Staff report
Footlighters has brought community theater to the region since 1963, finding a home at Newport’s historic Salem United Methodist Church in 1987 and renaming the building the Stained Glass Theater.
The group has offered creative entertainment from talented performers in a wide variety of productions — including Grease, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Mama Mia, Of Mice and Men and many, many more over the years.
When COVID-19 hit, the productions — including ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ which was scheduled for March — came to a halt.
But the creative juices still flowed, so entertainers being as entertainers are, Footlighters has found an appropriate response — it’ll present an old-fashioned program, Fibber McGee and Molly in a new-fashioned way — online — on July 25 at 7 p.m. and July 26 at 2 p.m.
In the midst of the global pandemic, they are proud to provide performers and patrons a safe outlet to enjoy the arts. The Johnson Wax Program with Fibber McGee and Molly (the show’s full sponsored name) is one of the rare radio programs which has achieved a kind of immortality.
Well after the series played out in the mid-1950s, people still respond to the words “Fibber McGee,” even if they’ve never heard the original.
Fibber McGee and Molly was a 1935-1959 American radio comedy series, a staple of the NBC Red Network and one of the most popular and enduring radio series of its time. The title characters were created and portrayed by Jim and Marian Jordan, a real-life husband and wife team whose stories played out in the community of Wistful Vista.
Performers and listeners today will find the show a time capsule, full of corny jokes, and timeless references. The show also emits genuine good feelings, a true sense of happiness, and plenty of lessons to be learned.
Fibber McGee and Molly (Wikipedia photo)
The virtual show will feature direction by Amanda Marasch-Brinkman and music direction by Matthew Nassida.
Fibber McGee and Molly is the first of many virtual shows that will come from Footlighters.
Footlighters will be accepting donations through their website as a “pay what you can” price to bring the show to their patrons.
When asked about the show, Director Amanda Marasch-Brinkman said, “With our version, you have the option to tune in and listen or to log in and watch the adventure of putting on a radio show. Everything is rehearsed and performed remotely so in this current climate, it’s a safe way to create and entertain.”
Since 1963, Footlighters has brought to life a wide variety award-winning plays and musicals. Now they aim to invite conversation through transformative storytelling and they pride themselves on inspiring a sense of community and using their intimate space to intensify the audience experience.
