The setting is the fictional Club Swing, a soon-to-be shuttered nightclub built during the heyday of swing. As construction sounds filter through the Hotel Crosby, a news report echoes the impending demise of the once popular nightspot. But before the wrecking ball falls, Joe Sullivan, the club's former mixologist visits the establishment one last time. As dropcloths are removed, the neon marquee flickers and then begins to glow as Club Swing is transformed to its former splendor.
From the frenetic paced opening of Benny Goodman's "Bugle Call Rag" to the show's blockbuster finale featuring Louie Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing," Five by Design celebrates the swing movement from 1937-1955. The repertoire embraces a rich harmonic treatment of Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa" while a Steve and Edye-styled arrangement of "Somethin's Gotta Give" foreshadows the club's closing, paralleling the decline of swing in the fifties.
The stage design evokes the ambiance of a nightclub cut from a vintage movie. The Club's marquee floats above the orchestra surrounded by palm trees, an art deco bar, and linen covered tables. Each decade highlights the songs, events, and personalities that defined the era. Whether listening to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" or the musical depreciation of Spike Jones "Cocktails for Two," Five by Design's "Club Swing" personifies American popular culture during the swing era.
Thursday, April 24, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
http://www.fivebydesign.com/
Join the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center E-Mailing List!