Funny Money is now entering it's final week of performances with a matinee performance on Wednesday Aug. 1st and evening performances Thurs. Aug. 2nd thru Saturday Aug. 4th's closing. Don't miss this hilarious comedy, well reviewed by the Battle Creek Enquirer here.
We also have entered our first week of rehearsals for Cole Porter's Nymph Errant musical, the final show of the season. One gentleman, who is involved in both of the shows is Dick Baker.
Dick plays Detective Sargent Slater in Funny Money. The detective is very straight laced and professional as he has been given a task of delivering gravely bad news to the lead character's wife Jean Perkins. However, Dick's fun personality begins to reveal itself as his character unravels along with the multitude of situations snowballing before him.
In Nymph Errant, Dick plays all the male characters, and I mean ALL of them. A comical and very entertaining thru line of Nymph Errant is that all of the men, the main character Evangeline Edwards meets along her journeys, are played by Dick. His roles include a British horticulturist, a French producer, a Russian orchestra leader, a German nudist, an Italian Count, a Greek shipping magnate, a burly Turkish officer, and a friendly Eunuch; Dick Baker is busy to say the least in Nymph Errant!
Dick was also in On Broadway 1956 and played the sly, fast talking lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago this summer. Dick is originally from Canandaigua, NY, and like many this summer at Tibbits, holds a BA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Cortland University. This is Dick's third summer at Tibbits and said that he thinks the renovation of the theatre is so exciting it adds excitement to the experience of being here as an actor. He sees himself, and all of us company members, like the community members of Coldwater, pulling together as part of the overhaul of Tibbits. He said "it makes you feel important performing with something so important going on."
Dick's first show ever was during his Freshman year of high school, when his cousin Pete, who was a year older and involved in sports like Dick, but also in theatre, talked Dick into doing the show, 42nd Street. After that, Dick's high school music director encouraged him to pursue this as a profession, and by Dick's Junior year of high school, he had made the decision to go into theatre professionally.
Dick feels like being in theatre is much like being a part of a team, like he was of both Football and Lacrosse. It takes everyone involved to pull a show together. Dick has worked at Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, Freefall Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL, and also American Stage Theatre also in St. Petersburg, FL. A dream role of Dick's is Gabe in Next to Normal.
Dick's advice to young hopefuls is to START SAVING NOW!!! Funny, right? But an honest answer appeared from Dick immediately following, saying "don't forget to have fun."
Come see Dick, and all us former hopefuls, having fun in Funny Money, closing this week and then opening Thursday Aug. 9th with Nymph Errant.
See you at the show!!!
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