NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

8/2/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES-The NSU Summer Theatre's final performances of the musicals "The Fantasticks" and "Dames at Sea" will be this week.

"Dames at Sea" concludes Aug. 5-6. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. with the show at 7:30 p.m. on the stage of the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Patricia Helsel is the director.

The final performance of "The Fantasticks" will be Saturday Aug. 7 with dinner at 6:30 p.m. on the stage of the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. in Theatre West. Scott Burrell is the director.

Tickets are $20, which includes the meal and the show.

In "The Fantasticks," two fathers decide that they want their children to fall in love. The girl, Luisa, is a daydreamer with an active imagination. The boy, Matt, is a romantic. The two fathers decide to instigate a mock feud amongst themselves in order to help the boy and girl fall in love. They figure that this feud will give them the excuse to say no to the relationship, which of course will simply encourage the children's love even more.

The fathers go as far as to hire El Gallo to stage a mock abduction of Luisa, in which Matt can become a hero and save her. After this act, Luisa and Matt fall deeply in love. Soon though, the children realize their parents staged the feud and their love fades away. After both gain a little life experience on their own and are hurt by it, they reunite once again with much less drama.

"Dames at Sea" is a parody of 1930's and 40's musicals such as those by Busbee Berkeley. The play presents the familiar story of a young girl named Ruby who travels to New York to make it big in show business. Ruby has only just arrived in New York when she gets cast in a Broadway show. This is a big morning for Ruby because she also finds her true love in the form of a handsome young sailor from her hometown. His name is Dick and he is not just a sailor. Dick is a songwriter and is also trying to break into show business.

With a new job and a handsome boyfriend in tow, it would seem that life is perfect for Ruby. However, all does not run smoothly for Ruby, as she has to defend against the ire of the haughty star of the show and deal with a number of theatrical mishaps.

For more information, call (318) 357-5744 or e-mail nfburrellc@nsula.edu.

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