Life
10 Reasons You’ll Love SHOUT! The Mod Musical
Get ready to do the twist because Springfield Little Theatre’s upcoming show is taking us back to the ’60s.
by Ettie Berneking
Feb 02 2021 at 8 a.m.
Photo by Tonya Forbes, Springfield Little TheatreThe company of Springfield Little Theatre's SHOUT! The Mod Musical.
If, like us, you miss the fashion, the dance moves, the music and the big hairstyles—oh the hairstyles!—of the ’60s, we have good news. Springfield Little Theatre is doing a time warp this month as it premiers its new production of SHOUT! The Mod Musical. The show kicks off February 25 and runs through March 7, and it’s full of all the midcentury charm we love and miss so much. And yet somehow, when it comes to the glittering lights of Broadway, many have never seen SHOUT!. Well, it’s time to change that, and we have 10 reasons why this hip-twisting musical will soon be on your list of favorites.
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1. It’s The ’60s Baby!
This show is a true flashback to London in the ’60s. The music, the costumes, the colors, the hairstyle, the boots—goodness the boots are great!—it all takes the audience on a trip back in time.
2. Your Favorite Songs Are Back
So here’s the plot of this Broadway revue: It follows five young girls as they come of age over a 10-year stretch. And you better believe these young gals are performing the tippity-top hits from the musical charts of the day. You’ll be toe tapping along with “Son of a Preacher Man,” “Downtown,” “These Boots Were Made For Walking” and more.
3. It’s All About Women’s Lib!
This show, which first debuted off Broadway in 2006, is all about women’s empowerment, which seems wonderfully on point these days (we see you Madam Vice President!). SHOUT! takes its audience through a stretch in time when women discovered their voice, their power and their sisterhood, and that story is just as relevant today in 2021 whether you’re 10, 22, 65 or 101.
4. The Show is Full of Advice (Good and Bad)
Naturally, if you had a question in the ’60s, you wrote into an advice column, probably Dear Abby. So, of course, SHOUT!’s leading ladies are sending in their burning questions to the sage Gwendolyn Holmes, queen of the advice column. And also like the ’60s, not all of Gwendolyn’s advice holds up in 2021. If you’re having boy troubles and need some advice, bring your questions with you to the show, but be warned—you’ll probably head home reminded that it’s a good thing we don’t live in the ’60s anymore.
5. These Dance Moves Will Inspire
Truly, this choreography is a love note to the 1960s. The choreographers for this show definitely did their research, which means the audience gets its fill of the twist, the frug, the beloved watusi, and something called the swim.
6. Primary Colors Rule On This Stage
Instead of giving each of the five girls in this show a name, these leading ladies are better known by the colors they sport. There’s the Red Girl, the Green Girl, the Yellow Girl… you get the idea. Good news if you’re someone who struggles with names! All you have to do is follow the colors. But be sure to pay attention to each color’s personality because each lady, red, green, yellow, orange and blue, represents different character traits. One is confident, one is shy, one is motherly, and they all end up growing and evolving throughout the show.
7. Shag Rugs Are Back
This is the ’60s afterall, so no set would be complete without a bright pink shag rug. But did you know this pink vintage apparition is the very same pink shag rug that was used in the original New York debut?
8. The Whole Set is a David Gallo Creation
When SLT secured the rights to perform SHOUT!, that meant the cast and crew were bestowed with all the original off-Broadway production including the costumes, props and the set, which was designed by David Gallo. In the world of Broadway musicals, Gallo is a giant—a Tony-award-winning giant. He’s designed more than 30 Broadway musicals including SHOUT!.
9. Only Five Cast Members Make Up the Whole Show
SLT is known for performing big shows. They somehow manage to cram as many as 80 people on the stage at Landers, but SHOUT! is a lot different. This show only has five cast members, which in COVID times, is a good thing. That means this production is a little safer for the crew, and you get a lot more face time with all five of them.
10. You’ll Welcome New Faces to the Stage
If you’re a hardcore SLT fan who rarely misses a show, then SHOUT! is going to be a blast. This production welcomes several new faces and voices to Landers, and as always, the talent in this show is exceptional. Ashley Rose Smith—a veteran Branson, SLT performer and a performer on Princess Cruises—returns as Orange Girl alongside other recognizable SLT actors like Austen McGranahan as Blue Girl and Aryn Bohannon as Red Girl. Newcomers to the SLT scene include Emma Grace Puerta as Green Girl and Callie Altepeter as Yellow Girl. Emma Elliott and Taryn Jennifer Huffman serve as swings for the production.
Springfield Little Theatre
311 East Walnut Street, Springfield
417-869-1334
Monday–Friday, 9AM–5PM
