Bigfork Summer Playhouse stages a full summer's worth of classics
This season, the Bigfork Summer Playhouse repertory theater offers a series of shows to suit every taste.
Purchase tickets at www.bigforksummerplayhouse.com or call 837-4886 after May 15. The playhouse is located at 526 Electric Avenue in Bigfork.
‘You're A Good Man Charlie Brown”
The show tells the story of an average day in the life of the famous comic strip child hero, Charlie Brown. The audience is introduced to the whole Peanuts gang: Sally, Schroeder, Linus, Lucy and Snoopy. Lucy is infatuated with Schroeder and takes great pleasure in tormenting Charlie Brown. Linus loves his blanket. Snoopy lives in his rich imagination. Charlie Brown is in love with a mysterious little redheaded girl. The show ends with each character listing things that for him or her equal happiness. Finally, Lucy ends up telling Charlie Brown what a good man he is leaving a smiling, happy Charlie Brown alone on stage.
“West Side Story”
With Leonard Bernstein writing some of the most well-known musical theater numbers ever, “West Side Story” is a story of racial hatred and the tragedy that results from it. The protagonists are two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, who live in the same neighborhood and both want control of the streets. The sister of the Sharks leader falls in love with the best friend of the leader of the Jets and their romance is used as a reason by the gangs for an all-out fight that ends tragically for both gangs. The plot is advanced through dramatic, energetic dances and some of the most beautiful music ever written for a musical, including “Somewhere,” “Maria,” “America,” “One Hand One Heart,” “I Feel Pretty” and more.
“Thoroughly Modern Millie”
Set in New York City in the fast paced 1920s, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” concerns a young girl from Kansas who comes to New York in search of a new life for herself. Her grand plan is to find a job as a secretary for a wealthy man and then marry him. However, her plan goes completely awry. The owner of her dingy hotel kidnaps young girls to sell to the Far East; her wealthy boss is slow in proposing marriage; and the man she actually falls in love with doesn’t have a dime to his name — or so he tells her. This stage version is based on the 1967 film musical.
“Disney’s Tarzan”
Shipwrecked off the coast of Africa, the young son of an English couple is raised by a tribe of gorillas to manhood, when a pretty English naturalist crosses his path and teaches him about love and civilized ways. The show is based on the 1999 hit Disney movie with a score by Phil Collins, who also won an Oscar for the song “You’ll Be in My Heart.”
“The Full Monty”
Six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, New York are miserable. They have no cash and no prospects. Meanwhile, they catch their wives and other women going crazy over male strippers. The six men then set out to make some quick cash showing off their “real man” bodies by becoming a team of male strippers. As the guys work through their fears, self-consciousness and anxieties they find strength as a group and overcome their inner demons. This show is rated R for mature audiences.
“Doo Wop Classics: Hits From the 50s, 60s, & 70s”
Enjoy an evening of staged hits from artists such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Ritchie Valens, The Beach Boys, Elton John, Johnny Cash and more.
Benefit Revue
The popular show, an evening of song and dance, will be July 27 at 7 p.m., with all proceeds going toward the Bigfork Summer Playhouse scholarship fund. A champagne reception follows the performance.