Encores! in NY, Reprise in LA and Discover in London aren't the only companies bringing vintage musicals back to the stage in concert form; San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon company began its fifth season of bringing back "Lost Musicals" with Irving Berlin's Face The Music.
Next up, and sixth in the season, is Cole Porter's Jubilee, Oct. 29-Nov. 16. Jubilee was the first 42nd Street Moon revival five years ago. A zany 1935 look at British royalty with a libretto by Moss Hart, the show features such songs as "Me & Marie," "Why Shouldn't I," "Just One Of Those Things," "Begin The Beguine," and "A Picture Of Me Without You." Jubilee tells of a royal family impersonating commoners in order to avoid their majestic chores -- on the eve of a Bolshevik revolution.
Directing the Moon staging, which officially opens Oct. 30, is Greg MacKellan, with David Dobrusky serving as musical director. Starring in 42nd Street Moon's mounting are Don Cima (King), Carla Befera (Queen), Caroline Altman (Princess) and Eric Letourneau (Prince), alongside Jeffrey Draper, Chanelle Schaffer, Doug Wilson, Tom Elliott and Judy Rae Whiting.
According to spokesperson Befera, Jubilee was written during a round-the-world cruise Porter took with his wife, playwright Moss Hart and director Monty Woolley in 1935. The show ran 169 performances on Broadway.
For tickets ($15.50-$18.50) and information on 42nd Street Moon's 1997 Lost Musical Series," subtitled "The Composer And Lyricist Festival," call (415) 861-8972. For more information on other performances taking place at SF's New Conservatory Theatre on Van Ness Ave, please refer to the theatre's website. Moon co-founders Greg MacKellan and Stephanie Rhoads received a special Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award in 1996 for the company's work.
-- By David Lefkowitz