Five Guys Named Moe Opens At Wilmington Drama League 1/21

The Wilmington Drama League announces that the Tony Award© nominated musical, Five Guys Named Moe, will open January 21, 2011 at 8:00 pm at the Wilmington Drama League. Five Guys Named Moe features direction by Tommy Fisher, music direction by Andre Wills, and choreography by Jody Anderson. The show runs January 21, 2011 through February 5, 2011 at the Wilmington Drama League, 10 West Lea Blvd. Tickets cost $9-$18 and are available by calling 302-764-1172. More information can be found at www.wilmingtondramaleague.org.

Featuring a book by Clarke Peters (HBO's The Wire, Treme) and music by Louis Jordan and other prominent jazz and R&B artists from the 1940s and 1950s, Five Guys Named Moe, tells the story of Nomax, who has no money and just lost his girlfriend, yet finds solace in his 1930s style radio and the friends who appear from it: Big Moe, Little Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, and No Moe.

Director Tommy Fisher says that the classic R&B/blues/jazz music was just one of the reasons that led him to Five Guys Named Moe. "I wanted to direct a show that could get a different population of actors involved in theater. Five Guys Named Moe, which is rarely done, is one of the few musicals that call for an African American cast who are triple threats: actors, singers, and dancers, and the guys in this cast are just that."

Fisher, making his directorial debut, also puts his own mark on this local premiere. "The show is normally done as a revue but I want to play more of the storyline that is there. We all have a Big Moe, Little Moe, No Moe, Four Eyed Moe and Eat Moe in our lives and we can all see why they are trying to help NoMax through his problem. During this production I try to give the audience a little more of an insight to NoMax and his girl issues and how each of the Moes's advice slowly starts to sink into NoMax's head."

Five Guys Named Moe uses the music of Louis Jordan and other r&b/blues/jazz artists from the 1940s-1950s. Jordan, known as "The King of the Jukebox," was one of music's first crossover artists, topping both the R&B and mainstream pop charts numerous times throughout his career. Jordan is also known for pioneering "jump blues," a mix of jazz, blues and boogie-woogie music.

Clarke Peters, who earned a Best Book of a Musical Tony Award© nomination for his work on Five Guys Named Moe, may be better known for his acting work on stage and screen. His theatrical credits include "The Iceman Cometh" and "Chicago" on Broadway, "Chess", "Porgy and Bess", and "The Witches of Eastwick" on the West End. However, he is most recognized for his work as Detective Lester Freamon on HBO's critically acclaimed television show The Wire. Peters has also appeared on HBO in The Corner and most recently in Treme.

Five Guys Named Moe opened in the UK in 1990, where it ran for four years. It made its Broadway premiere in 1992 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater, featuring direction and choreography by Charles Augins (Labyrinth). Most recently, Five Guys Named Moe played the prestigious Edinburgh Festival in 2010, where the writer, Clarke Peters, played Nomax.

For the Wilmington Drama League production, the directorial staff cast a group of local singers and Wilmington Drama League veterans: George Fletcher (Nomax), the youngest of the cast, is a WDL veteran having performed in Big River, Seussical, and most recently, Annie; David Bazemore (Four-Eyed Moe) is a recent graduate of Shenandoah Music Conservatory; Alvin Hall (Little Moe), making his theatrical debut, comes from the local R&B group, "New Selection"; Jerry Mumford (No Moe), is a veteran karaoke performer, having won numerous local awards for his performances; Jon Owens (Eat Moe) is a local actor currently working on his own webseries; and Andre Wills (Big Moe), comes to Wilmington Drama League with over 30 years of experience at regional and local theaters.

About Wilmington Drama League

The Wilmington Drama League's long and noble performing arts tradition traces back to 1933, when a small band of enthusiasts began staging plays on the third floor of an old grist mall at 18th and Market Streets. Seven years later, the success of this venture in community theatre enabled the Drama League to relocate to its own facility on West Lea Boulevard.

Since then the play, most assuredly, has been the thing at WDL. In all its years of operation, the Drama League has mounted innumerable adult and children's theatrical productions. The talents and energies of thousands of volunteers - actors, directors, set designers and builders, lighting and sound engineers, as well as costume, makeup, and prop technicians - have transformed our stage into the compelling fantasy worlds created by playwrights ranging from Albee, Beckett and Chekhov to Mamet and Miller, Simon and Shakespeare, Wilde and Williams.

Today, the Wilmington Drama League has gone beyond exciting theatrical entertainment. We now offer expanded educational and performance opportunities to your community. Our facility is available for use by other responsible community performing arts groups. While we will focus on providing imaginative, entertaining, and affordable theatrical experiences for patrons and participants, we look forward to building our reputation as a vital resource for community performing arts.

About Five Guys Named Moe
Creative Team

Music by Louis Jordan and others
Book by Clarke Peters
Director Tommy Fisher
Assistant Director Tina Sheing
Music Director Andre Wills
Choreographer Jody Anderson
Set Builder Christina Bartley

Cast
George Fletcher Nomax
David Bazemore Four-Eyed Moe
Alvin Hall Little Moe
Jerry Mumford No Moe
Jon Owens Eat Moe
Andre Wills Big Moe

Performance Dates

January 21, 22, 8 p.m.
January 28, 29, 8 p.m.
January 30, 2 p.m.
February 4,5, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $18 - adults; $15- senior/student; $9 - children
www.wilmingtondramaleague.org

 

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