"Oh, Jackie!" the Musical is Featured in Three New Ohio Showcase Productions

Contact: Cathie Larose, National Press, (440) 878-0183; Joy Snow, Local Press, (740) 589-6876; and Mel Helitzer, Producer, (740) 593-2607

ATHENS, Ohio (April 6, 2001) -- "Oh, Jackie!" the Broadway-bound musical about the relationship between Jackie Kennedy and her father, Black Jack Bouvier, will have three new showcase productions in Ohio during April.

The large-scale musical drama will be presented in Zanesville (Apr. 7), Chillicothe (Apr. 14), and Portsmouth (Apr. 21). "Oh, Jackie!" was first staged as a workshop in Columbus and later in Cincinnati last year.

"If we get encouragement from these last Ohio showcases," said Mel Helitzer, the Ohio University professor who wrote the musical, "we'll take the show this summer and fall to such sites on the west coast as Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, and LaJolla."

"At that time, we'll be able to stage it with a full Equity cast, live music, full sets, and hopefully with Robert Goulet, famed Broadway star, in the leading role. Oleg Cassini, Jackie Kennedy's personal couturier, designed Jackie's costumes for the show," he said.

The long road to Broadway will run from the west coast to Toronto and London before reaching New York.

"Despite getting enthusiastic audience approval, we're writing and rewriting and testing the show every day," said Helitzer.

Audience reaction is queried after every performance and hard-hitting local reviews have been helpful in spotlighting changes that needed to be made.

Since Columbus, besides major editing, the show replaced its two lead cast members, added four new songs, three scenes and enlarged the part of several characters.

Before joining the Ohio University faculty, Helitzer owned and award winning advertising agency on Madison Avenue, New York. "I've never before had the luxury to be able to spend so much time working on a single project that demands such careful tuning. This is a four million dollar production and there is no shortcut through the mine fields on its road to Broadway."

Ohio-born musicals that make it to Broadway have been rare.

"But Ohio University has been very supportive," said Helitzer. "The director of the School of Theater, Vince Cardinal, staged the first readings with a student and faculty cast. The present lead is Roger Stephens, director of the School of Music. One of the composers, Richard Syracuse, is a professor in the school's Music Department and another composer, Jill Santoriello, is a graduate of the university, as are Frank Barnhart, director, and Elaine Miracle, a major cast member. The majority of the 25-member cast comes from the Columbus area.

Each of the showcase performances will be a major fund-raising benefit.

In Zanesville, the performance will benefit the Muskingum County Community Foundation.

In Chillicothe, the show will keynote a formal fund-raising for the restoration of the famous Majestic Theater.

In Portsmouth, the show will be the featured highlight of the annual President's Ball weekend for Shawnee State University.