but I found the show a tad awkward to watch (at least at first) because I know some of the cast. For example, I’ve been friends with Joshua Roth since we worked on Tod Kimbro’s 2011 Fringe musical Suckers, but I’ve never seen him as exposed as during his “Perky Little Porn Star” number. “There is nothing that truly prepares you for 90 minutes of nudity; you kind of just have to jump into the deep end headfirst and with a smile on your face,” Roth told me. A theme-park performer by day, Roth’s NBS role has let him “step way out of my comfort zone, as well as become more comfortable with myself, my peers and also complete strangers.” Of course, you can’t do a nude musical without some unintended side effects: “I have been working a lot with aerial silks lately, and I have a pretty bad bruise on my upper left thigh … pretty much my groin area. I pulled Pete (our choreographer) into the dressing room, and without even thinking about it pulled down my pants and showed him the bruise. It wasn’t even until about five minutes after he left the dressing room that he realized that I had just whipped it all out for him and he didn’t even notice or care … and neither did I.”

So after all that, how is the show? As I said above, if you are interested in story or deep meaning, better move along: There’s a nod to nakedness as a metaphor for emotional vulnerability and a maudlin song about a dead lover, but otherwise the mood is kept light and campy. The performers are all solid (ahem), especially Kevin Kelly, who wears Liza well in the Fosse-flavored “Entertainer,” but the majority of the music is simply unmemorable. With a baker’s dozen of credited writers (including Bruce Vilanch), it’s a clear case of too many cooks muddling the man-chowder, and musical director John T. Gardner’s keyboard often drowned out the unamplified singers. As a hetero male, I didn’t identify with some of the topics (like gym addiction), though it appears sung schlong synonyms make everyone’s inner 12-year-old snicker, gay or straight. But if a boozy, bawdy evening of ogling buff boys with their balls swinging in the breeze sounds like ideal entertainment, better buy your seats now; Naked Boys Singing looks to be the hardest ticket of this theater season.

Related articles

• Bruce Vilanch To Play Coral Springs Museum Saturday, January 30th 2016
• BetteBack September 24, 1993: Liz Smith – Radio City fans go bananas over Bette

The post Orlando: Naked Boys Singing is a boozy, bawdy evening of ogling buff boys with their balls swinging in the breeze first appeared on We Got Bruce!.