Yank! The Musical Book and Lyrics by David Zellnik Music by Joseph Zellnik at Evolution Theatre Company

They just don't make old-fashioned musicals anymore, do they? Well, actually, they still do! YANK! The Musical is solidly crafted in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition. The only difference: it's about two male soldiers in love. In the grand tradition of old-school musicals like South Pacific, boot camp is the perfect place for a bunch of green soldiers to burst into cleverly choreographed song and dance. Some twenty musical numbers illuminate, enliven, and drive the story. And this is surely the only musical in history to use tap dancing as a metaphor for clandestine romance. YANK! is a love song to Hollywood's "it takes one of every kind" platoon flicks and to 1940s Broadway. And while the characters in YANK! are fictional, all of the situations and viewpoints come directly from memoirs and oral histories of gay, lesbian and straight service members who took part in WWII. David Zellnik, the author, spent hundreds of hours combing archives, researching these "hidden" histories, even having letters sent to him from around the country from old veterans and their families. Now as this generation begins to slip irrevocably into history, Evolution Theatre Company is dedicated to the hope that their experiences will not be forgotten.