Shorecrest School

WEBB’S CITY: THE MUSICAL, A Concert Version

Source/Author: Bill Leavengood '78, Theatre Director
August 27, 2018
Arts


The Palladium, The St. Petersburg Museum of History, The History Council and Will Knot Di Artists will present WEBB’S CITY: THE MUSICAL, A Concert Version, written and directed by Bill Leavengood '78 (current Shorecrest Theatre Director) with music and lyrics by Lee Ahlin (former Shorecrest musical instructor.) The show runs Sept. 21-23 at The Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Pete.
 
In 1999, the Pinellas County Millennium Celebration commissioned Leavengood and Ahlin to create a new musical based on the life and times of J. E. “Doc” Webb, the colorful St. Petersburg entrepreneur called the “P.T. Barnum of Retail”. In 1925, Webb opened a tiny drug store on 9th Street and over the next five decades transformed it into a 77 store complex covering ten city blocks. In its heyday, Webb’s City attracted 60,000 visitors per day.
 
The 2000 world premiere was presented at both Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Mahaffey Theatre. It was revived at the Mahaffey Theater in 2001, where it broke their box office records, selling over 10,000 tickets.
 
The September 2017 production was such a popular and critical success, despite Hurricane Irma, that the producers, sponsors, and many of the original performers have come on board again to revive it once more.
 
After seeing the production, Shorecrest Headmaster Mike Murphy wanted to figure out how "Webb's City: The Musical" could be shared with some of the students at Shorecrest, not just to show off the many Chargers featured in the family-friendly production, but to offer an entertaining history lesson about Florida and St. Petersburg in the 20th century. And so, an encore performance will be presented as an assembly in the Janet Root Theatre for Upper School students and faculty on September 25.
 
For the balance of the Shorecrest community and friends, tickets can be purchased for the Palladium performances at their box office at (727) 822-3590 or visit www.mypalladium.org. The Shorecrest community can use the promo code Webb2018 to received Tier II tickets (regularly $29) for just $20.

Chargers featured in the cast and crew include: 
Bill Leavengood '78
Chas Reynolds '81
James Wenz '14
Mario Gonzalez '17
Senna Prasatthong-osoth '19
Will Hess '19
Shannon Wright '20
Reilly O'Neill '20
Erin Wilson '20
Carlos Gonzalez '20
Ryan Healy '20


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