SIUE’s Summer Showbiz 2015 Opens May 29 with Red Hot and Cole
The production of Red Hot and Cole is a scintillating mixture of biography and song, celebrating the great American songwriter, Cole Porter. The musical opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 29 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Cole Porter brought style, elegance and sophistication to the stages and soundstages of Broadway and Hollywood, delighting the world with his devilishly clever rhymes, fresh and unexpected melodies, and sassy, sexy sensibility. Red Hot and Cole is a musical champagne tribute to a glittering age gone by, and the man and talent who was Cole Porter.
“Red Hot and Cole’s narrative adds an extra dimension – the production imagines all these Broadway and Hollywood parties to be played out before the audience in a cabaret style presentation of song and dance,” said Katherine Slovinski, production director.
While the music and lyrics are Cole Porter’s, the musical itself sprung from the mind of Randy Strawderman, aided by James Bianchi and Muriel McAuley, with the musical concepts and arrangements by Dougee Zeno.
“Musical revue lives in a world of its own. It’s not quite a musical—it’s not quite vaudeville—it’s not quite melodrama,” said Roger Speidel, scenic designer. “It’s something set apart and unique.”
Other show times include:
- 7:30 p.m., May 30
- 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6
- 2 p.m., Sunday, May 31 and June 7
Summer ticket prices are $15 and $12 with SIUE students receiving free admission with a valid I.D. To purchase, visit the SIUE Fine Arts Box Office located inside Katherine Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus or charge by phone by calling 618-650-2774. For more information call the box office or visit the website at SIUE Department of Theater.
