playbill vip

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Welcome to the final production of the 2017 – 2018 Dunbar Theatre Season. We have a delightful and enjoyable show for you. THE BOY FRIEND, a musical by English composer Sandy Wilson, opened in London’s West End January of 1954 and ran for more than five years. In September of 1954, the show opened on Broadway with a young newcomer making her Broadway debut as Polly. This actress was Julie Andrews, who was spotted by the producers of MY FAIR LADY and the rest is history! She went on to star on Broadway in both MY FAIR LADY and CAMELOT, in many movies including two Oscar winning family favorites MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

THE BOY FRIEND was very popular in its initial run and has been revived several times in New York and London.  It was even made into a film version in 1971 starring British model and actress Twiggy. Set in the carefree world of the French Riviera in the Roaring Twenties, the show is a comic pastiche of musicals from the 1920s written by such luminaries as Rodgers and Hart.  A pastiche is a work of art that imitates the style or character of the work of other artists, but celebrates rather than mocks the work it imitates. THE BOY FRIEND takes a fond look at the early musicals of the 20s, where boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Our students have enjoyed exploring the Age of Jazz, the French Riviera and dances like the Charleston. With the catchy songs and humorous script and characters, the cast has had fun working on this show. They also enjoyed learning and working with accents. We are sure that the fun on the stage will be contagious and our audiences will leave tonight humming the tunes.

We would like to thank you, our audience for supporting the Arts here in the Lynchburg City Schools.  Your attendance to plays and concerts in our schools help to support our students as they grow into fully rounded individuals. We also want to thank all of the individuals who help to create what you see on stage.  Many hours of work go into creating a show. We would also like to thank our parents, whose support and assistance is so valuable.  We want to thank the parents of the eighth grade students who will be traveling on to the high schools and beyond; we appreciate the time that you have spent with us while your students attended Dunbar. You will all be missed next year, but you will all remain a very important part of our family.  We love you all.

Albert and Lori Carter