The brand-new musical An Officer and a Gentleman had completed training, shined up its boots and was ready to hit the ground running with its national tour in early 2020…then the pandemic shut the production down.
“On the one hand, it was really difficult,” says Producer Stephen Gabriel. “But then there was a terrific positive.” The lockdown allowed the show’s creators to completely rework the production, he explains. After a “tremendous amount” of rewrites and swapping out songs, Gabriel says the productions “made leaps and bounds from what we originally had.”
Appearing at Walton Arts Center January 4-9, this love story follows two people going through different, but parallel struggles. A Naval officer candidate must learn to balance his ego with the ever-present demands of his strict drill sergeant. He falls for a local woman struggling to improve her life while working in the backbreaking conditions at the local factory.
This uplifting story comes packed with beloved music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. In addition to the Academy Award®-winning hit “Up Where We Belong,” the musical includes smash hits like “Renegade” by Styx, “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood, “Love Is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar and others by Rick Springfield, Wilson Phillips and Melissa Ethridge.
“I hope that if people know the songs, they love how we’ve used them. And I hope if they don’t know the songs, then they just found a whole cache of favorite new tunes,” musical director Dan Lipton says.
Those who love the 1982 movie will get a dose of nostalgia, while still enjoying a lot of surprises. The show’s creative team wanted to bring the musical out of the 80s and into the present by placing a priority on the way that women are portrayed. Off the screen and onto the stage, the women are smarter, stronger and more empowered, explains writer and director Dick Scanlan. “Since 1982, the world has changed and our political perspectives are different,” Scanlan says. “We’ve really rethought the young women in the story.”
An Officer and a Gentleman is guaranteed to delight those who love the film as well as those who are new to the story. With a charming love story, toe-tapping songs and stunning choreography, this breathtaking production celebrates triumph over adversity and includes all of the iconic romance you’d expect.
With eight performances, tickets prices for An Officer and a Gentleman start at $41 plus applicable fees.
And don’t forget to make your theater night even more fun with show-themed cocktails that you’ll learn to make yourself at the Officer and a Gentleman cocktail class on Friday, Jan. 7. You’ll make and enjoy two cocktails along with light appetizers. Tickets are $35, and space is limited so act fast.
Purchase tickets for the show and the cocktail class by clicking below, by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting the Walton Arts Center Box Office