Songs you know and love

The 2009 summer season is about to begin at the Huron Playhouse, and for fans of the theatre that means its time to start singing along to many of the great American theatre classics, as the cast and crew of the company open the curtains for “A Grand Night for Singing.”

The compilation of Rodgers and Hammerstein hits made famous on Broadway promises to deliver a fantastic evening of melodies from a variety of musicals.

Dr. Jann Graham Glann, the managing/artistic director of the theatre, is hopeful that “A Grand Night For Singing” will appeal to all music lovers, young and old. “The show features some really great music from classic American musicals, all music and singing, and we have an eighteen member cast and a full orchestra, ” she said. Glann described the performance as “a musical revue featuring a lot of music from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, or as it’s also called, ‘a splendiferous show of songs.’”

Fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein are sure to recognize many of their favorite show tunes from classic musicals such as Oklahoma!, The King and I and Flower Drum Song. The songs should make everyone enthusiastic, as Dr. Glann pointed out that “A Grand Night For Singing” has “great music for older people who may remember the music from the 1940’s, and nearly every high school has done a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical like South Pacific or Carousel, so it’s great for younger people as well.”

“A Grand Night for Singing” may also sound vaguely familiar to area residents for another reason, as the original Broadway production featured Sandusky native Lynne Winterseller.

The Huron Playhouse is hosting an intense summer-long series of five productions over the seven-week season, with each production running for five days. It’s designed to provide students of the arts opportunities to learn and practice their craft, but also to share dramatic entertainment with area residents at a minimal cost.

As the summer flies by, it’s important to take a moment and realize what an amazing array of options this area has for lovers of music and art, and the Huron Playhouse is certainly no exception.

All fans of the theatre are encouraged to come out and support the humanities at the Huron Playhouse next week and throughout the summer. Dr. Glann assured potential spectators that this “revue to honor (Rodgers and Hammerstein)…contains wonderful music for the whole family.”

So bring the kids, the grandparents and everyone in between to the Huron Playhouse, and see the great American theatrical tradition in action.