Swing Back To 1966 With Classic Theatre Festival Opener

Jul 11, 2013

In a testament to the fact that Herb Alpert and Herman’s Hermits never go out of style, the Classic Theatre Festival’s season opener on July 13 at 8 pm will be a celebration of 1966, complete with classic cars of the era, an opportunity to dance “The Freddie” and the “Hanky Panky,” and to enjoy the Neil Simon comedy “The Star-Spangled Girl,” set in San Francisco during the middle of that turbulent decade.

“With each opening of one of our shows, we try and take the audience back to the time period in which the play is set, to give them a sense of the look, feel, and sound of the era,” explains Festival Artistic Producer Laurel Smith. “With this show, it is an era that is recognizable to a lot of people because it is during the middle of the rock and roll renaissance, combined with the rapidly changing mores of youth culture, with all the passions and commitments that entails.”

Based this summer at the Full Circle Theatre at 26 Craig Street, the Festival’s opening night will feature a 1966 Thunderbird owned by Barry Splaine and a 1966 Austin-Healey convertible owned by Mike Maloney, among other vehicles expected to be on display.

“When you see these cars, you really get a sense of the style of the mid-60s, and these are the kinds of cars that were on the road a lot when our characters were ‘doing their thing,’” Smith explains.

“The Star-Spangled Girl” is the story of Andy and Norman, two free-thinking magazine writers who are dedicated to changing the world, a not uncommon trait of the 60s generation. Their apartment features a banner that reads “A Remedy for a Sick Society,” a tribute to their magazine, “Fallout,” which analyzes the problems of society and seeks solutions. Their walls are also adorned with icons of the era from actors Julie Christie and Anouk Aimee to pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr., and folk singer Joan Baez.

Close friends since high school, Andy and Norman (played by actors Trevor Pease and Richard Gélinas) eke out a living in an apartment whose rent is perpetually late (something they get away with because Andy ‘entertains’ the outrageous landlady downstairs). Their lives are turned upside down when a conservative southern belle moves in next door, the inimitable Sophie Rauchsmeyer (played by returning Festival actor Kate Gordon). Engaged to a U.S. marine, and dedicated to the red, white and blue, Sophie sets off sparks both romantic and otherwise, as issues such as social change, patriotism and the nature of love are played out.

In typical Neil Simon style, the writing is sharp and funny, the characters inherently lovable, and the story one that could apply to our current daily lives. Indeed, Simon’s show, written almost 50 years ago, could just as easily apply today to the Americans’ red state-blue state divide, in which conservatives and liberals continue to duke it out in elections and congressional debates.

The show’s director, Laurel Smith, reminds audiences that ultimately, the play is about the power of love to transcend differences, a valuable lesson in uncertain times.

“The Star-Spangled Girl,” sponsored by TVCogeco, runs until August 4, Wednesday-Saturday at 8 pm, with 2 pm matinees each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Each matinee is preceded by a 1:30pm pre-show talk under the trees at the back of the theatre. Folks looking for a bargain can buy a season pass: by purchasing one regular ticket to “The Star-Spangled Girl”, they will receive a 25% discount off the season’s second show, a comedy of madcap marital mayhem, “The Marriage-Go-Round” (running August 9-September 1).

The Festival gratefully acknowledges the support of its season sponsor, Best Western Plus Perth Parkside Inn and Spa, as well as Ottawa Woman Publishing, WPBS, and the Ontario Tourism Event Marketing Partnership Program.

Tickets are available at www.classictheatre.ca and 1-877-283-1283.