LCCT, the resident theater company of Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater, will hold auditions for the musical “A Grand Night for Singing: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein” on Tuesday, April 30 from 6-8 p.m. in Skidompha Library’s Porter Meeting Hall. People auditioning are asked to use the Elm Street entrance to the library.
Taste and imagination, the two key ingredients for a first-rate revue, abound in this fresh take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon. This musical revue opened the 1994 Broadway season with flair and distinction, garnering wildly enthusiastic notices as well as earning two Tony nominations, including for Best Musical.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein founding fathers probably never imagined “Shall We Dance?” as a comic pas de deux for a towering beauty and her diminutive admirer, nor did they suspect that one day a lovelorn young lad might pose the musical question “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” But that is precisely the kind of invention lavished upon this revue, with innovative musical arrangements including a sultry Andrews Sisters-esque “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair,” a swingin’ “Honeybun” worthy of The Modernaires, and a jazzy “Kansas City” that leaves no question about how terrifically up-to-date the remarkable songs of the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon remain.
“A Grand Night for Singing” will be under the direction and choreography of Emily Mirabile, with music direction by John Mulcahy. Performances for this fully staged production are scheduled for Aug. 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17, with rehearsals beginning in early June. Although originally written for a cast of five, LCCT, as it did a few summers back with the Kander and Ebb revue “And the World Goes ’Round,” will be enlarging the company to feature multiple performers.
Actors are asked to bring sheet music to the auditions. An accompanist will be provided. Questions can be emailed to lcctseason@gmail.com.
