Adventures in Love, a new musical on the timeless topic of romance, ends May 28 following a run that opened April 11 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, in St. Paul, MN.
The April 11 opening came just two days after songwriters Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler won two MAC Awards in New York City for their cabaret work: Song of the Year for "Music of Your Life" and Comedy Song/Special Material of the Year for "The Morning After (Leave!)."
Mark Waldrop (Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly) directs the musical exploration and celebration of modern romance. An ensemble of six tackles multiple roles, singing the work of composer Goldrich and lyricist Heisler. The comic libretto is by Shari Simpson and Charlie Shanian.
A spokesperson for the Ordway said the show was an audience favorite, with repeat ticketbuyers laughing along with the romantic foibles of the contemporary characters. Insiders suggest the show has legs and in the right hands could be another long runner along the lines of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.
This Ordway "original," created and staged exclusively for the Ordway (in the center's 322-seat McKnight space), offers such songs as "Beautiful You," "Apathetic Man," "Revenge," "We Remember Love" and the award winning "The Morning After." Previews for the tuner began April 4.
*
The company includes Kevin R. Free, Ellie Grosso, Timothy Gulan, Kendra Kassebaum, Jennifer Prescott and Bernie Yvon.
Designers are Rick Polenek (set), Sonya Berlovitz (costume), Wm. P. Healey (lighting) and Chris Heagle (sound). Orchestrations are by Robert Elhai and David Lohman is music director and conductor.
Director Waldrop recently directed Bette Midler's millennium tour. He directed Off-Broadway and Los Angeles stagings of Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly, for which he also wrote book and lyrics. Goldrich conducted Titanic on Broadway and composed for Disney animation and for programs on the major TV networks. Heisler wrote lyrics for "Joseph's Lullaby" on Michael Crawford's album, "On Eagle's Wings." Both writers have won awards for their songs heard in Manhattan cabarets. Their collaborations include The Girl Most Likely To... and Dear Edwina.
Tickets are $30-$40. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is at 345 Washington St., in St. Paul, MN. For information, call (651) 224-4222 or try the web at www.ordway.com.
Adventures in Love was made possible with funding from the $7 million Ruth Easton Fund, the earnings from which are used exclusively to support new works by Ordway Center.
-- By Kenneth Jones
