A great ticket

David Bell's brand-new adaptation of the classic Richard Rodgers ("The King & I," "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music") and Laurence Hart hit "The Boys from Syracuse," will have its Chicago press opening on Thursday, after a few days of previews that began last week.

This show runs through Sept. 28 at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.

Premiering in 1938 and based on Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors," the aptly named "The Boys From Syracuse" was the first musical written based on a Shakespeare play. The Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace production features a cast of 30 and a band of 10 and stars Rod Thomas as Antipholus of Ephesus and Ryan Reilly as Antipholus of Syracuse.

"The Boys from Syracuse" revolves around the escapades and romantic mix-ups of long-separated identical twins Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, whose servants, the two Dromios, also are long-separated identical twins. Complications arise when the wives of the Ephesians, Adriana and her servant Luce, mistake the two strangers for their husbands. The ironic tale of these separated brothers is a hilarious take on the classic Shakespearean story.

This runaway Broadway hit combines Rodgers' rich melodies and Hart's witty lyrics in the classic score, which includes "Falling in Love with Love," "Sing for Your Supper" and "This Can't be Love."

After brief runs at the Schubert Theatres in New Haven and Boston, "The Boys from Syracuse" opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on Nov. 23, 1938. It ran on Broadway for nearly 11 months (235 performances) before closing on Oct. 6, 1939. The production has returned to New York twice since. It ran for over 500 performances in 1963 off-Broadway at Theatre Four and again on Broadway in 2002 at the American Airlines Theater.

This production also stars Anne Acker, Melody Betts, Gary Carlson, Devin DeSantis, Jarret Ditch, Jackson Evans, Michael Glazer, Mallory Green, Kent Haina, Sean Michael Hunt, George Keating, Andrew Keltz, Dorrey Lyles, Susan Moniz, Kelli Morgan, Max Quinlan, Cara Salerno, Laura Scheinbaum, Katie Spellman, Joey Stone, Peter Terry, Emily Thompson, Tiffany Topol, Sean Walton and Bernie Yvon.

The artistic team for "The Boys from Syracuse" is led by director and choreographer Bell with musical direction by Keith Dworkin. Set design is by Sally Weiss, costume design is by Tatjana Radisic, lighting design is by Jesse Klug and properties design is by Gregory Isaacs.

Tickets, including dinner packages, are $28 to $55. For reservations, call (630) 530-0111or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.

Time to celebrate

Did you know that Saturday, Aug. 16th is National Rum Day? An entire day dedicated to rum, the one spirit with a history as rich and distinctive as its taste. New York publicist for Bacardi Cortney Silverman provided me with these interesting facts about this storied spirit and for readers to toast their newfound knowledge:

* Rum is considered to be the world's oldest distilled spirit.

* Rum is a distilled spirit derived from a sugarcane by-product called molasses.

* Rum is produced in a variety of styles. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails, while golden and dark rums are appropriate for drinking straight, or as a brandy, or for use in cooking.

* The origin of the spirit's name is believed to have come from a shortening of an old West Country English word ‘rumbullion', itself of unknown origin, but generally denoting any hard liquor.

* Not every distilled sugarcane product is Rum, however it could be for example Cachaca (only made in Brazil); Arak or Arrack (only made in Indonesia), or Aguardiente, which comes from Spain.

* Every country/region has its own unique way to produce Rum, which accounts for the variation in rum products and taste characteristics.

* Rum is distilled all over the world, but primarily in sugarcane growing regions.

* In 1862, Bacardi created the first original, mixable light-bodied clear rum.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Infamous murder suspect Claus von Bulow is 82. Actress-TV personality Arlene Dahl (starred in the original "Journey to the Center of the Earth") is 80. Actress Anna Massey is 71. Songwriter Kenny Gamble of Gamble and Huff and bassist Jim Kale of the Guess Who are 65. Country singer John Conlee is 62. Singer Eric Carmen is 59. Guitarist Erik Braunn of Iron Butterfly and Apple computer inventor Steve Wozniak are 58. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan is 55. Singer Joe Jackson is 54. Actor Joe Rogan ("Fear Factor," "NewsRadio") is 41. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 40. Drummer Chris Dave (Mint Condition) is 40. Rap DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Lucy Pearl, A Tribe Called Quest) and bassist Andy Bell of Oasis are 38. Musician T-Bone is 35. Actor Will Friedle ("Boy Meets World") is 32. Rapper Chris Kelly of Kris Kross is 30. Singer J-Boog (B2K) is 23. Rocco

Ritchie (son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie) is 8.