George Dvorsky and Sally Mayes will recreate their starring roles as the fictional duo Pete Bartel and Keely Stevens, America’s Swingin’ Sweethearts, for a new livestream production at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Pete ‘n’ Keely, a musical comedy written by James Hindman and directed by Mark Waldrop, originally debuted Off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theater in December, 2000. The production received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Best New Musical along with two Drama Desk nominations.
Pete ‘N’ Keely spoofs the variety shows of days gone by. Audiences who attended the original production sat among technicolor sets, TV cameras and glittering Bob Mackie costumes as the divorced couple reunite for a 1968 live TV special. They play nice when the cameras are rolling, but during commercial breaks, take off the gloves. Musical numbers include “Besame Mucho,” “Lover,” “But Beautiful, “This Could Be the Start of Something Big,” “Fever” and more.
The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey had planned to mount a new production of Pete ‘N’ Keely that would re-open the theater to live audiences at the end of the pandemic. However, with no clear end to venue closures in sight, Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee and Managing Director Michael Stotts decided to present Pete ‘N’ Keely virtually, with re-imagined staging. Akin to a play-within-a-play theatrical device, the film of Pete ‘N’ Keely will be a TV special inside a TV special, which brings the kitschy 1960s-based story into the current era.
For more information, visit www.papermill.org
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