Based on the play by J. M. Barrie, Quality Street is a romantic musical comedy about mistaken identity, social impropriety, and the bad taste of cold revenge.
There is also something close to a fairytale residing in Quality Street.
Set in an unnamed English town during the Napoleonic Wars, the story is dressed with more than a hint of fantasy. And, like Peter Pan and much of Barrie's work, the notion of transformation, the longing for youth, a chance to repair lost opportunity, and the distancing from the modern world are all very much a part of the play.
Barrie's Quality Street has long been regarded with affection, even inspiring a famous brand of candy. And, along with a couple of movie adaptations, the play has had songs added before, notably Dear Miss Phoebe in the early 1950s which showcased a few gentle operetta numbers.
But after so much history, we wanted to embolden the work with more musical weight and music theatre invention than previous attempts. So we set out to embrace the whimsy and romanticism of Barrie's charming play with a worthy libretto and a melodic score developed in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition.
Though not offered as opera or operetta, the score delivers challenging singing while retaining classic musical theatre design and a sense of playfulness.
The show features a significant acting and singing role in Phoebe, as well as a mostly young cast of 8 women, 6 men, with an additional scalable ensemble.