Sympathy Jones is a pretty good secretary but she really wants to be a spy.
The Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School, in association with ShenanArts, will present Sympathy Jones: The New Secret Agent Musical, a 1960’s-era comic adventure in the same vein as Get Smart and Austin Powers.
Sympathy is tired of seeing male agents head out on secret missions while the most dangerous thing she gets to corner is a hot pot of coffee. She dreams of adventure, so she seizes the opportunity when a top-secret file lands on her desk at the Agency. She follows the clues to uncover a nefarious plot, but, when no one believes her, she strikes out on her own to save the day.
Rookie agent Henry Greene confronts her for crashing his assignment, and they realize that their odds are better if they work together. But can they take down the mysterious and ruthless Secret Coalition for Revenge, Assassination, Terrorism, Counterintelligence and Heists before it’s too late?
With music, lyrics, and concept by Masi Asare (Paradise Square) and book by Brooke Pierce (Beneath the Banyan Tree), Sympathy Jones features fun, jazzy musical numbers such as “Time Will Tell,” “Get Your Gun,” “Technical Disguise” and “Super-Secret Agent.”
The show will run January 25 to 28 at ShenanArts in Staunton. Performance times are: Jan. 25 to 27 at 7:00 p.m. and Jan. 28 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 per student 18 years old and under, $12 per senior and college students, and $15 per adult.
The performance is recommended for ages 8 and older. Tickets are available online.
Sympathy Jones features Riley Reed as the title character, Aiden McQuain and Will Otto as her arch nemeses, and Jayden Golder, Jacob Hostetter, Chester Johnston, and Bella Klemm as the Agency staff on the case. Keira Harrison plays a lounge singer with mysterious motives, and Ryan Workman is the inventor of the dangerous technology that starts it all. Ari Bennett, Tristyn Bowersox, Adelie Condra, Lauren Ghidoni, Charlotte Hudson, Tac Shepherd, Jav Stell, and Fish Trella-Luedtke will play an ensemble of agents and evil henchman.
The cast includes students from Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County, and the production is directed by Cassy Whitacre. Megan Zuhowski is musical director, with choreography by Shanda McCray Hansen of the Staunton Academy of Ballet and fight choreography by Larry Friedland. The design and production team includes Chris Davis, Dawn Davis, Kate Delaney, Cori McDaniel (SVGS class of 2010), Susan Polly, Jennifer Reed and Susan Vass.
Sympathy Jones: The New Secret Agent Musical is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
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Rebecca Barnabi
