Five By Design
The Washington Post called Five By Design's Kennedy Center debut with the National Symphony Orchestra "one of the best NSO pops performances of the season." Backed by a big band or symphony orchestra, Five By Design's productions of Club Swing and Radio Days have appeared with 162 symphony orchestras and more than 500 performing art centers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Five By Design's Club Swing is a musical theatre production backed by a 8 / 13 piece big band. The setting is the fictional Club Swing, a soon-to-be shuttered nightclub built during the heyday of swing. As construction sounds filter through the Hotel Crosby, a news report echoes the impending demise of the once popular nightspot. But before the wrecking ball falls, Joe Sullivan, the club's former mixologist visits the establishment one last time. As dropcloths are removed, the neon marquee flickers and then begins to glow as Club Swing is transformed to its former splendor. From the frenetic paced opening of Benny Goodman's "Bugle Call Rag" to the show's blockbuster finale featuring Louie Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing," Five by Design celebrates the swing movement from 1937-1955. The repertoire embraces a rich harmonic treatment of Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa" while a Steve and Edye-styled arrangement of "Somethin's Gotta Give" foreshadows the club's closing, paralleling the decline of swing in the fifties. The stage design evokes the ambiance of a nightclub cut from a vintage movie. The Club's marquee floats above the orchestra surrounded by palm trees, an art deco bar, and linen covered tables. Each decade highlights the songs, events, and personalities that defined the era. Whether listening to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" or the musical depreciation of Spike Jones "Cocktails for Two," Five by Design's "Club Swing" personifies American popular culture during the swing era.

Five By Design
6808 Turnbridge Circle

Shakopee, Minnesota, 55379
USA

Contact Information:
Alton Accola
Booking Agent
Artist Management
Phone: 651 335-5466
Website: http://www.fivebydesign.com