On Sunday, Aug. 1 the Hollywood Bowl will present the famed Jerry Herman musical about the free-spirited Mame Dennis, her boozy friend Vera Charles and her young nephew, Patrick. Gordon Hunt will direct the one-night-only event featuring the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri. Show time is 7:30 PM; casting has yet to be announced. Last summer, the Bowl presented Tony Award winner John Lithgow and Amour Tony nominee Melissa Errico in a semi-staged concert reading of My Fair Lady. The previous summer featured "Will & Grace"'s Eric McCormack and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth in a concert version of Meredith Willson's The Music Man.
Mame, based on Patrick Dennis' novel "Auntie Mame," features a score by Jerry Herman and a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The original Broadway production opened in May 1966 at the Winter Garden Theatre with Angela Lansbury as Mame and Bea Arthur as her boozy friend Vera Charles. Both Lansbury and Arthur won Tony Awards for their work. A subsequent film version cast Lucille Ball as the vivacious Mame. The classic Herman score includes such tunes as "If He Walked Into My Life," "It's Today," "Open a New Window," "Mame," "Bosom Buddies" and "We Need a Little Christmas."
The Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 Highland Avenue in Hollywood, CA. Tickets for Mame are available by calling (323) 850-2000. Go to www.hollywoodbowl.org for more information.
