The Andrews Brothers is a new '40s musical by Roger Bean

Roger Bean

Roger Bean is the writer and director of the hit Off-Broadway Musical The Marvelous Wonderettes, now playing at the Westside Theatre on West 43rd Street in New York City. The Marvelous Wonderettes was first written for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where Mr...

, creator of The Marvelous Wonderettes

The Marvelous Wonderettes

The Marvelous Wonderettes is a musical comedy with a book by Roger Bean. It was recently played off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in New York. The show, which uses pop songs from the '50s and '60s as a vehicle to tell its story, pays homage to the high school Songleader squads of the 1950s...

. The show, which uses pop songs from the '40s as a vehicle to tell its story, pays homage to the USO Entertainers of World War II. In a sudden and hilarious turn of events, the Andrews Sisters are too ill to perform, their three male stage hands are called upon to perform in their place. The men dress in full Andrews Sisters drag and sing the songs that the sisters were meant to perform.

The songs they sing during the course of the musical include: "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"; “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”; “Rosie The Riveter”; and “Any Bonds Today”.

The world premiere cast included Adam J. Estes as Lawrence Andrews, Michael Jenkinson as Max Andrews, Ben Cherry as Patrick Andrews, and Melinda Pfundstein. The musical premiered at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Vocal arrangements by Roger Bean; Musical Arrangements by Jon Newton; Choreography by Darci Brown Witz; Scenic Design by Vicki R. Davis; Costume Design by Alex Tecoma; and Lighting Design by Jason Fassl.

Act I

When the show begins, the audience meets Max, Lawrence and Patrick Andrews are rehearsing with pin-up girl Peggy Jones for the big USO show in the South Pacific to take place that evening. Peggy is unaware that the brothers she is rehearsing with are really just the stagehands for the show. Earlier that morning, the Major in charge recruited the boys to fill in for Peggy's back-up singers who hadn't arrived in time. During the course of the first act, Peggy discovers the true identity of the brothers along with the 4F ailments that kept them out of the Army, which come to the surface as they rehearse. Despite the boys worries about performing, Peggy is able to convince them that they'll do a fine job in the show. As they rehearse, Peggy begins to develop romantic feelings for sweet and stammering Patrick. After an afternoon of rehearsals, everyone is confident that everything will work out well, but then a radiogram arrives with the news that the headliners for the show, The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...

, are stuck in Hawaii in quarantine. Peggy, Mac, Lawrence, and Patrick know that the show must be cancelled unless, of course, there is a way for the Andrews Sisters to appear...

Act II

Act two begins with the end of Peggy's set at that evening's show. She introduces The Andrews – and onto the stage step our three brothers, who are now handed the task of pulling off the performance of a lifetime, dressed entirely in drag as they become Maxene, Patty & LaVerne Andrews. Peggy joins them throughout their set as the brothers perform the greatest hits of one of the finest singing groups of all time. Mistaken identities and madcap adventures along with the music of the 1940s continue through the rest of the show

Musical Numbers

ACT I	ACT II
The Hut-Sut Song The Hut-Sut Song The Hut-Sut Song is a novelty song from the 1940s with nonsense lyrics. The song was written in 1941 by Leo V. Killion, Ted McMichael and Jack Owens. The first and most popular recording was by Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights....	Billy-A-Dick
Rosie the Riveter Rosie the Riveter Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...	Hold Tight, Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood Mama)
Peggy the Pin-Up Girl	Beer Barrel Polka
Breathless	Shoo-Shoo Baby
Mairzy Doats	Three Little Sisters
A Slow Boat to China	Six Jerks in a Jeep
Hawaiian War Chant	Plain Jane Doe
Hula Ba Luau	Corns For My Country
Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar	Any Bonds Today? Any Bonds Today? "Any Bonds Today?" is a song written by Irving Berlin, featured in a 1942 animated propaganda film starring Bugs Bunny. Both were used to sell war bonds during World War II.-The song:...
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" is a popular song. The music was written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and it was published in 1944. It is sung in the style of a sermon, and explains that accentuating the positive is key to happiness...	Off To See the World
	Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was a major hit for The Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune. This song can be considered an early jump blues recording...
	Stuff Like That There
	Bei Mir Bist Du Schön
	Rum and Coca Cola
	Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree

External links

• http://steelespring.com/Pages/tabmain.html
• http://rogerbean.com