The classic Cole Porter musical Kiss Me, Kate kicks off the theatre's upcoming season, with performances April 27-May 16, 2004. Two North Shore regulars, George Dvorsky and David Coffee, will head the cast of the production, which features direction by William Alan Coats and such Porter standards as "Too Darn Hot," "So in Love," "Another Op'nin', Another Show" and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare."
The world premiere of Tom Jones — a new musical by George Stiles (music) and Paul Leigh (book and lyrics) — will play the North Shore June 1-20. Based on the classic Henry Fielding novel, Tom Jones is a bawdy musical about a likable lad named Tom who just "cain't say no" to beautiful women. Gabriel Barre, the director of North Shore's current world-premiere musical Memphis, will also helm Tom Jones' debut.
The hit Disney musical Beauty and the Beast, featuring the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman-Tim Rice score, will be a summer treat for families when it plays the North Shore July 6-25. Based on the Academy Award-winning film, Beauty was nominated for nine Tony Awards and is still going strong at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Another current Broadway musical, Nine, will find its way to the Massachusetts theatre next year. From Aug. 24-Sept. 12 Maury Yeston's Tony-winning Nine will be mounted in a production directed by Barry Ivan. The musical that concerns the life of a Fellini-esque director named Guido Contini features such tunes as "Be Italian," "Unusual Way," "Be On Your Own," "My Husband Makes Movies" and "The Bells of St. Sebastian." The Broadway company is currently headed by John Stamos.
A second world premiere will grace the North Shore stage next fall. Orpheus, a retelling of the Greek myth, is scheduled to run Sept. 21-Oct. 10. Featuring music and lyrics by Michael Levine, Orpheus will be directed by William Phillip McKinley, currently represented on Broadway with The Boy From Oz. According to a release, Orpheus "is the world’s greatest musician, but he lives in a world of self-indulgence and debauchery. Only when he meets the beautiful Eurydice and follows her to the mysterious Underworld does he discover the power of love and the possibility of healing." The 2004 season at the North Shore will conclude with Swing!, the celebration of the dance craze that began in the thirties and forties and continues to this day. Based on an original concept by Paul Kelly with original direction and choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Swing! will play the North Shore Oct. 26-Nov. 14. Richard Stafford will direct.
The North Shore Music Theatre is located in Beverly, MA at 62 Dunham Road. Call (978) 232-7200 for more information or visit the theatre on line at www.nsmt.org.
