From Good Vibrations to Bennie and the Jets, Drayton Entertainment wants to take audiences on a trip back in time.
Set in 1975, Legends…of Rock n’ Roll is a journey through the best music of 1955 to 1975 at the Dunfield Theatre.
Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment and director of this latest offering, says the show is a follow-up to their hit production Twist and Shout: A British Invasion.
“That was one of our biggest successes at Drayton and that just dealt with British Invasion music. The premise of this one is kind of an ‘America strikes back,’ approach,” he said, adding that the Legends…of Rock N’ Roll picks up where Twist and Shout left off.
“It is set in an Ed Sullivan-type show called the Roy Solomon Show. The show takes place in 1975. It is Solomon’s signoff show after 20 years on the air. It is like the last night of the Johnny Carson show and what he has done is invited back all of these great acts to celebrate those 20 years.”
Mustakas says Legends is a jump back in time with nearly 100 songs that audiences of all ages will know and love.
“It is really about the music – the discography of the time. It is always a chore to pick the right songs though. I think we cover about 80 songs in total in a medley format,” he said. “We feature great groups like The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Elton John, Sonny & Cher – all of those classics. It is just really two hours of great music and nostalgia.”
Legends…Of Rock n’ Roll will also have old commercials, old costumes and images of a generation to go along with the 10 singers, four dancers and the rock band that will be on stage.
The show isn’t just for those that were dancing in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, however.
![Lee Seigel, Gerrad Everard, Michel LaFleche and Michael Clarke sing the tunes of a time gone by in Drayton Entertainment’s Legends...Of Rock n’ Roll at the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge.[Submitted]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/arts_legendsofrock_post-1.jpg)
“We have done the show before and I remember looking out and seeing couples rocking out in the audience. Everybody remembers the songs,” shared Mustakas. “It is for everybody, to be honest with you. Even my young kids are familiar with some of the music, whether it is from a television commercial, or the background of a movie. It has great choreography, period costumes. It is a top-notch production.”
Mustakas says Drayton Entertainment just wanted to give music lovers and theatre-goers alike a chance to escape from the messy world out there, but also to reflect on how music changed the world.
“You know what, in today’s world, you want to turn the television off with all the bad news in the world right now, but this is just two hours of an escape. Maybe it will remind the audience of a simpler past, and how some of these great artists really changed the face of music and the people of that generation. It really shows how important music is to our society,” he said.
The show runs from July 20 until Aug. 7, with both matinee and evening performances at the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge. Tickets start at $26 for students and $44 for adults. They can be purchased on the Drayton Entertainment website at www.draytonentertainment.com, or by calling the box office at 1-855-DRAYTON (372-9866).
