This weekend and next, University students will be taking part in a production of “The Boyfriend.” The performances will take place at the Black Swamp Players Theater at the Woodland Mall.
The musical is set in 1920s Europe. The ladies at Madame Dubonnet’s Finishing School in Nice are starting to believe that they are all perfect young ladies, despite hearing otherwise from Hortense, the school’s maid. One student, Polly Browne, announces that her secret date for the upcoming costume ball is about to arrive, even though that date does not exist.
The rest of the musical centers around Polly’s search for a date and all the complications that come up as she finds herself true love.
Songs from the show include “It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love” and “I Could Be Happy With You.”
“The Boyfriend” premiered at London’s Wyndham Theatre in 1954. The show made its American debut in 1954 in New York with Julie Andrews. The show’s first revival opened in London in 1967, while New York saw a revival in 1970. 1970 also saw the film version of the musical, starring Twiggy.
Brandon Miller, who plays one of the French boyfriends in the musical, said, “It’s a feel-good show. It’s funny and it’s fun to be in.”
With the musical being performed outside of the University, director Barbara Lockard-Zimmerman expects the audience to have a slightly different dynamic. “It’s a real community audience,” she said.
“It has just wonderful music,” said Lockard-Zimmerman, who is also a professor in the College of Musical Arts. “The dances from the ’20s are so cute.”
“The cast is really good,” Miller said. “We have a really tight cast. The show has come along together nicely.”
“The Boyfriend” will be playing at the Black Swamp Players Theater Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. A Sunday performance will take place at 2 p.m. There will also be performances next weekend at the same times. Admission to the “The Boyfriend” is $8 for University students and senior citizens and $10 for adults. The theater is located next the mall movie theaters.
