Pantochino Productions, a professional, not-for-profit theatre company in Milford, will debut “What Now Voyager” on Friday, Oct. 10 at the Milford Arts Council in downtown Milford. The new musical comedy plays through Oct. 26.
“What Now Voyager,” featuring book and lyrics by Bert Bernardi and music by Justin Rugg, is a parody of Hollywood romance melodramas of the 1940s. The story follows the transformation of a woman and the myriad of surprises she encounters on the high seas –romance, intrigue and all kinds of comical mayhem casting a wide net of the various tropes and plot devices of golden age filmmaking.
“I grew up watching and loving the great black and white melodrama of the 40s,” said writer/director Bernardi. “Its been great fun to spoof and parody this genre and I think audiences who know these films or not will fully enjoy the broadly-drawn characters and all the antics,” he added.
While Pantochino often presents family-friendly fare, this production comes with a disclaimer. “This show is certainly for adult audiences only,” Bernardi said.
The cast includes Pantochino company members Mary Mannix, Shelley Marsh Poggio, Valerie Loomis, Jimmy Johansmeyer and composer Rugg. They are joined by Chad Celini, who appeared in Pantochino’s “Dorothy’s Christmas in Oz.” Making his debut with the company is Griffin Kulp.
“What Now Voyager” features setting by Von Del Mar, costumes by Johansmeyer, lighting by Jakob Kelsey, sound by Tyler Kittleman, musical direction by Rugg and stage management by T. M. Gadomski.
Performances of “What Now Voyager” are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A special Saturday matinee performance will be held Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. Seating is cabaret-style and audiences are invited to bring their own food and drink to enjoy during the performance. The MAC is located at 40 Railroad Ave. Parking is free at showtime in all train station lots. Tickets are available online at pantochino.com. Tickets are not available at the MAC.