News release
Public Information Office
SLU 10880 Hammond,
LA 70402 phone:
985-549-2341 fax:
985-549-2061publicinfo@selu.edu
www.selu.edu/news
Contact: Christina Chapple
Date: 2/21/03
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“COPACABANA” AT THE COLUMBIA – Barry Manilow's hit song, “Copacabana,” is the inspiration for an exciting and passionate musical, a tale of love and romance set at the heart of the 1940s swinging nightclub scene. The flamboyantly fun show will be staged at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. March 6.
FUN, COLORFUL “COPACABANA” COMES TO COLUMBIA MARCH 6 HAMMOND -- Sometimes a song is more than a song. Such is the case with "Copacabana." "Her name was Lola...." The unforgettable opening lyric of Barry Manilow's Grammy Award winning hit song has been expanded into a musical tale of love and romance set at the heart of the swinging nightclub scene of the 1940's. Windwood Productions “Copacabana,” the musical, will hit the stage of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on March 6. "Musical theatre of such high quality is always a treat, but to have one written by Barry Manilow is an added bonus,” said Columbia Artistic Director Donna Gay Anderson. “This show is feel-good entertainmnet that will leave you humming for days." Tickets for “Copacabana” are $33, orchestra 1 and loge; $30, orchestra 2 and balcony 1; and $27, balcony 2. Tickets are available online through TicketWeb or at the theater’s box office, 220 E. Thomas St., beginning February 28. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m., weekdays, and one hour before the performance. Critics say Manilow's musical is flamboyant fun and gorgeous silliness, “just plain fun and a good night out.” Described as a loving colorful tribute to the Technicolor movies of Hollywood's early days, the show is filled with beautiful costumes, beautiful people and beautiful voices. The dialog is often clever and funny, but song and dance numbers dominate the action. The story line is typical “boy meets girl -- boy and girl fall in love.” But the tale then takes a twist when the girl is kidnapped by a crazy Cuban nightclub owner. While creating the world's next big hit, Stephen, an aspiring songwriter, is carried back to an era when "music and passion were always the fashion" at the world famous Copacabana nightclub in New York City. In his dream, Lola Lamar, a hopeful showgirl, is launched on the path to stardom as a Copa Girl with the help of Tony Starr, a bartender with dreams of his own. Captivated by Lola's performance, the villainous Rico whisks her away to the Tropicana nightclub in Havana. From this exotic, distant new world, a tale of old-fashioned love, jealousy, and murder in the entangled lives of Lola, Tony and Rico unfolds amidst dazzling costumes, sets and choreography. "Copacabana," the song, was written in 1978 for Manilow's "Even Now" album. Though it was loved by all who heard it, the record company didn't know quite what to do with it. Despite hearing from disc jockeys that "Copacabana” was producing some excitement, the record company decided to release three other songs as singles. The city of Miami then weighed in. Florida disc jockeys, at the request of their listeners, began to play "Copacabana” straight off the album. Within weeks, the record company was forced to release it as a single. The song soared up the charts, quickly went gold, and contributed to the album going triple platinum. It also earned Manilow his first Grammy Award. Several years later, Dick Clark approached “Copacabana’s” writers, Manilow, Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman, about adapting the tune into a musical film for television, a first since Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Cinderella.” Starring Annette O'Toole, Barry Manilow, Estelle Getty and Joseph Bologna, the movie garnered great ratings and wonderful reviews and won an Emmy Award. Shortly thereafter, Caesar's Resorts in Atlantic City contacted the creative team about adapting the film for their show room -- if it could be cut to 75 minutes. The songwriting trio proceeded to invent a successful new form: Vegas review meets Broadway show. This prompted British producers to inquire about the possibility of expanding the show to a full-length, two-act, West End musical. Discarding much of the Atlantic City production, the creators added several more characters and sub-plots and doubled the size of the score. The production enjoyed a four month, pre-London tour, and ran two seasons on London's West End. “Copacabana” had its American premiere at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in July 2000, followed by a 30 week national tour. For additional information about “Copacabana,” contact the Columbia Theatre at 985-549-4366 or fanfare_ctpa@selu.edu. |
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