Above all else, it was fun to listen and dance to - whether it was a jaunty pop novelty like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Swingin' on a Star," or a bandstand blowout like "Sing! Sing! Sing!" and, of course, "In the Mood."
Taking its title from that signature hit by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, "In the Mood: A 1940s Musical Revue" returns to the stage of the Pollak Theatre at Monmouth University in what's fast becoming an annual tradition, on the afternoon of Sunday, February 12, 2012. The long-running, international touring show from Bud Forrest Entertainment makes a Lincoln's Birthday whistle-stop at the West Long Branch campus, with an energetic ensemble of young singers and dancers out in front of the big-band String of Pearls Orchestra - and a string-of-hits soundtrack drawn from some of the best-loved chapters of the Great American Songbook.
Channeling the voices of the WWII era's biggest music stars - including the effervescent Andrews Sisters and that skinny kid from Hoboken, Frank Sinatra - as well as the classic organizations of bandleaders like Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Harry James and the Dorseys - "In the Mood" is a snapshot of a long-ago moment that continues to resonate with multi-generational audiences, for whom a chance to hear a big band swing the hits live on stage (and watch a snazzy troupe of swing dancers show how it's done) is a rare treat.
More than just nostalgia for the sound and the spirit of a vintage USO show, "In the Mood" is the sound of the young - the young people who made possible the American century (both on the home front and "over there"), and a still-young country preparing to seize its spotlight moment on the world stage.
For additional information, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Monmouth University Performing Arts Box Office at 732-263-6889, or online at www.monmouth.edu/arts.
