Meet the Cortland Repertory Theatre’s 54th Summer Season of Shows!

Matt Brooks: [00:00:00] Good morning, I’m Matt Brooks on X101 Always Classic in for another edition of Meet Cortland County. And joining me back in the studio while it’s the Producing Artistic Director of the Cortland Repertory Theatre, it’s Kerby Thompson. Thank you for joining me Kerby. And we have a lot to talk about today.
Kerby Thompson: We do. Thanks for having me. It’s great to be here. Um, we are getting ready to open our box office this coming Monday for our 54th annual summer season at the Pavilion. 
Matt Brooks: It’s amazing. 
Kerby Thompson: It’s amazing. Uh, we’re, we’re. We’ve got a great lineup of shows. We’re really excited to bring them in and a lot of familiar names and maybe some new shows for people who haven’t seen them before too. So, um, as always we try to create a mix. 
Matt Brooks: Yeah, I was, I was going through the list before we, uh, we got on air and it’s like. Hey, I know this, I know this movie, I know, know this production, I know this, and it’s, it could be a lot of familiar territory, but again, as you said, some new ones. So instead of talking about it, let’s get right into the swing of things. June 4th through the 13th first production, Hello, Dolly!.
Kerby Thompson: Yep.
Matt Brooks: Can you tell me about that? 
Kerby Thompson: Sure. It’s the first time. Hello, Dolly!’s been [00:01:00] done at CRT, so we’re really excited about that. Um, of course a lot of people know the Barbra Streisand movie from back in the Sixties, but it’s, uh, a story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, who is a matchmaker in turn of the century New York.
And through the course of the show, uh, she has, planned her sights on marrying the wealthy, half a millionaire, Horace Vandergelder for herself. But along the way, there’s a lot of laughs, a lot of romance, and a lot of great music, uh, familiar songs like “Before the Parade Passes By”, “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”. Um, some people, younger generations know this from the movie WALL-E because…
Matt Brooks: Oh yeah. 
Kerby Thompson: Those songs were featured in that movie, so trying to reach all demographics. Um, but I, I love the show. Um, I toured with it for, uh, quite a few months and, uh, it’s great to bring it to CRT for the first time. 
Matt Brooks: Yeah. And that’s just the first of many shows, ’cause following right up on June 18th through the 27th, The Odd Couple. 
Kerby Thompson: Yep. By Neil Simon. A classic comedy, uh, made into a TV show, of course, many people remember that from the [00:02:00] Seventies. But it’s the story of two mismatched roommates, Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar. Oscar’s a slob and Felix is a neurotic, neat freak and, uh, written by, of course, the Master of Comedy, Neil Simon. So it’s a, it’s a classic comedy and it’s perfect fit for the pavilion stage, and we’re excited to bring that in, great cast and great group to put the show together. 
Matt Brooks: And heading into the middle of the summer, kicking off July 2nd through the 11th. Now, when I saw this. All the movie trailers just started popping in my head.
Kerby Thompson: Yeah, yeah.
Matt Brooks: The Wedding Singer.
Kerby Thompson: Yep, The Wedding Singer. It’s a Broadway musical based on Adam Sandler’s movie with Drew Barrymore. Of course. Uh, but this is all original music. Um, but based on the Eighties and of it’s, uh, the story of Robbie Hart is a New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer until he is left at the altar himself by his fiancée.
Um, so then he, ends up being a horrible wedding singer, uh, until he meets Julia, uh, a young woman who, uh, is engaged to be married to someone else, and he [00:03:00] needs to pull off the performance of the decade to win her over. So it’s a lot of really funny, great music and, uh, again, we’ve got a great cast put together. So it’s a great trip back to the Eighties. 
Matt Brooks: Yeah. And it, it is. Another comedy, correct? 
Kerby Thompson: Yeah. Oh yeah, absolutely. 
Matt Brooks: But turning to a little bit of a murder mystery, uh, for the next one, July 16th through the 25th, Murder for Two. 
Kerby Thompson: Yep. Uh, this is, uh, our first co-production. Uh, we’re, uh, co-producing it with Portland Stage Company up in Maine. Um, so we’re sharing, uh, the, the whole production together. Uh, but it’s a, a, pretty, uh, recent show. Uh, recently written. Um, it only has two actors in it. One plays the police detective and the other plays all of the suspects in this, uh, murder mystery musical. And they both play piano, so they sing, they provide the music as well as all of the acting and all of the, you know, mystery. 
Matt Brooks: Wow.
Kerby Thompson: So it’s a, it’s a big load for them to ca-, to carry, but, uh, we have two [00:04:00] fantastic actors. Really funny. It’s also got as many laughs as it is. As they, as it has clues to the mystery, so. 
Matt Brooks: Now I’m intrigued before we get to the final show, ’cause that one everyone’s gonna have heard of. You said you’re working with the, the Portland Company?
Kerby Thompson: Right.
Matt Brooks: Uh, how does that work? ‘Cause I mean 
Kerby Thompson: Yeah, well.
Matt Brooks: Very, very different locations. 
Kerby Thompson: Yes, that’s true. Um, well, we, we worked together on casting. Um, so we agreed on the two actors. We agreed on who to hire in to bring the director. We agreed on, uh, the designers of the show, the costume designer, scenic designer. Uh, we just kind of work together. So we’re splitting the expenses basically, um, for the show. And so once they complete the two run, two week run here, they drive up to Maine and they do it for three weeks up at Portland Stage. 
Matt Brooks: Oh, that’s really cool. 
Kerby Thompson: So, yeah. It’s a great gig for the actors too, you know. Um, so it’s a, it’s a what, seven week gig for them.
Matt Brooks: And with the only being two cast members, you don’t need a whole tour bus.
Kerby Thompson: That’s right. That’s right. We need a car. Yep. So, uh, yeah, it’s, it’s a, a first time for us to [00:05:00] be co-producing with anybody, but, um, we, so far has been a great, a great experience. 
Matt Brooks: Oh, that’s really cool. Again, that’s Murder for Two, July 16th through the 25th. Now the last one, everyone has heard of The Little Mermaid and we’re talking about the Disney production Little Mermaid here, correct? 
Kerby Thompson: That’s right. Um, last year we did, of course, The Beauty and the Beast another Disney Show. Uh, got great, a great turnout and great results from that. So we’re taking on another one, uh, a little bit more challenging because it’s underwater, you know.
But, um, great story. And of course people know the, the movie as kind of, uh, the one that revitalized Disney because it was the first one of a, a long stream stream of movies that they put together after Little Mermaid was such a success. So it’s got all those songs, “Kiss the Girl”, “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, “Under the Sea”, um, and all the characters, um, and all the fish that you remember from the movie.
Um, and, uh. Uh, with, along with some new songs written for the, the stage musical as well. But, um, again, a great cast and we’re [00:06:00] thrilled to bring in a three week run of it at the end of our summer. 
Matt Brooks: And it’s amazing. And of course, no scuba equipment is required for the song. 
Kerby Thompson: That’s right, right. Leave that at home.
Matt Brooks: Yeah. Now…
Kerby Thompson: You don’t need it. 
Matt Brooks: Now, now, we have plenty of shows, uh, going on through the summer, June 4th through the 13th, Hello, Dolly!. The Odd Couple, June 18th. Through the 27th. June 2nd through the 11th, The Wedding Singer. July 16th through the 25th, Murder for Two. And then again, we just talked about The Little Mermaid July 30th through the August 15th. Now, Kerby, we are running out of time, but box office opens up this coming week. 
Kerby Thompson: Yep. 
Matt Brooks: How do people get tickets? 
Kerby Thompson: Uh, you can give us a call. Our box office line is (800) 427-6160. Stop by CRT Downtown at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Or visit our website, cortlandrep.org. All those ways you can get tickets.
Matt Brooks: Yep. And yer-, for more information, if you wanna learn more about these productions, the, the website’s a great place too. 
Kerby Thompson: Yep, absolutely. Everything’s described there. 
Matt Brooks: And I gotta thank you, Kerby for, uh, joining me this morning, giving us a preview of what’s to come this summer. A lot of exciting stuff. [00:07:00] And, uh, no, I can’t wait for it.
Kerby Thompson: Thank you. 
Matt Brooks: It’s been another edition of Meet Cortland County here on X101 Always Classic. I’m Matt Brooks.