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Musical revives 1940s radio

World War II's jingles and songs come alive, as does the audience, which has a role to play.

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published December 8, 2006

TARPON SPRINGS - The 1940s Radio Hour is a show within a show that includes the audience in the show that includes the show.

All clear on that?

The musical comedy opens tonight at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center inside City Hall, with additional performances Saturday and Sunday and next weekend.

The show, which opened on Broadway in 1979, is set on the night of Dec. 21, 1942, in the Hotel Astor's Algonquin Room in New York City. The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade is getting ready to broadcast live on the 5,000-watt radio station WOV.

Members of the theater audience get into the action as they take seats in the auditorium and become the studio audience for Cavalcade. The actual cast members work around them and include them in the preparations for the fictional radio broadcast.

It's the height of World War II, and the songs are from that era: I'll Be Seeing You, That Old Black Magic, Love Is Here to Stay, Blue Moon and traditional Christmas tunes. There are also commercials and jingles from that era that will sound familiar to anyone who remembers the 1940s.

The cast includes John Austen, Tom Bronson, Michael Bruno, Susan Carr, Amanda Depin, John Fudens, Abbott Morgan (who is also the director), Katherine Russo, Trey Ryan and Dave Wladaver.

Stella Gaukhshteyn is music director. Hen Campbell made the 1940s-style costumes.

[Last modified December 7, 2006, 22:12:30]