Campbell to present fun filled musical “The Boyfriend”

     It’s the Roaring 20s and the thoughts of a group of girls attending a French boarding school aren’t exactly on their studies. The exploits of these girls and the lengths to which they will go to fund romance form the plot of “The Boyfriend,” the zany, fun filled musical presented by Campbell University. Performances of “The Boyfriend” are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26-28, at 8 p.m. in Éllis Theatre of the Rogers Fine Arts Center with a special matinee on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7 general admission and $3 for faculty and staff. They may be purchased at the door or by calling the Campbell University Box Office at (910) 893-1509 or (800) 334-4111, ext. 1509.
     The jewel of the Jazz Age musical, “The Boyfriend,” written by Sandy Wilson, premiered in 1954 and was a tribute to the British musical comedies of the 1920s. “There is lots of singing and dancing in this play,” said director Bert Wallace of the Campbell University Theatre Arts Department. “Though the show was written in the 1950s and set in the 1920s, it is a fun show that people of all ages can enjoy today.”
     The cast includes Abby Nery as Maisie, Mandy Holmes as Dulcie, Sasha Fuller as Fay, Abigail Lind as Nancy and Jami Howard as Polly Browne. Also included in the cast are Jo Jones as Madame Dubonnet, headmistress of the school; Brittany Kefauver as Hortense, a maid; Ji Hawn Kim as rich, good looking American Bobby Van Huesen, Charles Shanlever as Polly’s father Percival Brown; David John Hailey as Tony, a messenger; Justin Smith as Lord Hubert Brockhurst and Ashleigh Adamson as Lady Hilda Brockhurst.
     Rounding out the cast as the affable young suitors are Daniel Renzai, Adam Hamlin and Mark Gibson. Shandorsay Tripp, Sophie Maedjaja and Ashley Terry play beachcombers and party guests.
     “The beauty of ‘The Boyfriend’ is that it gives a number of Theatre Arts students an opportunity to display their talents,” Wallace said. “Giving students exposure to a variety of roles is one of the goals of the Theatre Arts Department at Campbell.”