By Arlene McKanic
The crew of the new renovated Queens Theatre is a doughty lot. They came in to work even during that freak October snowstorm of a couple of Saturdays ago. Unfortunately, QT’s executive director Ray Cullom couldn’t come thanks to a downed tree, but he still spoke with TimesLedger about their show, “‘S Wonderful,” a review chock full of absolutely delicious George and Ira Gershwin tunes. It will run through Nov. 13.
“They were from musicals which people forget,” Cullom said. “We thought these songs were so timeless and versatile you can combine them and make up new plays.”
“‘S Wonderful” is actually five mini-musicals whose songs combine in new and unexpected ways. Sometimes men sing songs that were originally written for women, and vice versa. The show, which harkens back to an earlier time while managing to be brand new, is just right for Queens Theatre audiences.
The show was the idea of Todd Gershwin and co-producer Dan Chilewich. “It would be a small enough show that it could play throughout the country and bring the music and legacy of the Gershwins to as many people as possible,” Gershwin said. “Plus, we wanted young and enthusiastic actors and actresses. And we had to find the right person. Ray delivered exactly what we were looking for.”
Cullom became director of the Queens Theatre in April. Most theaters have their next season planned out by then, but Queens was running a little behind. This turned out to be a good thing, for some new shows were added to the schedule at the last minute. “It was a very exciting time,” he said. “If you booked your season, you don’t have the versatility to do that, to keep that flexibility. It was challenging and a great opportunity.” The theater finally announced the first half of the 2012 season in August. This fall, besides “‘S Wonderful,” the theater is putting on readings from the Immigrant Voices Project and performances from the Parsons Dance Company.
Cullom said the staff at Queens is a “great mix of people, some have been here since 1989. They share my passion for new theater.”
Cullom also thinks the Queens Theatre can be a new tryout place for shows, as it’s so much closer to Broadway than a traditional tryout place like Connecticut. Audiences in other states can also be quite different from New York audiences. “It should be an ‘in-town, out-of-town’ experience,” Cullom said.
Gershwin — yes, he’s related to George and Ira, his grandfather being their younger brother Arthur — premiered “‘S Wonderful” in Pittsburgh, then shepherded it through a successful run in Suffolk County.
As one of the Gershwin family members who control the copyright to the brothers’ songs, Gershwin also thinks the show is perfect for audiences that usually come to the Queens Theatre. He doesn’t have plans to bring the show to Broadway. “Our goal is for the show to be seen in communities like Queens and maybe Westchester.” This would be convenient, as Westchester is where he lives.
By the way, the writer asked Collum, people have noticed that Queens Theatre was formerly known as Queens Theatre in the Park. What happened to the “in the park” part?
“Shakespeare in the Park has such a lock on that name,” he explains. “People began to think we were an outdoor summer theater. We aren’t that. We need to change perceptions because most of what we do is in the winter. We’re an indoor year-round theater. And we want to be Queens Theatre, the theater in Queens.”
