Andrews, the original Broadway star of Sandy Wilson's spoof of 1920s musicals, will be on the Goodspeed campus in East Haddam, CT, this summer to helm the production.
This is her second crack at staging the show: Audiences were delighted by her 2003 revival at Bay Street Theatre on Long Island. Goodspeed picked up the ball and is presenting the show July 8-Sept. 18, followed by a tour sponsored by Target. John DeLuca choreographs. Book, music and lyrics are by Sandy Wilson.
Toronto dates for January and February 2006 will be announced, according to the Royal Alexandra Theatre. No casting has been mentioned for Connecticut or the subsequent tour.
When the Sandy Wilson work played Long Island's Bay Street in August 2003, there was some talk that it would find its way to Broadway.
Andrews, of course, Broadway-debuted in the original 1954 production of the musical. In the Bay Street mounting, Meredith Patterson played Andrews' role (Polly) with Sean Palmer as her star-struck love interest. Veanne Cox portrayed the French maid, Byron Jennings was a proper Englishman, Nancy Hess was Madame Dubonnet, Tony Roberts was the lecherous Lord and Delphi Harrington played his aristocratic wife. The company also included Paul Alexander, Justin Bohon, Joyce Chittick, Andrea Chamberlain, Jenny Fellner, Rick Faugno, Mark Price, Annie Ramsey and Neal Shrader.
The Boy Friend at Bay Street marked Andrews' debut as a director. Bay Street is run, in part, by Emma Walton, Andrews' daughter.
The Bay Street creative team for the musical included Larry Grossman (musical direction), John DeLuca (choreography), Tony Walton (sets), Walton and Rachel Gruer (costumes) and Eric Schlobohm (lights).
Goodspeed bills the show this way: "The Boy Friend is a jazzy, romantic spoof of 1920s musical comedy. Amidst happy flappers and perfect young ladies, romance blooms on the French Riviera as an English heiress suddenly falls for the delivery boy and professes her love at the Grand Ball. A family favorite, this joyful comedy sparkles and will leave you floating on air…"
The score includes "Won't You Charleston with Me?," "It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love" and more.
Visit www.goodspeed.org.
