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1960 - 1961

Bells are Ringing

This "Sweetheart of a Musical" opens with eight girls complaining about the doldrums---they're just not getting enough telephone calls. The solution is simple announces an advertisement for Susan answer phone, a telephone answering service. Before the days of answering machines and high technology, the only choice was to hire a service to answer your phone when you weren't home.


This particular answering service is owned and run by Sue, who employs her cousin Ella to answer the phones. Ella has a deplorable tendency to get involved in customers' lives as she takes and delivers their messages. She even falls in love with one of the customers who she has never even met. In It's A Perfect Relationship Ella describes her feelings for Jeff Moss, this unknowing customer. Now, Jeff is a writer who is having trouble getting to work on his next play, and Ella is determined to help him. Whether you call it curiosity or eavesdropping, one thing's for certain, Ella's busybody personality is entertaining!


A subplot involving Sue and Sandor unravels at the same time. Sue falls in love with Sandor, who runs a company called Titanic Records. Conveniently the record company sets up a branch office in Sue's office space. The record company turns out to be a book-making concern, with an ingenious code which Sandor describes to his assistants in It's A Simple Little System. Unknown to anyone, the police are already monitoring Susananswerphone, suspecting that it's a front for a vice ring. Ella takes on a new identity, goes to Jeff's apartment, and convinces him to rework his new play. In the number Hello, Hello There! she teaches him about friendliness. Jeff invites Ella out for the evening, and a friend teaches her the cha-cha in the sizzling Mu-Cha-Cha dance. Eventually Jeff meets her in Central Park and explains that he has grown to love her. He takes her to a party where Ella sings Drop That Name when she finds herself at a loss for conversation. She doesn't think that she's up to Jeff's social status, and sadly slips away as she sings the great ballad The Party's Over. Jeff still doesn't know who Ella really is.


Meanwhile, Sue and Sandor plan a trip abroad, as he tries to borrow money from her to cover some racing debts. Two other answering service subscribers who Ella has also befriended coincidently meet the despondent Jeff in a nightclub. The songs in the club's floor show are written by one of the subscribers who is a musical dentist. The three men discover that Ella's good deeds have helped them all, but not one of them realizes she is the answering service girl. As the police close in on the bookies from the "record company," the three men set off to find Ella. Just as she decides to run away, she is reunited with Jeff. We have a classic happy ending.


Dramatic Director: Bill Armstrong

Musical Director: John Murdie

Choreography: Judy Hayes

Cast

Barry Stewart

Dr. Kitchell

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Brian Gordon

Francis

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Charles Kerr

Jeff

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David Battle

Blake Barton

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David Dale

Corvello Man

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Gay Weir

Carol

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Jim Terrell

Sandor

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John Fish

Inspector Barnes

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Lillian Keene

Olga

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Lloyd Robertson

Announcer

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Lois Culpan

Sue

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Lorna Simpson

Ella

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Peter Ross

Larry Hastings

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Richard Patterson

Carl

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Rosalee Segal

Gwynne

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Tim Hynes

Paul Arnold

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Andrea Blackburn

Ensemble

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Anne Jensen

Ensemble

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Anne Smith

Ensemble

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Bill Lawlor

Ensemble

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Bill Patten

Ensemble

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Carole Meyers

Ensemble

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Claire Johnston

Ensemble

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David Dale

Ensemble

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Doreen Cross

Ensemble

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Douglas Eggins

Ensemble

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Earle Brinston

Ensemble

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Edith Macmorine

Ensemble

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Gay Weir

Ensemble

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George Anderson

Ensemble

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Heather Glenn

Ensemble

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Jacqueline Lafleur

Ensemble

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Jean Halley

Ensemble

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Jim Harker

Ensemble

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John McGuire

Ensemble

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Judy Lake

Ensemble

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Kyle Graham

Ensemble

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Les Lucas

Ensemble

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Margaret Mahony

Ensemble

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Marion Agnew

Ensemble

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Mary Allen

Ensemble

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Mary Hodder

Ensemble

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Maureen Finlay

Ensemble

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Maureen Ward

Ensemble

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Nick Michelis

Ensemble

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Nora Carpenter

Ensemble

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Pat Leslie

Ensemble

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Richard Patterson

Ensemble

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Rita Maloney

Ensemble

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Rose McCallum

Ensemble

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Ruth Argue

Ensemble

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Tim Hynes

Ensemble

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Toni Layton

Ensemble

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Production

Des Gibson

Make-up

Jack Dacey

Stage Manager

K.L. Meyer

Business Manager

Mary Barrette

Benevolent

Mervyn Pettapiece

Building Fund Chairman

Mildred Ker

Costumes

Nancy Turner

Lighting Director

Orrin Clayton

Programme

Percy Scobie

Assistant Accompanist

Rose McCallum

Entertainment and Property Mistress

Ted Fancott

Scenery Director

Winifred Canty

Accompanist

Bells are Ringing
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