Here’s a riddle: Who has been on four national theatre tours and two tours in Europe, performed at more than 130 regional theatres, six cruise ships and five theme parks? Who has over 80 years of voice training and 145 years in dance?
Answer: The very talented cast of Swing!, Mill Mountain Theatre’s next production, opening in a week.
Among the 10 actors and five musicians – who are the live, on-stage band – “there are combined theatrical skills, talents and experiences that are astonishing among regional productions,” said Ginger Poole, MMT’s producing managing director.
“This cast also has been notable in how quickly that individual skills have come together as a performance team,” she said. Rehearsals began on April 1 and within the first week we had accomplished complex dance numbers and stage movements that often don’t gel until after two or three weeks of rehearsals.”
Swing! is the season opener for MMT’s four-production Season this year. It is a high-energy musical revue that is all dance and jazz-era music – a nostalgic stroll to the 1930s and 1940s for some and an athletic contemporary spectacle for everyone. Swing! runs May 7-18 on the Trinkle Main Stage, in the Wells Fargo Auditorium at Center in the Square.
Story-driven numbers are based on those timeless songs such as “I’ll Be Seeing You” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing).”
This is the first Roanoke production of Swing! The Broadway production was nominated for five Tony awards in 2000, including that year’s Best Musical. The New York Times called it “a well-oiled machine” and the New York Post said it was “the most exhilarating show in town.”
Mill Mountain Theatre’s production runs May 7-18 with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available at the Center in the Square box office, by calling 540-342-5740 and on line at www.millmountain.org.
