IN THE MOOD Musical Revue Plays Morris Performing Arts Center Tonight

By: Nov. 12, 2013
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IN THE MOOD celebrates America's Greatest Generation through the music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskine Hawkins, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra and other idols of the 1940s. The show's music arrangements, renditions of the finest music of the Swing Era, costumes and choreography are as authentic as it gets.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary season, This brassy, upbeat 1940s musical revue features a company of 19 on stage: the sensational thirteen-piece String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra plus the In The Mood Singers and Dancers including a high-energy swing dance couple.

Tickets: Prices $48.50, $39.50, $29.50 Ticket prices may change without notice. Tickets available at Morris Box Office: M-F, 10am-5pm, or by phone at 800 537 6415; or online at www.MorrisCenter.org. Ticket Outlets with credit card: Hammes Bookstore/Eddy Street Commons, South Bend; O'Brien Recreation Center, South Bend; and Super Sounds/TG Music, Goshen.

Groups: 8 or more: $5-off; 16 or more: $10 off per ticket. For Group purchases call the Box Office at 574 235 9190 or 800 745 3000.

IN THE MOOD recreates the era with sizzling choreography, sassy costumes and over 40 unforgettable songs performed live on stage, like "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)," "IN THE MOOD," "Tuxedo Junction," "Sing, Sing, Sing" and more.

IN THE MOOD takes a look at America's Swing Era, the last time when everyone listened and danced to the same style of music. Swing music ranged from mellow intimate ballads to up-tempo big band rhythms, where the waltz and fox trot competed with the wild, acrobatic jitterbug and jive, and when boogie-woogie crazed hepcats crowded the dance floors.

Swing Music inspired America with a vision for the future filled with hope, promise and prosperity. The music moved the Nation's spirit and helped to sustain the nation's morale during World War II, the pivotal event of the 1940s. IN THE MOOD recreates the rhythmic, jazzy, brassy, sentimental, romantic and patriotic music of this important time.

Creator and producer Bud Forrest is a Juilliard trained pianist and conductor who served as accompanist for the Air Force chorus The Singing Sergeants. He compiled the greatest music from the swing era into a revue about the big band era and the influence of this music during the WWII years. The second act is experienced as a moving tribute to those who fought the war.

IN THE MOOD captures the feel of the 1940s in part because of the involvement of the late Vic Schoen as the show's primary arranger. Mr. Schoen created the musical arrangements for the entire career of the legendary Andrews Sisters. He was one of the seminal creators of the swing-era sound which he imbued into IN THE MOOD.

The National Archives in Washington, DC brought IN THE MOOD to their audiences as part of their commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of WWII, and the response was extraordinary, with crowds lining up for hours before curtain time. Thousands attended an out-of-doors performance on Constitution Avenue, and many stayed to dance the night away. As a result, IN THE MOOD, in affiliation with the USO, began a series of tours which played to audiences across the United States during the 50th Commemoration of WWII.

The band and singers were selected to be part of the entertainment for the 53rd Presidential Inauguration Ball. IN THE MOOD was the National Touring Event for the celebration Spirit of '45, a national project that recognizes the people who fought WWII and their legacy of a rebuilt Europe and Japan and The United Nations, and salutes those who laid the foundation for America's peace and prosperity.

IN THE MOOD is constantly being revamped and updated. While there are a number of permanent Swing-Era songs in the show, many are rotated out and replaced with selections from the huge body of Swing-Era music. Bud Forrest greets the audience after every performance and is constantly taking suggestions from patrons of songs they'd like to hear in the show. Likewise, Mr. Forrest recently engaged stage director and noted Broadway choreographer Alex Sanchez to set the show's jitterbug dances and production numbers. Thus, IN THE MOOD maintains a fresh, dynamic, ever-changing perspective on the culture of the Swing Era. Patrons who have seen the show two or three times are never disappointed as the production constantly evolves.

 


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