Quality Hill Playhouse is paying tribute to songs written in the early 1940s in the cabaret revue I’ll Be Seeing You: The Songs of World War II, opening Jan. 18. Poet Rod McKuen referred to the wealth of exceptional popular music written during WWII by saying, “1939-1945 was a terrible time for the world, but it was a glorious time for songs and fighter pilots.” Artists such as the Andrews Sisters, Dinah Shore, Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller held the top of the Hit Parade charts during this era with songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Sentimental Journey, For Sentimental Reasons, Fools Rush In, Come Rain or Come Shine, Chattanooga Choo Choo and more. Performing these nostalgic treasures are Lauren Braton, Colleen Grate and Molly Hammer (the Playhouse’s version of “the Andrews Sisters”), with J. Kent Barnhart as pianist and emcee. Julian Goff on drums and Brian Wilson on bass complete the ensemble.
I’ll Be Seeing You: The Songs of World War II runs through February 17 at Quality Hill Playhouse, 303 W. 10th St., Kansas City, Mo. Single tickets are $32, with discounts for students, seniors and groups. For tickets, call 816-421-1700. To purchase tickets online or for more information, visit www.QualityHillPlayhouse.com.
This production is the second is a series of cabaret revues exploring how American popular music has been influenced by – and in some cases, influenced – important historical and social events in our nation’s history. Season tickets for The Songs That Wrote America are still available. Pro-rate subscriptions for all four remaining productions are $112 and include I’ll Be Seeing You, Sh-Boom Sh-Boom: The Doo-Wop Sounds of the 1950s (February 22 – March 24), You’ve Got a Friend: Music That Raised the Baby Boomers (April 19 – May 19), and Great Big Broadway: The Rise of the BIG Broadway Musical (May 31 – June 30).
About the Performers
Lauren Braton is “among the best singing actors in town” according to The Kansas City Star. In addition to her “dazzling” cabaret performances at QHP (The Pitch), she has appeared on nearly every local stage (Starlight, KC Rep, American Heartland, Unicorn); most recently Braton appeared as “Princess Fiona” in Shrek the Musical at Coterie Theatre. www.laurenbraton.net. Colleen Grate is a Kansas City native who performed throughout her hometown (KC Rep, American Heartland, Starlight, Chestnut Fine Arts) before relocating to New York City this past fall. www.colleengrate.com. Molly Hammer rapidly has become a Playhouse audience favorite, following stand-out performances in Pete ’n’ Keely, Closer Than Ever and Lullaby of 42nd Street. A versatile performer, Hammer performs in various restaurants around town and will be seen in The Bikinis at American Heartland Theatre this summer. www.mollyhammer.com. J. Kent Barnhart has served as Executive Director of Quality Hill Productions since he founded the nonprofit theater in 1995. Throughout his career, he has worked as pianist, musical director, stage director and/or producer for over 100 musicals, plays and cabaret revues.
