Old Lyric gearing up for season of comedy, music, mystery and classics

Another season of Utah State University’s Old Lyric Repertory Company (OLRC) is less than a month away and this weekend the actors arrive in Logan to begin rehearsals. “We have a big get together Sunday for the company and then we hit it hard starting Monday morning,” said OLRC Artistic Director Dennis Hassan. Opening night at downtown Logan’s Caine Lyric Theatre is June 16 as four plays are presented in rotation through August 6. The company traditionally offers a comedy, a musical, a classical piece and a mystery. This summer’s lineup includes “The 39 Steps,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “See How They Run” and “Amadeus.” “We are looking forward to this season because each production was selected for its excitement level and appeal for all crowds,” said Hassan. He said the big play for the summer is Amadeus. “We’re doing it in combination with the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre Company as well as the American Festival Chorus. There’s a little Mozart Festival going on this summer in Logan.” “The 39 Steps” is an adaptation of an early Alfred Hitchcock spy movie. “It’s one of his classic pieces,” said Hassan. “The movie is an epic tale of espionage and spies chasing this British man across the English countryside. It was made into a play a few years ago in London and it transferred to Broadway and it has been a hit wherever it has played.” It has been more than 20 years since OLRC did “Little Shop of Horrors.” “I did it when I was a student here,” said Hassan. “It’s a little bit of Motown and Rock and Roll and Blues. It’s based on a B Movie, which starred Jack Nicholson. It’s about a nerd, living in the outskirts of New York, who discovers a strange and unusual plant.” Hassan said “See How They Run” is a classic. “It is what everybody thinks of when they think of a British Farce. And the Lyric is known for its production of British Farces over the years. This one, like many others, takes place in an English country manor house.” Tickets for OLRC productions are available at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office at USU and also online at arts.usu.edu.

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