Show Boat at Broadway by the Bay Begins April 5

Broadway by the Bay launches its 42nd year of presenting full-scale musicals at family-friendly prices with Jerome Kern's and Oscar Hammerstein II's groundbreaking masterpiece Show Boat beginning April 5, opening April 7, with performances at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center through April 22.

Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, Show Boat follows Captain Andy's magnificent entertainment boat, the "Cotton Blossom," as it travels along the Mighty Mississippi, carrying a troupe of colorful characters. This sumptuous opera work from the Golden Era of Broadway includes such great songs as "Old Man River," "Make Believe," and "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine."

"Addressing critical issues of the American experience from 1883 to 1927, Show Boat was a solid hit, running for 572 performances on Broadway," states press notes, "Show Boat emerged as a new art form in the American musical theatre – the musical play as distinguished from musical comedy, presenting a rich, colorful, nostalgic chapter from the American past filled with humor, pathos, tenderness, and high drama, tied together in a believable plot.  It was also the first time that serious black and white characters held the stage together as equals. The production was so beloved by audiences and so lucrative for legendary producer Florenz Ziegfeld that he revived it in 1932. Show Boat has gone on to receive more than half a dozen Broadway revivals and was filmed for the silver screen three times."

Show Boat begins previews April 5 with an Opening Night April 7, performances through April 22.  Show times are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8PM; Sundays at 2PM.  Plus a special family matinee Saturday April 14 at 2PM.

Broadway by the Bay performs at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, at 600 N. Delaware, San Mateo.

For tickets ($17-$42) and information, call 650-579-5565 or visit www.broadwaybythebay.org.  Savings are available for youths, seniors, subscribes, and groups of 10 or more.