Dateline: 1944. A platoon of our boys are stationed in London, waiting to be sent to the mainland to fight the Axis powers and liberate Europe. While they wait, a group of glamorous gals from Hollywood are sent over to distract them with singing, dancing and a few memories of home.
That’s the scene at “Swingtime Canteen,” the new production now on stage at the Sharon Playhouse.
From the moment you enter the playhouse, the stage takes you right back to another time, with recruitment and War Bonds posters setting the tone alongside soldiers’ footlockers and blankets. When the lights go down, the smiles of the cast light up the room, and the audience is quickly recast as a troupe of American G.I.s.
What follows is a jukebox musical in the truest of sense, bouncing from one 1930s hit to more “contemporary” 1940s tunes and back again, all performed with the kind of polished finish audiences have come to expect from the Sharon Playhouse.
The gals in the band are our entire cast, and they spin yarns in between numbers, throwing the spotlight back and forth between the five singing-and-dancing sensations. But they don’t stop there. Between piano, saxophone, drums and even a banjo, they work with the musicians on stage to create that quintessential ‘30s and ‘40s sound.
“Swingtime Canteen” transports its audience to a time when, unlike today, there was very little division among Americans. The war they were fighting had a 97% initial approval rating from U.S. citizens. In a year when the nation is celebrating its 250th anniversary, the production serves as a reminder of a moment when Americans largely shared a common purpose and a common enemy. Even if the swinging songs of the ‘30s and ‘40s aren’t your thing, the production is a marvelous little escape to a time when life was a little simpler and the lines between good and evil were a little clearer. For showtimes and tickets, visit sharonplayhouse.org
