The Underclassman
“A pre-Jazz Age cocktail — two parts Fitzgerald’s autobiographical novel, one part Fitzgerald’s actual biography, stirred with plenty of artistic license… Ms. Reichel’s production steps lively from song to song… Mr. Mills’s Porter-style pastiche tunes have jaunty rhythms and internal rhymes to spare… The 19 cast members deserve the summa cum laude.”
— NEW YORK TIMES
“Peter Mills is in a class of his own. Like a magician from the Penn & Teller school, he delivers all the standard tricks—Jazz Age styles and rhythms, internal rhymes, words whose meanings twist with repetition—while highlighting and deconstructing those same devices… Mills pulls off these feats with astonishing wit and invention… Dazzling.”
— TIME OUT NEW YORK
“A dazzling new musical - full of wit, intelligence, cleverly written theatre songs and dynamic staging… multiple musical gems are enhanced by Reichel and choreographer Christine O'Grady's smart and imaginative staging… The Underclassman is set in an era when people would go to Broadway to enjoy the musical theatre offerings the best emerging artists had to offer. This is no longer the case, as season after season Off-Broadway's musicals show superior craft, talent and inventiveness. The Underclassman is among the best in all three categories.”
— BROADWAYWORLD.COM
“This production sparkles like a diamond… Mills effortlessly summons the spirits of Irving Berlin
and Cole Porter, among others… from Ann Bartek's simple but effective sets and Sidney Shannon's biting and beautiful costume plot to Christine O'Grady's spirited choreography and Daniel Feyer's swank conducting of the eight-piece band… Superb, energetic performances give yet another boost to this
already-skyrocketing show.”
— TALKIN’ BROADWAY
Photos by Richard Termine
music and lyrics by Peter Mills
book by Mills and Cara Reichel
originally presented by Prospect Theater Company at The Duke on Nov. 9 - 30, 2014
featuring
Matt Dengler, Jessica Grové, Billy Hepfinger, Piper Goodeve, Marrick Smith, Jordan Bondurant, Elizabeth Burton, Jason Edward Cook, Ian Fairlee, Matt Gibson, Holland Grossman, Christopher Herr, Adam Machart, Jeremy Morse, C.J. Pawlikowski, Davey Rosenberg, Michael Romeo Ruocco, Liz Shivener, and Whitney Winfield.
Scenic Designer - Ann Bartek
Costume Designer - Sidney Shannon
Lighting Designer - Brian Tovar
Sound Designer - Kevin Heard
Production Stage Manager - Taylor Alyssa Marun
