Left:
The house in Kalamazoo,
Mich., in which Edna
Ferber was born, in
1885.

PHOTOS FROM FERBER: A BIOGRAPHY OF EDNA FER BER AND HER CIRCLE

Right:
Edna Ferber and James
Dean on the set of Giant.

"... I have, I suppose, lived the life of a
stagestruck Jewish nun, working very hard,
occasionally running around doing good
deeds, footloose but the hands tied to the
typewriter for hours daily ..." Show Boat
author Edna Ferber in a letter to her friend
Noel Coward

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

All

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Edna Ferber shortly before her death in 1968.

ersatile TV star Tom Bosley as . Cap'n Andy
Hawks takes the helm of Show Boat when it
weighs anchor at the Masonic Temple Theatre
March 11.-May 24.
Also featured in the musical about romance and so-
cial issues on board a traveling theater are Grammy
winner Karen Morrow as Andy's wife, Parthy; Sarah
Pb.isterer as their daughter, Magnolia; John Ruess as
gambler Gaylord Ravenal; Debbie deCoudreaux as Julie;
Andre Solomon-Glover as Joe; and Tony winner Gretha
Boston as Queenie.
The Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II musical,
adapted from the Edna Ferber novel, spans 40 years
and depicts life before and after the turn of the centu-
rY.
Directed by Hal Prince, the classic comes to Detroit
straight from Broadway with new and dramatic ren
ditions of its classic songs such as "Only Make Believe,"
"Why Do I Love You?" and "You Are Love."
The troupe of 70 actors, 30 musicians and 70 back-
stage assistants will be the largest musical theater pro-
duction to tour in recent history.
Of special interest to Detroit audiences are a 1902

DeWitt Motor Car and a 1927 custom roadster, NS
are traveling from city to city with sets and
ing 22 semi-tractor sailers. Also being`car e e
48-foot-long, 25-foot-tall Cotton Blossom Floa
acre, four turn-of-the,century wagons and carriag
props and 500 costumes.
,
"Livent Inc. will tour this meticulous p
Show Boat completely uricoroprornised,"
call will b
Garth Drabinsky.
e
"All of the show's remarkable physicality
tact to reflect the immensity of Florenz ellEkong-
inal vision for the show as well as I-1W Prince's and our
gifted designers' celebrated modern reinterpretation of
this monumental musical classic."
The Show Boat traveling to Detroit played 951 per-
forma/ices on Broadwa befor ending its
i New York run
on Jan. 5, making it iligti114. 4unning production of
Show Boat in the musical's 70-year history.
Five Tony Awards were given to the play in 1995, rec-
ognizing it in the categolies of Best Revival of a Musi-
cal, Best Direction of a Musical, Best4,Q1).oreography,
Best Costume Design and Best Perform ance by a
tured Actress (GrethaBoston) in. a

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