Under The Radar Festival to feature Swenson, Osnes in Loesser’s lost World War II musicals

osnesandswensonblueprintwaterwellpublic1Laura Osnes and Will Swenson will star in Frank Loesser’s “lost” World War II musicals on board the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, as part of the Public Theater’s 13th annual Under the Radar Festival. This is a decided departure for a festival known for showcasing experimental theater pieces from around the world. These will still be in abundance at the 2017 festival, running January 4 to 15, with work by artists from Belarus, France, Germany, Indonesia, Lebanon, and the U.K.

Osnes (Cinderella, Bonnie and Clyde) and Swenson (Hair) will perform in Waterway Theater Company’s “Blueprint Specials,” which are revivals of the musicals that the US Army commissioned in 1944 to boost American soldiers’ morale. They were created by such Broadway talent as composer Frank Loesser and choreographer Jose Limon, and have not been seen since then.  The performances will take place on the hangar deck of the Intrepid, a decommissioned battleship now docked permanently in the Hudson River.

Below is the entire schedule of Under the Radar shows, with links to the Public Theater’s descriptions of them.

600 HIGHWAYMEN (USA)
THE FEVERThe Public Theater
Nikki Appino & Saori Tsukada (USA)
CLUB DIAMONDThe Public Theater
Belarus Free Theatre (Belarus/UK) 
TIME OF WOMEN

NYU Tisch School of the Arts Shop Theatre

The Bengsons (USA)
HUNDRED DAYSThe Public Theater
Tania El Khoury (UK/Lebanon)
GARDENS SPEAKNYU Tisch School of the Arts Abe Burrows Theatre
Marga Gomez (USA)
LATIN STANDARDS
The Public Theater
Manual Cinema (USA)
LULA DEL RAYThe Public Theater
Eko Nugroho and Wayang Bocor (Indonesia)
IN THE NAME OF SEMELAHAsia Society
Philippe Quesne (France)
LA MÉLANCOLIE DES DRAGONS
The Kitchen
Rimini Protokoll (Germany)
TOP SECRET INTERNATIONAL (STATE 1)Brooklyn Museum
Keith A. Wallace & Deborah Stein (USA)
THE BITTER GAME
The Public Theater
Waterwell (USA)
BLUEPRINT SPECIALS
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Champagne Jerry feat. Neal Medlyn (USA)
IN THE CHAMPAGNE ROOMUTR + Joe’s Pub: In Concert
Jomama Jones (USA)
BLACK LIGHTUTR + Joe’s Pub: In Concert
Erin Markey (USA)
ERIN MARKEY: BONER KILLERUTR + Joe’s Pub: In Concert
PWR BTTM (USA)
PWR BTTM
UTR + Joe’s Pub: In Concert
Becca Blackwell (USA)
INCOMING! THEY, THEMSELF AND SCHMERMThe Robert Moss Theater at Playwrights Downtown
Ryan J. Haddad (USA)
INCOMING! HI, ARE YOU SINGLE?The Robert Moss Theater at Playwrights Downtown
Ayesha Jordan + Charlotte Brathwaite (USA)
INCOMING! SHASTA GEAUX POPThe Robert Moss Theater at Playwrights Downtown
New Saloon (USA)
INCOMING! MINOR CHARACTERThe Robert Moss Theater at Playwrights Downtown
James Allister Sprang as GAZR (USA)
INCOMING! LIFE DOES NOT LIVEThe Robert Moss Theater at Playwrights Downtown

Author: New York Theater

Jonathan Mandell is a 3rd generation NYC journalist, who sees shows, reads plays, writes reviews and sometimes talks with people.

Leave a Reply