Lucky Stiff
Like last year's popular production of The Music Man, the Racine Theatre Guild
is staging an upbeat musical to end the season. This year the show is Lucky
Stiff, and it has it all: farcical comedy, wacky characters, tuneful songs,
and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. The show opens May 19 and runs
four weekends through June 11.
Lynn Ahrens wrote the book and lyrics for Lucky Stiff, and Stephen
Flaherty wrote the music. The show first opened in New York in 1988 and went
on to win the Richard Rodgers Production Award and Washington's 1990 Helen Hayes
Award for Best Musical. The composing duo went on to write Once On This Island,
receiving eight Tony Award nominations, and most recently won a 1998 Tony Award
for the music for Ragtime on Broadway.
The story for Lucky Stiff is based on the novel The Man Who Broke
the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth. The story follows Harry Witherspoon,
a bored British shoe salesman who hears that he has been designated as the heir
of a six-million-dollar estate after his American uncle has been murdered in
New Jersey. However, to qualify for the money, Harry must take his uncle's dead
body on a week-long vacation to Monte Carlo. He must follow specific instructions
on when and where to take the body, making sure to stop at the gambling tables.
If Harry does not do everything the uncle's will specifies, then
the money will go to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn. The representative
of the dog home, Annabel Glick, also knows the requirements of the will, and
she follows Harry everywhere, hoping he will slip up and she'll get the money
for the dogs.
For further complications, the uncle has an insanely jealous and
extremely nearsighted mistress, who also travels to Monte Carlo to make a grab
for the money. She takes along her nervous optometrist brother. Add a mysterious
Italian mobster, a gun and some mistaken identities, and the plot twists and
turns before coming to an unexpected conclusion.
The songs include "Times Like This," "Good to Be Alive,"
"Lucky," "A Woman in My Bathroom," and "Something Funny's
Going On" (which includes the lyric, "Where there's a will, there's
a way").
Examples of critic's comments are:
"Ms. Ahrens' witty book and lyrics are set off to advantage
by Mr. Flaherty's tuneful score. Lucky Stiff is fresh and playful - a show that's
not content merely to laugh about death. It also sings and dances. For a musical
about a dead man, it sure gets the season off to a lively start." - Baltimore
Sun
"Kicking off its season with a very unusual new musical,
the Olney Theatre emerges triumphant with Lucky Stiff. The lively surprise-filled
production is drop-dead darling." - Washington Post
"Imagine the scale and irreverence of Little Shop of Horrors
blended with the zaniness of the Marx Brothers, and throw in a few madcap production
numbers about everything from dogs to death. I'm not going to reveal whether
the shoe salesman finds happiness, but the audience definitely does." -
Baltimore Sun
You will want to call soon to reserve tickets at the box office
for Lucky Stiff. The show runs from Friday, May 19, through Sunday, June 11.
For information or to reserve tickets, call the Racine Theatre Guild Box Office
at 633-4218. Come prepared to laugh and have a great time with this exuberant,
energetic, funny and crazy musical.
While adults will find this musical extremely funny, some of the
humor may not be appropriate for young children.
From the Managing/Artistic Director - Doug Instenes
Looking Back and Ahead
Going out with a bang was our plan when we scheduled Lucky Stiff
to end our 68th season. It's a fun way to close a very diverse season.
The season started with the bizarre and hilarious Packer Fans
from Outer Space last summer. Comedies included The Affections of May, Weekend
Comedy and The Supporting Cast. More serious material was presented in The Assassin's
New Friend and Anne Frank and Me. The musical retelling of A Christmas Carol,
Scrooge-The Musical, sold out many performances.
When you add to the mainstage series, the Packy Plays, Jean's
Jazz, classes, theatre trips and the new comedy series, we had a busy year.
Now Lucky Stiff wraps up the season with some catchy tunes you'll
walk out humming. We hope you won't die laughing.
As always, season 68 could not have been a success without the
dedication of many, many volunteers, both on stage and off. Every show has its
own challenges, and without a talented pool of volunteers, the RTG would not
be successful. We offer our sincerest thanks to the volunteers who make every
season possible.
Now is the time to also look ahead to Season 69. Please join us
for what will be another outstanding year of theatre. Musicals include the nostalgic
Forever Plaid this summer and conclude with the smash hit Chicago next spring.
In between we have a lively mix of comedies and dramas to suit all tastes.
Our goal, as always, is to light up lives at all stages. Thanks
to you, our subscribers, for your loyalty to the RTG over the years. Please
join us for our next exciting season.
Lucky Stiff
Music by Stephen Flaherty,
Book & Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
CAST
Harry Witherspoon ... Brian J. Schalk
Annabel .................... Jennifer Kiel
Luigi ......................... Gary M. Stamm
Vinnie ....................... Bob Benson
Rita .......................... Connie Rogers
Dominique ................ Teri Wilson
Woman 1 ................. Mary Kveton
Woman 2 ................. Kristin Kechter
Man 1 ...................... Jon W. Jaeger
Man 2 ...................... Zak Keil
Uncle Anthony .......... Mike Pirtle
CREW
Director/Choreographer ... Kara Ernst
Music Director ................. Greg Berg
Technical Dir. ................... Kurt Oian
Scenic Designer ................ Frank Schneeberger
Prod. Stage Mgr. ............. Geoff Greeley
Stage Manager ................. Eric Guttenberg
Asst. St. Mgr. .................. Karin Keranen
Costume Design ............... Ellie Hammond & Katie Kowbel
Light Design .................... Michael Kurhajec
Light Technicians ............. Karen Magee & Phil Paulsen
Sound Techs. .................. Eric Goodwin, Danny Pirtle, Doug Olivero
Makeup .......................... Nicki Monaghan
Props Chair ..................... Dana Strauss