Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance is premiering a musical version of a Shakespeare comedy and DeSales University Act 1 is presenting a musical inspired by the hit movie \u201c9 to 5.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muhlenberg is staging \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d April 23 to April 26.<\/p>\n
DeSales is presenting \u201c9 to 5: The Musical\u201d April 23 to May 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelfth Night\u201d is one of Shakespeare\u2019s classic comedies. The Muhlenberg production is a contemporary musical version conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub with music and lyrics by Taub.<\/p>\n
The show was performed by The Public Theatre in 2018 when it was named one of the best new theatrical works of the year.<\/p>\n
Director James Peck was looking for a little joy when he selected \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d for the final production of Muhlenberg College\u2019s 2025-\u201926 theater and dance season. The musical adaptation of Shakespeare\u2019s gender-bending comedy offers all the heart and humor of the original, Peck says, overflowing with a spirit of community and celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIllyria is a kind of magic place, where extraordinary things happen,\u201d says Peck, Muhlenberg theater professor. \u201cI thought it would be a gift to the cast and to the community to work on a show where joy was the predominant experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelfth Night\u201d tells the story of Viola (Iris Jordan), a young heroine who washes up on the shores of Illyria, a bustling 21st century beach town in this staging.<\/p>\n
She disguises herself as a man, is sent to court a countess and falls in love with a Duke. As she navigates the strange and wonderful new land, she finds her true self and true love in the process.<\/p>\n
Jordan says the show brings a contemporary lens to Viola\u2019s journey as she navigates identity and gender:<\/p>\n
\u201cViola has to jump through all these hoops as an independent woman in Illyria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of confronting the patriarchy and asking, \u2018Why am I treated differently when I look like a man, versus when I look like a girl?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
While the show is filled with comedy, mistaken identities and romance, choreographer Noel Price-Bracey says it asks audiences to look beyond themselves. She cites the show\u2019s closing number, \u201cEyes of Another,\u201d which invites the audience to see the world around them from a different perspective.<\/p>\n
Price-Bracey\u2019s choreography blends a range of movement styles from traditional and contemporary forms.<\/p>\n
The influence of African-American dance and the diaspora can be seen in the way choreography carries history and cultural memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove is the most powerful force in the world,\u201d says Peck. \u201cThe musical is a celebration of that truth. At the end of the day, the musical means \u2018love wins.\u2019 And it\u2019s about as simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The adaptation has a score that blends Shakespeare\u2019s language with a jazz-funk sound by Taub, a rising star on Broadway.<\/p>\n
Taub, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, starred as Alice Paul in \u201cSuffs,\u201d won Tony awards for best book and best score for the show in 2024. She is performing on Broadway as Emma Goldman in \u201cRagtime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show runs 90 minutes and is appropriate for all ages.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d 8 p.m. April 23, 24, 25; 2 p.m. April 26, Baker Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. Tickets: 484-664-3333; https:\/\/muhlenberg.edu<\/p>\n
American singer and songwriter Dolly Parton wrote the music and lyrics for the Tony-nominated musical \u201c9 to 5,\u201d based on the hit 1980 film starring Parton, Lili Tomlin and Jane Fonda.<\/p>\n
The stage musical, with new songs written by Parton, opened on Broadway in 2009.<\/p>\n
In the story, three employees of Consolidated Industries, Violet, Doralee and Judy, become unlikely friends and hatch a scheme to take revenge on their misogynistic and lecherous boss, Franklin Hart Jr. When the scheme involves making Hart \u201cunavailable,\u201d the three women use their talents to make changes at Consolidated for the benefit of the employees.<\/p>\n
The musical has big production numbers, including the Academy Award nominated title track \u201c9 to 5.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show is directed by Valerie Joyce, music directed by Nathan Diehl and choreographed by Karen Getz.<\/p>\n
There will be talk-backs with the cast after the April 26 and April 28 performances<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an audio-described and open-captioned performance for patrons who are blind or visually-impaired; and deaf or hard of hearing, 2 p.m. May 2.<\/p>\n
The 7:30 p.m. May 2 performance is pay-what-you-will.<\/p>\n
Join the cast for the \u201cClock Out & Cut Loose After Party\u201d following the May 1 performance. The post-show soir\u00e9e has a themed photo booth, craft activities, raffle, and \u201cworking 9 to 5\u201d- worthy treats, including themed drinks and snacks.<\/p>\n
\u201c9 to 5: The Musical,\u201d 7:30 p.m. April 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, May 1; 2 p.m. April 26, May 3; 9:45 a.m. April 27; 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. May 2, DeSales Act 1 Theatre, Main Stage Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley. 610-282-3192; https:\/\/www.desales.edu<\/p>\n
\u201cCurtain Rises\u201d is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOFrom left: Iris Jordan, Faith Miller, Sophia Wentz, Sam Beatty, Hanajah White-Wise and Justice Tyler during rehearsal for \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance is premiering a musical version of a Shakespeare comedy and DeSales University Act…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":{"0":"post-174633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}