The Boys from Nantucket
2015 · Salem on Seventh Theatre, Petersburg, Illinois
Billed as "a whale of a musical," The Boys from Nantucket was an original two-man musical written by Ken Bradbury and John Love and presented by Salem on Seventh Theatre on the square in Petersburg, Illinois. With a wink at the great whaling literature of Moby-Dick, the show paired Bradbury's storytelling with Love's music for an evening that, in the poster's own words, dared audiences to skip Boston and "go to Petersburg!"
The production starred Jim Yale and John Love, who carried the show between them at the piano and across the small stage. The score, developed in the writers' own workshop recordings, ranged from the wistful to the comic, and the staging leaned into the easy, conversational warmth that marked so much of Bradbury's later work.
Musical Numbers
Songs developed for the production included:
- Horizon
- Spotlight
- Whatever Happened to the Spotlight?
- Whale Blues
- Ismael's Jazz Waltz
- Soft and Pretty
Cast
- Performer — Jim Yale
- Performer — John Love
Production Notes
- Written by: Ken Bradbury and John Love
- Presented by: Salem on Seventh Theatre, on the square in Petersburg, Illinois
- Performances: July 8 and 9 at 8:00 PM; July 10 at 2:00 PM
- Tickets: Adults $12; Seniors over 60 and Students $10, available through Centralillinoistickets.com and the Crazy Daisy Gift Shop on the square
A companion staging of the material was also developed under the working title Jim & John, reflected in the project's surviving rehearsal recordings and poster art.
Photos
