A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Swingtime Canteen

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  5w

In this nostalgic and hilarious songfest set in London in 1944, Marian Ames and her all-girl band sing a bundle of swinging wartime hits to entertain the fighting boys of WWII.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Christmas/Holiday, Parody / Spoof
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences, Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Over 300 Performances off-Broadway!

It's London, 1944. Join MGM star Marian Ames and her all-girl band from the Hollywood Canteen for the rip-roaringest canteen show of them all. After 17 years with MGM, still-glamorous movie legend Marian Ames has endured four flop films in a row and is being put out to pasture. But this is 1944 and no time for self pity. So Marian has gathered up her instrument-playing gal pals from the Hollywood Canteen and headed for London to entertain the troops. Joining her are Jo Sterling, (her drum-playing stand-in on 17 pictures), her skittish niece Katie Gammersflugel, solid-as-a-rock piano-playing riveter Topeka Abotelli, and leggy chorine Lilly McBain. Get ready for a memorable night as these five archetypal film characters from the 1940's prove their mettle while they sing over 30 vintage classics from the war years. Laughs, tears, emotional fireworks, air raids and a celebration of women during the war punctuate this hilarious and heartwarming story. Songs include “Don't Fence Me In,” “I'll Be Seeing You,” “Sing Sing Sing,” “How High the Moon,” “I Don't Want to Walk without You,” “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” “Sentimental Journey,” “Apple Blossom Time,” a fast paced, 12-song Andrews Sisters medley, and many more.

History

Swingtime Canteen opened Off Broadway at the The Blue Angel Theatre in February 1995 and ran for over 300 performances before hitting Atlantic City and London.

PRINCIPALS
MARIAN AMES
(Eb3-Eb5) – A lovely, classic leading lady of the silver screen who is slightly past her prime. Elegant, gracious and maternal, Marian is a strong leader with a healthy dose of wry humor.
JO STERLING (F3-C4) – A good natured gal and everyone's best friend. She's warm, sensitive, brainy and ready with a snappy wisecrack at every occasion. (Drums)
KATIE GAMMERSFLUGEL (G3-Eb5) – A young, small-town girl. Enthusiastic and highly emotional. 
TOPEKA ABOTELLI (F3-Eb5) – A rough-edged housewife and mom. A super-patriot who works as a riveter in a war plant. A zany, warmhearted woman with an antic energy. (Piano)
LILLY MCBAIN (G3-C#5) – Gorgous, ambitious and tough as nails. A survivor who masks her vulnerability with a cynical veneer. (Alto Sax, Banjo & Guitar)

THREE WOMEN SIDE MUSICIANS
ELEANOR FUCHS: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone & Tenor Saxophone
MURIEL KRAVIS: Trumpet
JEANNIE PIELMEIER: Bass

   

Swingtime Canteen is designed to be performed by a company of 8 (5 actors and 3 side musicians). Of the five roles in the show, only three play an instrument. The script is easily revised to suit the casting pool available. The show utilizes three side musicians who are on stage during the performance dressed as WACs. This allows the theatre to engage professional musicians for instruments not found in their casting pool.

  • Time Period 1940s / WWII
  • Setting A USO show on the stage of a London music hall. 1944.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Audience Participation/Interactive, Local Celebrity Cameo, Play w/ Music
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Gun Shots

Media

“What a pleasure! A funny parody of backstage Hollywood musicals.” – The New York Times

“An irresistible nostalgia-fest!” – Time Out London

Swingtime Canteen is an evocative balancing act of music and comedy, parody and sentiment. They make the good war sound great... [There's an] Andrew's Sisters medley that's a wowser... a reminder of what the boys were fighting for, and what any struggle – war in the '40s, AIDS in the '90s – means to the combatants: pain and loss, and a sweet, frail hope.” – Time Magazine

“A must see! A must enjoy!” – The New York Post

“High Octane! Rip Roaring! Smoothly Polished!” – New York Newsday

Videos

  • Charles Busch discusses Swingtime Canteen youtube thumbnail

    Charles Busch discusses Swingtime Canteen

Music

11 Piano-Conductor

1 Reed 1 (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone)
1 Reed 2 (Alto Saxophone)
1 Bass
1 Trumpet
1 Drums
  • Musical Style Classic Broadway, Jazz
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Medium
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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Rental materials for this title may present challenges for some licensees. Please purchase a music perusal prior to licensing.

11 Piano-Conductor

1 Reed 1
1 Reed 2
1 Bass
1 Trumpet
1 Drums
11 Piano-Conductor

Add-Ons

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Authors

Charles Busch

Charles Busch is the author and star of such plays as The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Confession of Lily Dare and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; one of the longest-running plays in the history of off-Broadway. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s ...

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Linda Thorsen Bond

Linda Thorsen Bond has written and produced more than 20 historical plays. Her play Hot Time in the Old Town was made into a television documentary in Colorado and won two 2018 national Telly Awards. Bond’s historical novel, Saving the Oldest Town in Texas, was published by ...

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William Repicci

William Repicci is the co-author of Swingtime Canteen with Linda Thorsen Bond and Charles Busch. He has produced and general managed over 35 plays and musicals on Broadway, Off-Broadway, touring, and in London. Managing Director of theatre companies including: Tony Award Winn ...

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