DAMES AT SEA To Drop Anchor At The Roxy Regional Theatre

New York salutes Hollywood this summer at the corner of Franklin and First in historic downtown Clarksville.

A celebration of the golden era of movie musicals, DAMES AT SEA opens at the Roxy Regional Theatre on Friday, June 22, at 8:00pm. In keeping with the theatre's traditional pay-what-you-can opening night, all tickets not pre-sold at the regular ticket price will go on sale at 7:30pm that evening for a $5 minimum donation.

A long-running hit Off-Broadway which brought stardom to Bernadette Peters, DAMES AT SEA is an affectionate parody of the large, flashy Busby Berkeley-style film musicals of the 1930s.

Newcomer Kelly Letourneau stars as Ruby, a young, bright-eyed chorus girl from small-town Utah who has come to New York to make it big on Broadway. Who should she chance to meet but another boy from Hometown, USA: Dick, a sailor who also has ambitions as a songwriter, played by Roxy Executive Director Ryan Bowie.

Ruby begins in the chorus and by the end of the day, in true Hollywood fashion, Dick saves her doomed Broadway show with a smash tune -- as Ruby becomes a star on the deck of a battleship which just happens to be passing by.

Directed by Ryan Bowie and choreographed by Emily Rourke, DAMES AT SEA was written by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, with music by Jim Wise. The cast also features Sarah Juliano as the temperamental Broadway diva Mona Kent, Emily Rourke as the wise-cracking chorus girl Joan, Hunter Brown as the sailor Lucky, Donald Groves doubling as the director Hennessey and Mona's former lover The Captain, and Sebastian Fenton and Lexi Putter in the chorus.

The tap-happy tunes and sunny pastiche sound of the musical comedy are achieved by a live band featuring music director Matthew McNeill on piano, Thad Wallus on guitar, John Waddle on bass and Bernard Lott on drums.

Saturday, June 30, is the theatre's 7th Annual Summer Cookout, featuring hamburgers and hot dogs (courtesy of Edward's Steakhouse), accompanied by sides and all the fixin's under the marquee at 6:30pm. Tickets for the package, which includes the 8:00pm performance of DAMES AT SEA, are $40 (adults) and $25 (ages 13 and under). The reservation deadline for the cookout is Friday, June 22.

DAMES AT SEA is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., and is made possible in part through the generous support of Ernest & Joan DeWald and Rick & Mary Konvalinka. Additional funding support has been provided by Hugh & Joy Hatcher, Kurt & Kerri Kowalski and John & Cathy Stanton.

Performances run June 22 through July 7 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturday, June 30, and Saturday, July 7. There is no performance on Wednesday, July 4.

Tickets are $25 (adults) and $15 (ages 13 and under) and may be reserved online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at (931) 645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to curtain). APSU students, military and CitySaver coupon holders can receive two tickets for the price of one to Wednesday and Thursday performances during the run.

The Roxy Regional Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing professional live theatre and promoting the arts, with emphasis on education, in Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Southeast. The theatre is located at 100 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Clarksville. For more information, visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.

Photo: "Kelly Letourneau stars as Ruby in DAMES AT SEA at the Roxy Regional Theatre, June 22 - July 7"

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