“Souvenir” opens this week and it has been a busy time at Cape May Stage! The actors have spent every waking hour learning their lines and working the songs. Both artists are highly trained musicians and they are concerned with every detail of the music. I have been looking for musical jokes and they are wonderful collaborators.

Now the production elements are added to rehearsals, which had been centered mostly on interpretation of the text and finding the right placement on the stage for every moment. The lighting designer drove in from Philadelphia to look at the set and discuss ideas. We have ordered custom made “gobos” which are cutout templates that offer special effects. The set designer will be returning to add some extra elements to his design and the costume designer is driving from New York with a carload of costumes from the Costume Collection and other specialty stores. The Costume Collection is a warehouse in Manhattan of costumes from Broadway shows and operas that is made available to not-for-profit theatres like Cape May Stage. Gail Cooper-Hecht has designed many Broadway shows and knows the Collection well. She has period costumes that are visual jokes for when our main character performs at Carnegie Hall. These costumes need to be changed in seconds and so special rigging has been added to the costumes to get them on and off quickly with the help of a dresser coming all the way from North Carolina. There are eight separate costumes that will delight and entertain you! Will Knapp has designed the sound for this production. The sound design is crucial since so much of the action revolves around an unseen audience.

There is a special half price preview on Wednesday, May 20 and the next night is the official opening! May 21 features an opening night party at Martini Beach after the performance. The cast will be on hand to meet and greet our opening night revelers!

Memorial Day is fast approaching and you’ll want to bring your family to Cape May Stage for Bob Sheets doing his comic magic show on May 24 and May 25. These shows are designed so that you can go the theatre and then off to the beach. Just be back in time to see the main-stage show! There is always something happening at Cape May Stage!