By Clyde Noel
At a time when most community colleges in California have closed their theaters, Foothill College maintains active drama and musical theater programs for the community.
“Foothill is unique because we have the inspiration to keep things going in the musical theater,” said Jay Manley, founder of the Foothill Music Theater.
Speaking before the Los Altos Rotary last Thursday, Manley provided an insight into what goes on behind the curtain at Foothill’s Smithwick Auditorium when he directs musicals such as “Funny Girl,” “The King & I,” “Oklahoma” and “Showboat.”
Manley arrived at Foothill College in 1976 and revived the summer music program that had been suspended. His objective was to do neglected but well-known Broadway musicals.
“The college schedule lists more than 30 drama classes,” Manley said. “It’s a vigorous program for theater specialists. A technical program in lighting and sets is also available.”
Everything is created specifically for each production including a complete wardrobe, which adds freshness and authenticity to Foothill musicals. Manley noted that nothing is rented.
He gave credit to Friends of Foothill, an organization that raised the money to keep the program alive.
Since the musical is considered an integral part of American theater, Manley summarized the history of the theater.
The first Broadway blockbuster was “The Black Crook,” introduced in 1886, when the United States was still recovering from the Civil War. Opening night lasted 5 1/2 hours and employed a stranded Parisian ballet troupe and 100 bare-limbed chorines to keep the audience’s mind off the Civil War.
Manley said the phrase “A Bevy of Beauties,” coined for that production, is still used in publicity releases.
Thomas A. Edison introduced the first use of electrical lighting for plays in 1883.
During the 1920s and ’30s, American musical theater moved away from the European influence and developed its own unique style.
Composers introduced trunk songs with no connection to the plot into plays and called them musicals.
“This period was the beginning of the song introduced into a strong play,” Manley said. “One thing became evident. The play must have music and it must be good. After 1943, and ‘Oklahoma,’ nothing was the same.” Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II integrated the song into the story and the modern American musical theater was launched.
Foothill’s current production, “On The Town,” running through Aug. 11, was written in 1944. It introduced the young composer Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It opened to good reviews and played for more than a year.
Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra starred in the successful movie adaptation, which added new songs.
The story of three sailors celebrating a 24-hour leave in the city became a travelogue for New York City.
Manley said the Foothill production of “On The Town” is not the movie version. It has the full and complete original choreography.
“There was a war going on and we will try to keep that in the background,” Manley said. “‘New York, New York, it’s a helluva town.’ You got to see it.”
Auditions for future productions are open to the public. The current production has several guest artists.
