Lady, Be Good! fascinates CLOC audiences this week!

Falmouth, MA (July 1, 2014) The College Light Opera Company (CLOC) is proud to present George & Ira Gershwin’s 1924 hit Lady, Be Good! as the third show of its 46th season. Lady, Be Good! was done at CLOC in the 2004 and 2009 seasons.

Lady, Be Good! is the story of the brother and sister team of Dick and Susie Trevor who are down on their luck having been evicted from the family home for missing the rent. In an effort to silence their growling stomachs, they head for wealthy Jo Vanderwater's garden party.

Dick is in love with Shirley, but because he is broke he decides to propose to Jo. Meanwhile, Susie is captivated by a charming hobo, Jack Robinson, unaware that he is actually the only heir to his family’s fortune. Watty Watkins, a fast talking lawyer, tries to get Jo to help but discovers that she was behind the eviction in the first place. Manuel Estrada, whose sister supposedly married Jack Robinson in Mexico before he mysteriously disappeared, has hired Watty to retrieve the inheritance. Watty convinces Susie to help him by dressing up as the missing Senora Robinson.

In Act II, Dick professes his true love to Shirley, and Watty and Susie (disguised) try to claim the money. Jack, still dressed as a hobo, returns and is shocked to find Susie, the lovely young girl he met earlier, claiming to be his "widow". Jack saves Susie from disgrace and proclaims his love, Dick and Shirley are reunited, Jo and Watty form a happy love knot.

This production is led by stage director Mark A. Pearson and music director Jonathan Edward Brennand. Pearson directed the premiere show of the season, The White Horse Inn, and will also direct Carousel (July 22-26) and Les Misérables (July 29-August 2). Brennand also music directed The White Horse Inn and George M! in addition to Lady, Be Good! this season. Pearson, originally from Hull, MA, received his degrees from Boston College and Boston University and current resides in Germany. Brennand, originally from Middlesex, England, studied at Drew University and UMass: Amherst.

The cast is full of new CLOC vocal company members.  Talents to look forward to are Maggie Robinson as Josephine Vanderwater (Murfreesboro, TN – University of Memphis ’15), Rebecca Brudner as Susie Trevor (Brooklyn, NY – Yale University ’16), Will Hawkins as Bertie Bassett (Alexandria, VA – University of North Carolina Chapel Hill ’14), Erik Dohner as Manuel Estrada (Chicago, IL – DePaul University ’16) Joshua Gronlund as Watty Watkins (Detroit, MI – Michigan State University ’15) and Mike McCann as Jack Robinson (Winslow, ME – Middlebury College ’15).

Returners to look for include Jens Jacobson as Dick Trevor (Platteville, WI – Belmont University ‘14), Gunnar Manchester as Jeff White (Rehoboth, MA – Bates College ’15), Celeste Lang as Shirley Vernon (Lake City, MI – Central Michigan University ‘15), and Maggie Langhorne as Daisy Parke (Santa Barbara, CA – Oberlin Conservatory ‘16).

Lady, Be Good! will run Tuesday, July 8th through Saturday, July 12th at 8 p.m., with a Thursday Matinee at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $35 and are available by calling the CLOC Box Office at 508-548-0668 or by visiting the CLOC Box Office, 58 Highfield Drive, Falmouth (open Monday-Saturday 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, 2:00 - 5:00 pm, and 7:00 - 9:00 pm). For more information, please visit www.CollegeLightOperaCompany.com.