By REDLANDS DAILY FACTS | redlands@dfmdev.com |
March 28, 2008 at 12:00 am
REDLANDS – “Love U. The Grad School Musical” will open April 3 at the University of Redlands Glenn Wallichs Theatre.
A partnering production of the Riverside School for the Arts, Riverside Community College School of Music and the University of Redlands theater arts department, “Love U.” is a new romantic musical comedy that spoofs two worlds – academia and performance art.
Canadian novelist and journalist Joel Yanofsky wrote the book for “Love U.” and music and lyrics for the show are by Peter Curtis, professor of music at Riverside Community College.
“The show’s part Cole Porter, part Cornell West with some ancient Jewish wisdom and wisecracks thrown into the mix,” said Yanofsky, who likens his boy-meets-girl love story to the Hollywood screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s, but with a postmodern twist.
In “Love U.” the “boy” is tenure-track, the “girl” is a dropout who’s dreamed up the first-ever Avant Garde Idol Competition. The show also features a slew of singing and dancing professors, a vegan protestor, a Queer-Jewish alliance, flying pies, talking footnotes, and a dissertation rap.
Directed by Chris Beach, UR theater arts professor, the show features a young but accomplished cast.
“In addition to young undergraduate talent, we also have some semi-professional cast members who bring just the right maturity and vocal skills to the project,” he said. “The creative team also includes my collaborator of many years, choreographer Jo Dierdorff, professional scenic designer and lighting designer Trevor Norton, and a senior theater arts major, Tanya Apuya, as costume designer.”
Beach also directed a staged workshop of “Love U.” in June 2007 at the university. The script was revamped and new songs were written during the workshop and will be part of the full-scale production.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 3,, through Saturday, April 5, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6.