Editor: Keith Davis Writers: Alex Dippold, Jennifer Bates Lockley, Dave Maley Publisher: Office of Public Information Volume 22, No. 4  October 4, 1999

Ithaca College Theatre to Present Rodgers and Hart Musical ‘Babes in Arms’ Ithaca College Theatre continues its 1999–2000 season with Rodgers and Hart’s Babes in Arms. A coproduction with the School of Music, this lively musical will be previewed on Wednesday, October 20, with regular performances on October 21 and October 26–30. Curtain time in Hoerner Theatre is 8:00 p.m.; there is an additional 2:00 matinee on Saturday, October 30. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 18, with prices ranging from $3.50 to $9.00. The box office is open from noon to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, in Dillingham Center. For ticket reservations and information, call 274-3224. The production will also be staged for Family Weekend participants. Tickets for those performances are free as part of the Family Weekend package but must be reserved in advance. Call (607) 274-3149 for more information. The story of a group of teen-agers who decide to stage a musical revue to avoid being sent to a work farm, Babes in Arms was originally produced in 1937 to less than flattering reviews. In the words of the Variety correspondent, "No nudity, no show girls, may mean no sale." But as fate would have it, every competing show on Broadway folded, and Babes ran for close to 300 performances before closing. The show next surfaced in 1939 in movie form, giving Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney a chance to display their sizable talents. The movie version, though essentially keeping the plot of the Broadway original, retained only three songs. In the late 1950s, however, there was talk of reviving the stage version, and screenwriter and playwright George Oppen-heimer did the job, restoring the original tunes but changing their order of performance. That revival version — an adaptation of which is being performed at Ithaca College — includes such standards as "My Funny Valentine," "Where or When," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "Johnny One Note," and "I Wish I Were in Love Again." The cast for Babes in Arms includes Matt Cavenaugh ’01 as Val, Kristy Merola ’00 as Susie, Meredith Shottes ’01 as Terry, Bob Koutras ’02 as Gus, Katie Kozlowski ’02 as Jennifer, and Kenya Hamilton ’00 as Bunny. The artistic team includes Arno Selco, director; Patrick Hansen, musical director; Stacey Cohn, choreographer; Karin Chun Taite, stage manager; Gregory Robbins, costume designer; Erhard Rom, scenic designer; Brad Gyorgak, sound designer; and Celeste Rega, lighting designer.

Created by Andrejs Ozolins. Updated 2 Nov 1999