MACK AND MABEL to Open in May at Fountain Hills Theater

Fountain Hills Theater will present the Jerry Herman musical Mack and Mabel, a saga of the silent film era, “when movies were movies”: the story of legendary director Mack Sennett and his greatest star, - the adorable Mabel Normand. Mack himself guides the audience through his tale of triumph, romance and regret.  Mack reminisces about his colorful past, including his bittersweet love affair with Mabel, whom he discovered and guided to superstardom. Jerry Herman's (Hello Dolly, Mame) celebrated score includes some of his most treasured gems, including “Time Heals Everything,” “I Won't Send Roses,” “Wherever He Ain't” and “Look What Happened to Mabel.” 

Mack and Mabel is directed by Peter J. Hill with musical direction by Jay Melberg and choreography by Noel Irick. *Rated PG for implied drug use. Presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

Jerry Herman, who died at the very end of 2019, probably supplied as much pure pleasure to theatergoers as any Broadway songwriter of the later 20th century. Songs like “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “Hello, Dolly,” “Mame,” and “The Best of Times” never failed to supercharge audiences and all his songs, Broadway bombast or ballad, always seem to come directly from the hearts of the characters singing them. 

The idea for Mack and Mabel came from Jerry Herman's friend Leonard Spigelgass, a Hollywood screenwriter and producer who believed there was a compelling story in the romance of silent comedy pioneer Mack Sennett and his lover and first comedy star Mabel Normand. The rise-and-fall of their tumultuous affair had more or less paralleled the rise-and-fall of the silent film era itself.  

The show opened at Broadway's Majestic on October 6, 1974. With Jerry Herman's score, which many consider to be his best and most consistent, the show has been revised and revived at various times and places. (Most successfully in London.) It remains a show that audiences want to see as well as a testament to Herman's indefatigable gifts as a songwriter for all times.

In the past decade, an increasing number of Hollywood movies have served as the basis for stage musicals. This reversed a 60-year trend during which musicals that were hits on Broadway, such as Show Boat, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and others, were eventually turned into successful films. 

Artistic Director Peter J. Hill has devoted the current season to this phenomenon with the season comprised almost entirely of movies adapted to the stage.  Mack and Mable, while not based on a Hollywood movie, certainly captures the essence of the early years of the film industry.

Mack and Mabel will play May 17 – June 2, 2024.  Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Individual tickets are $35.00. Seniors receive a $5.00 discount on all Thursday performances. Group, Active Duty and Veteran discounts are available. All performances are at Fountain Hills Theater on its Mainstage at 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd. (The Corner of Saguaro and Rand). Tickets are available through the Theater Box Office at (480) 837-9661 x3 or by visiting fhtaz.org.  Box Office Hours are 10:00AM-5:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday. For additional information not contained in this press release, please call Fountain Hills Theater Artistic Director, Peter J. Hill at (480) 837-9661 EXT. 7.  

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