 Club Swing - 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 drop
cloths 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
Edie-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, art 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
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