The Department of Theatre brings Georgia College back to simpler times with ‘The 1940’s Radio Hour’

Georgia College was treated this week to a glimpse of old time radio magic with the Department of Theatre’s “The 1940’s Radio Hour.” The audience was whisked away back to 1942 and became a radio show’s own studio audience. The show opened on a stooped old man, played by freshman theatre major Trey Barnett, trudging around the stage, mumbling and answering phones. Soon, the stage is alive with the organized chaos of broadcasting as the audience is introduced to the other members of the radio crew, each unique in character and costume alike. The cast and crew began work on the show in Nov. and have devoted blood, sweat, tears and plenty of sleepless nights to perfecting this very time specific show.

Kendyl Wade

From left, Leah Keelan, Sean Casey, Evan Fields, Andrew Markle, Ross Daniel and Hannah Schumacher perform a scene from “The 1940’s Radio Hour.”

Everything on the stage, from the set to the costumes and make up, was made to look painstakingly authentic to the early 1940’s, and the hard work paid off. The audience gladly abandoned their iPhones and embraced the simple magic and secret drama of the radio broadcast.

“It’s more like watching a concert than a play,” Gruber points out. The show’s host, Clifton, played by senior theatre major Evan Fields practically had the audience convinced to go out and buy war bonds and laxatives.

The cast of characters portrayed in this show was delightfully diverse. Performers ranged from the serious and stressed host to a womanizing lounge lizard and a nervous, but eager, young errand boy. The audience enjoyed the musical stylings of Connie, portrayed by sophomore theatre major Leah Keelan and B.J., played by freshman Josh Ramos, a young couple who love to dance, Ginger, played by sophomore theatre major Erin Borain, the lovely queen bee, and Biff, played by freshman theatre major William Warren, a soldier on his way to war, as well as whole collection of other talented performers.

Fields enjoyed that this was one of the more “lighthearted” shows he had been a part of at Georgia College, and points out that sometimes it is nice to have a show without a character being killed off. The show may be lighthearted in nature, but that didn’t make it any less difficult. Senior theater major Nic Marrone, who plays Johnny Cantone, claims that this was one of the more difficult shows he has been a part of because of the complicated harmonies and intricate staging. The entire cast was on stage for the majority of the show, and had to be very careful not to run into one another during the performance. With ringing phones and slamming doors, the scene may look chaotic from the stands, but every step was carefully planned by director Amy Pinney and her crew. Zach Roberts, a sophomore newcomer to the stage who plays Stanely, shares that the cast is “friendly and entertaining,” and that “Amy is an incredible director. She is so sweet and willing to put up with a newbie like me!”

This play is unique in that it doesn’t seem to follow much of a story line, but allows for character development and progression just the same. It is less of a beginning, middle and end story, and more of a glimpse into the lives of real people from a real time. The show focuses on the music and current issues of the era rather than the story of any one character. The audience can imagine what it would have been like to be a family at home, crowded around the radio, or even the soldiers overseas during WWII, listening for some familiar sounds from home.

Posted by JessicaDiamond on Feb 28 2011. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.