Musicals by John Graves
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"An Empty Bench"
Musical by John Graves
Directed by John
Porter
“An Empty Bench”
By Paul Roberts
Audiences love musicals. But these
days it’s unusual
to see an original musical production. Local
luminary John Graves has composed songs for his original one-act musical
play, entitled An Empty Bench. The first public presentation of this delightful
love story took place at Stage Under the Stars, Pagosa’s exciting
new performing arts venue, August 22 and 23 at 7pm.
Through its superb music and lovely story, An Empty Bench
evokes the tradition of the Golden Age of Broadway. The second half of
the production is a variety show - in a cabaret setting - featuring the
fabulous, multi-talented cast: Matthew and Tiffany Brunson, June Marquez,
Sally Yates, Larry Elginer, Kimberly Judd and Honor Nash-Putnam.
“ I’ve only written six songs in my seventy-two years of performing,” says
Graves. “I wrote them in the ‘60’s and just a few months
ago, I discovered that if I put all those songs together in a certain order,
they tell a story.”
Graves scripted the storyline
with his longtime co-producer and collaborator, John Porter, director
and producer of An Empty Bench. Since Graves and Porter met in Pagosa
ten years ago, their many creative contributions have included musical
theater, straight theater, concerts, radio programs and vaudeville shows.
Two of their notable productions were “Boom,
Bust and Battle,” music and the culture of the 20’s, 30’s
and 40’s, and “The Hills Are Alive,” a tribute to Rogers,
Hart and Hammerstein.
“We did several benefits, raising money to try to
start a performing arts center,” says Graves of his collaboration
with Porter. “We work very well together. He’s a great detail
man, a nuts and bolts guy. I’m just the opposite. I don’t want
to deal with nuts and bolts, so it works out pretty well. His function
as a producer is to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to
be, everyone knows what they’re to do and that the costumes, lights
and sound – everything is taken care of. He’s very good at
that.”
Porter, a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, has
been directing and performing in plays since 1959. He is a prolific playwright;
over 40 of his original plays have been performed.
An Empty Bench is presented by Elation
Center for the Arts. For more information, call 731-3117, or check out
the website at elationarts.org
"Boom Bust or Battle"
"Boom, Bust, and Battle" was
a radio series he originated to explore the music and culture of the
20s, 30, and 40s. It became the basis for a musical variety show he produced
with John Porter featuring a Dixieland band, singers, dancers, and comedians
celebrating those three decades. In 2003, under John's direction, "Boom Bust or Battle" became a huge success as a live performance in Pagosa Springs.
"The Hills Are Alive"
In 2004 John created an original
musical revue based on the life work of Richard Rodgers called "The
Hills Are Alive...," which
featured a cast of nearly fifty singers, dancers, and instrumentalists
celebrating Rodgers' collaborations with Lorenz
Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II.
Sleeping Beauty
Produced
in Ann Arbor, Michigan by the Ann Arbor Community Theatre Company
and in Pagosa Springs by the Pagosa Pretenders.
The Emporer's New Clothes
Produced at Siena Heights University in Adrian Michigan.
