Jerry Herman s Mack and Mabel Makes CCM Mainstage Debut

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music proudly presents

Mack and Mabel

on

Thursday, March 2

through

Sunday, March 5

in Corbett Auditorium.

Aubrey Berg

directs with choreography by

Patti James

and musical direction by CCM graduate student Evan Roider.

The performance is rare treat for Cincinnati audiences; a major production of

Mack and Mabel

has not been staged in the Queen City for over a decade, and it has never been presented as a CCM Mainstage production. With a memorable score by Broadway master Jerry Herman (

Hello, Dolly

!;

Mame; La Cage aux Folles

),

Mack and Mabel

received eight Tony Award nominations after its original premiere in 1975.

"The CCM production of

Mack and Mabel

is a rare opportunity to see an all-but-forgotten work by one of the masters of Musical Theatre, Jerry Herman," Berg says. "It is notable for its interesting concept and its melodic, memorable score, one that Herman cherishes as his personal favorite."

Mack and Mabel

is a star-crossed, bittersweet love story that explores both the lighter and the darker side of the Golden Age of Comedy. It focuses on the tumultuous relationship between legendary director Mack Sennett and his greatest star, Mabel Normand.

Mack, an aging director whose silent films become obsolete in the age of “talkies,” tells the story in a series of flashbacks. He recalls his first encounter with Mabel, a feisty barista who Mack turns into a silent film star. However, following a torrid affair with Mack, Mabel leaves to act in dramas for a rival director. Mack and Mabel struggle to find their places in the changing film industry, and both experience their own triumphs and failures along the way.  

Praised by the

New York Times

as “a musical in the old and true tradition,”

Mack and Mabel

’s musical style is reminiscent of the silent film era in which it is set.

CCM's production includes silent movie clips, hundreds of costumes and props, a Keystone Kops ballet and a large cast of 38 performers. The show is a perfect vehicle and challenge for CCM's student performers and technicians, says Berg.

“This is a great opportunity to see and hear a rarely-performed Jerry Herman musical with all the stops pulled out,” adds Evan Roider, music director of the show and a CCM graduate student in orchestral conducting.

“The score highlights Herman’s tremendous talent for melody — brassy two-steps, voluptuous ballads and a tap number that rivals those of the early 20th century,” Roider says. “Audiences can expect an old fashioned score that will have them humming as they leave the theater.”

____

MACK AND MABEL
Based on an idea by Leonard Spigelglass
Book by Michael Stewart
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman

Performance Times

8 p.m. Thursday, March 2

8 p.m. Friday, March 3

8 p.m. Saturday, March 4

2 p.m. Sunday, March 5

Location

Corbett Auditorium, College-Conservatory of Music

University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets

Tickets to

Mack and Mabel

are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at

ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/mack-and-mabel.html

.

Parking and Directions

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots. Please visit

uc.edu/parking

for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit

uc.edu/visitors

.

For directions to CCM Village, visit

ccm.uc.edu/about/directions

.

____

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Mack and Mabel

is presented by a special arrangement with

SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.