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| Show 46 of 2016 |
GI Jukebox was the first of six Christmas themed shows I saw in 2016, excluding Holiday Inn which I saw in November. This show was put on by the Butterfield Stage Players in Gainesville, Texas. It was a heartwarming 1940s holiday music review. There was a loose storyline, but mainly it focused on holiday music of World War II. It was set in a USO lounge somewhere in Europe, though specifics were not given.
The show was ridiculously cheesy, which I mean with in the kindest way. It was corny humor and the songs of the era and it was completely perfect. The cast was made up of three male and four female singers, a pianist and a sheet music page turner (for lack of a better description). There were so many songs that you did not realize were all produced at around the same time. The 1940s is certainly one of my favorite time periods, from the music to the fashion to the hair styles and this show had all of that.
The show was set up in two acts with the first being the ‘rehearsal’ for their show and the second being the show itself. In Act I the actors were in military uniforms and in more formal wear for Act II. The actors were both extremely talented musically, but put up performances that seemed to be era appropriate. Most of the show they broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the audience as if we were the troops they were performing to. They took a moment to acknowledge any active or retired military members at the performance.
In addition to the musical numbers, which were superb, there were also comedic sketches including the famous Who’s On First routine. This show makes me laugh every single time and the timing of the two actors in this show was no different. There was also a slide show towards the end of the production with photos from World War II. As a lover of photography and history I thoroughly enjoyed this little touch.
This was an addition to Butterfield’s season and since they have their own theatre they left the set from the previous show, Rumors, up for this show and make slight alterations to make it appear more time appropriate. As this is a community theatre I appreciated this simple detail. It required little prep for the theatre and the set provided them with everything they needed with little additional effort. It added very little, if any, additional cost making this show, which I believe was meant to be a fundraiser, even more effective.
A standout for the show was certainly the pianist. It would be unfair to classify him simply as an accompanist because he provided so much more to the show than just playing along to singers. The second act opened with a beautiful piano solo which was incredible.
I had an excellent December of holiday shows. Each were slightly different, but nonetheless they all served to put me in the mood for the season. Seeing shows at the holidays may be my favorite time of the year. I love new and original works, but there will always be something about classic stories and songs that will always warm the heart of the grinchiest Scrooge.
Note: Butterfield has one of my FAVORITE shows coming up in February, The 39 Steps, so make sure you check out their website to get your tickets!
For more information:
Production: GI Holiday Jukebox
Company/Venue: Butterfield Stage Players
City: Gainesville, TX
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