Lewisburg, WV (WVDN) – The music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II have been delighting musical theatre fans for decades. The famous duo wrote beloved titles such as Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, State Fair, and more. Greenbrier Valley Theatre, The State Professional Theatre of West Virginia, is preparing to open the musical Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, which celebrates their greatest hits.
Brandon Grimes, a New York City based actor, is returning to GVT for the first time since 2019 when he was in a production of The Greenbrier Ghost. Grimes cannot wait to celebrate the songs that helped define the “Golden Age” of musical theatre.
“The foundation of musical theatre is Rodgers and Hammerstein,” said Grimes. “So many people have deep, rich memories of The Sound of Music, or Carousel, or The King and I that were turned into lush, beautiful movies, and as you go through this show you hear these songs in their full glory.”
Some Enchanted Evening is a true tribute to Broadway history, with five actors and two pianists on stage performing over 35 songs. Audiences will hear popular tunes such as “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “If I Loved You,” and “Younger than Springtime.”
The cast is comprised of Grimes (The Greenbrier Ghost), Evan Buckley Harris (Next To Normal), Kimberly Wilpon (A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice), and GVT newcomers Ella Watts, and Emily Norah Samuelson.
Will Nash Broyles (seen in A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, Pippin), will direct his first production at GVT. The production will feature scenic design completed by Richard Crowell, costume design by Jenna Fawn Brown, lighting design by E. Tonry Lathroum, sound design by Miles Peery, and prop design by Ashton Webb. Elizabeth Salisch serves as the Production Stage Manager, assisted by Rahxas Colite.
Now in its 57th season, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, is a mainstay and theatre destination located in Lewisburg, WV. The arts organization has been further recognized as a “West Virginia Jewel of the Hills,” awarded the Living the Dream Service Organization Honor Roll by The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission, and is a multi-year recipient of Non-Profit Business of the Year. GVT boasts a robust series of year-round programing and educational offers with the goal to enlighten, enrich, and enliven throughout the region.
Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein will open on Friday, June 12 and run through June 22. Tickets are $34 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $20 for students. For more information on tickets, shows, and the organization’s history, visit the theatre’s website: www.gvtheatre.org or call the box office at (304) 645-3838.
