OGDENSBURG — Five feel-good musical productions will mix with a poignant drama, a circus and a touring show created by an Emmy-award winner for the 2010-11 season of Ogdensburg Command Performances.
The series continues its mission of bringing a balanced season of professional touring productions to north country audiences. In January, OCP will mark its 48th anniversary.
With the Great Recession knocking on doors, OCP president and administrator Sally F. Palao said her organization is feeling fortunate to be around. She noted that she attended a conference in New York City last winter where it was revealed that several presenting organizations were shutting down.
"That threw out a challenge to us in the north country, because times are tough," she said, adding that corporations and individuals have been challenged to maintain their sponsorship levels.
The eight-show schedule this year is one less than most years.
"We had nine scheduled last year, but one canceled," Ms. Palao said. "I said, 'Maybe we should take that as an omen.'"
Having one less show for the 2010-11 season helped reduce costs, but Ms. Palao also has other budget techniques at hand.
"I have good rapport with a lot of agents in New York City," she said. "They realize how important it is to bring artists to a community like ours. If I can fit into a tour that's already going on, they can give me a discount."
This year's lineup for Ogdensburg Command Performances:
■ Oct. 4: "Forever Plaid"
This musical by Stuart Ross concerns four members of the Plaids, high school chums whose dreams of recording an album end when one musical era literally runs into another: their 1954 Mercury convertible collides with a bus filled with Catholic school girls who are on their way to see the Beatles. The Plaids are killed. The girls survive.
While in heaven, the Plaids are given a chance to return to Earth to perform at the big show their accident wiped out.
"Forever Plaid" opened off-Broadway in 1990. It is an affectionate revue of the close-harmony "guy groups" of the 1950s and features songs from that era such as "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Moments to Remember," "Sixteen Tons," "Chain Gang" and "Love is a Many Splendored Thing."
■ Oct. 11: "The Diary of Anne Frank"
The famous diary is dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Anne was one of the more than one million children who perished in the Holocaust. The play's character development, key plot lines and dialogue are adapted from words of real people, creating a setting to help audiences relate to Anne on different levels: personal, social, political, ethical, and historical.
■ Oct. 21: "Vicki Lawrence and Mama — A Two Woman Show."
Emmy-award winner Vicki Lawrence created the character "Mama" as part of CBS's "The Carol Burnett Show" and later played the character in her own series, "Mama's Family," which ran for five years on NBC. "Her "Two Woman Show" is part stand-up comedy and storytelling with a few songs thrown in. It premiered in May in Branson, Mo.
Ms. Lawrence also played Miley Cyrus's grandmother on "Hannah Montana." The versatile actress/singer received a gold record for her 1973 international hit single, "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia."
■ Nov. 9: "Oklahoma!"
This musical about a high-spirited rivalry between farmers and cowboys includes a cherished love story. The Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical opened on Broadway in 1943. Its various incarnations have garnered a Pulitzer, two Academy Awards, a Tony and a Grammy.
■ Dec. 11: "Holiday on Broadway"
Actors from "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables" and "The King and I" perform with a 10-piece orchestra. Producers say it also includes a "Saturday Night Live" twist of favorite carols.
After the show, there will be a special party with cast members, with tickets costing $20.
■ Jan. 28: "Cats"
"Cats," with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, was one of the longest running shows in Broadway history, running from 1982 to 2000. It won seven Tony Awards, including one for best musical.
■ March 1: New Shanghai Circus.
The circus was founded in 1991 in Shanghai, China, by Lizhi Zhao. It has performed on Broadway and been broadcast on PBS. The Chinese artistry and acrobatics in the circus are traced to the harvest festivals in China a thousand years ago.
■ May 20: "Forever Motown"
Costumes and choreography reminiscent of Motown are blended with a seven-piece band to create a high-energy show that includes the songs "My Girl," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Reach Out," "Shop Around," "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing."
■ ■ ■
At 2 p.m. Oct. 24, OCP will present the special family event, "The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon." The show of life-sized puppets, masked actors, magic and music is based on the "Harold" book series by Crockett Johnson. This show is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The season is made possible with public funds from the state Council on the Arts.
