THEATRE + COMEDY

Main Street Theater presents Tomfoolery:  The Words and Music of Tom Lehrer. Adapted by Cameron Mackintosh and Robin Ray; Musical Arrangements by Chris Walker and Robert Fisher. Directed by Matt Huff. Musical Direction by Miriam Daly. On stage at Main Street Theater - Chelsea Market, 4617 Montrose Blvd.  Previews June 9 & 10, 2010; Performances June 11 - 27, 2010. Special Gala Opening Night Friday, June 11, 2010.  Enjoy a Mad Men styled pre-show reception - 6:30pm Reception / 7:30pm Performance. A benefit for Main Street Theater.

TomFoolery - Five actors, stools, a piano and a healthy dose of attitude are all you need to enter the witty, wicked, offbeat and thoroughly twisted world of famed satirical songwriter Tom Lehrer. In concerts, television appearances and a series of now-classic recordings, the Harvard-educated math professor delighted millions of fans during the 1950s and ’60s with his dry, cynical but good-humored attacks on the A-bomb, racism, pollution, pornography, the military, the boy scouts and, of course, mathematics.

Nothing is sacred in this hysterical revue featuring such Lehrer favorites as “Poisoning Pigeons In The Park,” “When You Are Old And Grey,” “The Masochism Tango,” “The Old Dope Peddler,” “The Vatican Rag” and an unforgettable Gilbert and Sullivan-esque recitation of the table of elements, linked together with his own inimitable concert patter.

Cast:  Jonathan McVay, Dan O'Brien, Joshua Estrada, Susan Draper, Shondra Maire.

Rated PG-13 – Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.Children under the age of 5 are not allowed in the theater.

Tomfoolery is generously sponsored by The Humphreys Foundation.

Since 1975, Main Street Theater has produced high quality professional theater for audiences of all ages through its MainStage productions and Main Street Youth Theater. The Main Street Theater Kids On Stage program offers performing arts classes and camps for children 5 years to 14 years of age. The organization produces plays at two locations, 2540 Times Boulevard in Rice Village and 4617 Montrose Boulevard at Chelsea Market.

Main Street Theater is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition, a collaboration of 25 arts organizations that work collectively to raise awareness of the size and diversity of the arts in Houston, and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theaters. Main Street Theater offers a lively year-round repertory of classic and contemporary plays for audiences of all ages and provides a much-needed showcase for Houston theater professionals. Main Street Theater is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association and of ASSITEJ, the world theatre network of theatre for children and young people.

Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Photos below by RicOrnelProductions.com.