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Musical comedy combines dance and catchy tunes (2/14/2003)
MUNCIE, Indiana

“The BoyFriend” will romance audiences with a lighthearted look at love, told through nonstop dance and comedy in Ball State University’s Edward S. Strother Studio Theatre.

This musical comedy spoof, part of the Actors Studio Series presented by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance, will be performed at 8 p.m. Feb. 25–March 1 and March 4–5 and 2:30 p.m. March 2 2003.

“The BoyFriend” takes place during the roaring ‘20s at a finishing school near Nice, France. There, British student Polly, played by J.R. Grass, hopes to find a boy who is interested in her and not just her family’s wealth. Her father, Percival, played by Andy Plank, compounds the situation by not allowing her to date.

Amid preparations for an evening ballroom dance, she meets Tony, played by Billy Blanken. He shares the same intentions as Polly, masking his family’s status by posing as a poor messenger. Going against Percival’s wishes, Polly invites Tony to the dance.

But Percival must attend to his own affairs, as he encounters the school’s headmistress, Madame Dubonnet, played by Amy Rumschlag. The two are immediately swept up in memories of a fling they had in their youth. Comedy collides with catchy songs and energetic dance as each couple tries to work out their concerns before they can find happiness.

The play, written by Sandy Wilson, has a nearly 50-year history. Julie Andrews made her Broadway debut in the lead role of Polly in 1954. After that first performance, a party was held
to celebrate the play’s success and Andrews’ 19th birthday. Later a revival starred Sandy Duncan.

Embracing the era of the play, director and choreographer Michael Worcel will transform Strother Theatre into a living black and white film. An onstage screen will show the title and credits in black and white, along with period comic strip characters and film clips. The sets are black and white, as well as the costumes, which were designed by Purdue University faculty member Joel Ebarb.

“The designs make a lot from very little, which fits the essence of Strother Theatre productions,” Worcel said.

Other production staff include stage manager Suzette Lynn Taylor, scene designer Josh Burns and musical director Raphael Crystal.

Worcel, an assistant professor of dance, was attracted to the play because of the ‘20s-style choreography, which features dances like the Charleston.

“The show is a vehicle for dance,” Worcel said. “The songs are very catchy, they stay with me well past rehearsal, and I find myself waking up in the middle of the night humming the songs.”