It’s not Singin’ in the Rain, but it has the same best parts: humor, a love story and, best of all, tap dancing.
“Dames at Sea” is a musical spoof of the flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style musicals. Small town dancer Ruby makes her way to the Broadway stage in hopes of being a star.
She finds herself cast in the muchanticipated show “Dames at Sea.” When the theater is on the verge of closure, Ruby and friends find a solution on the open sea. Friendship and romance ensue to create a musical comedy for all ages.
The director of the show is a recent graduate from Creighton University. Carli Haney graduated last year with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in technical theatre.
“I’m glad my first show (after graduation) is with friends and at my Alma Mater,” Haney said.
When asked about her future plans. Haney indicated that she wouldn’t be hanging around Creighton for long. In fact, on Sunday
– the last performance day – she’ll be moving to Las Vegas.
Arts & Sciences senior Veronica Benton plays Ruby in the “Dames at Sea” making this her tenth performance at Creighton.
After learning to tap dance a couple of semesters ago, Benton was excited to put her new skills to use in this dance-intense show.
In her interview, Benton relayed one of her most embarrassing moments in this production. During one of the dress rehearsals, Benton’s skirt became unclasped as she was singing one of her solos and dancing across the stage. Hopefully, this doesn’t happen during any of the performances.
Arts & Sciences freshman Ryan Malone plays the lead male, Dick.
“The cheesiest happy go-lucky guy” is how Malone described his character. During the interview, Malone was asked if this is how he is in real life or if it took him a lot of time to play his character.
“There was no character work done” Haney quickly chimed in.
Coming from Wichita, Kan., this is Malone’s first production at Creighton and second lead role in theatrical performances. His first lead was Harold Hill in the Musical “The Music Man” that was performed his senior year of high school.
As of right now Malone has yet to choose a major, but he wants to minor in music. However, he did mention a possible major in musical theater stemming from that.
Another of the leads, Arts & Sciences junior Chelsey Hill plays Mona, a dramatic but amusing character that is a famous Broadway actress.
Making bad acting look natural is mostly what she thought of while playing her character.
“There was no process needed,” Hill admitted.
“Family friendly, short, happy, colorful, a foolproof musical even for those who don’t like musicals” is how she described the production.
The shows are Feb. 6-9 starting at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. in the Studio Theatre of the Lied Education Center. Tickets are $5 for Creighton Students, $15 for senior citizens, and $18 for the general public.