Front Porch Theatrical’s ‘Bandstand’ Onstage at New Hazlett (Thurs., 8/22/24)

The Donny Nova band featuring Julia Trojan. (Photo: Nancy Zionts)

Bandstand is a recent Broadway musical (2017) about veterans returning home after World War II. With music by Richard Overacker and a book he shares with Robert Taylor, the story centers on Private First Class Donny Novitski whose best friend did not survive the war. Lost in the shuffle of thousands of other returning veterans seeking work, Novitski hears about a national competition for bandstands, the best of which will earn a contract promising fame and fortune in Hollywood. Novitski assembles his most competent friends, also veterans, to form a swing band. And, in between riveting rehearsals, we learn about the debilitating effects of war on these surviving, yet sordid soldiers. When Novitski reaches out, as he had promised, to the widow of his lost friend, he must accept the reality of his own PTSD. Of course, the young widow has a voice that swings, complementing and completing the band’s promise of ultimate success and sweet salvation.

Front Porch Theatricals brings a full cast of musicians, dancers, and triple-threat talent to the Hazlett Theater, onstage through August 25. Among seven nominations, Bandstand won the 2017 Drama Desk Award for Best Choreography. This is a musical, foremost, yet a rare one featuring raw talent and tangible redemption. 7 p.m. 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. (C.P.O.)   

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