黑料福利社

Hot time, summer in the city.

Heat-wave days and endless evenings, cruisin鈥� the Ave. whenever you wanted. Fireworks at the fairgrounds. Reruns, root beer and races at the Speedway.

And the summer musical at the Warehouse Theatre Company.

A Yakima 鈥渢hing鈥� for over six decades, it appears the first summer musical to hit the boards was 鈥淕uys and Dolls鈥� in 1960. This was approximately 12 years after the Yakima Little Theatre Group, as it was then known, started putting on shows. YLTG began under the leadership and vision of Hal and Lorna Millen.

According to yellowed newspaper clippings in the thespian group鈥檚 library, 鈥淕uys and Dolls鈥� was a hit, held over for additional performances. It was followed by other musical offerings such as 鈥淭he Boyfriend,鈥� 鈥淧ajama Game,鈥� 鈥淒amn Yankees鈥� and 鈥淏ye Bye Birdie.鈥�

By 1965, the summer musical as an annual tradition was firmly launched. That year 鈥淎nything Goes鈥� was on stage. A stellar lineup featuring Bootsy Semon as nightclub queen Reno Sweeny, Winston Hoffman as her foppish suitor, Sir Evelyn Oakley, and Randall Marquis as gangster Moonface created a cast of characters beloved by audiences.

By all accounts, 鈥淎nything Goes鈥� was a resounding success earning standing ovations. Unconfirmed rumor has Semon and Hoffman actually stopping the show. Urban (theater) legend? Perhaps. At any rate, the duo would go on to star in many productions, leaving an indelible mark on the WTC.聽

Awards handed out every year for acting, directing and technical theater are in Hoffman鈥檚 honor. A plaque for Outstanding Contribution to the group bears Semon鈥檚 name.

So, when the weather gets hot and the sun takes forever to set, it鈥檚 time. The WTC summer musical is nearly upon us.

With summer just around the corner, it鈥檚 not too early to start thinking in terms of 鈥淎 Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.鈥� Auditions are May 25 and 26, 2026, with opening set for July 10.

Below, in no particular order, are a few memorable musicals from the 1960s through the 2000s. How many of these have you seen, acted in or worked on? Might be worth a little reminiscing, perhaps on the back patio with a tall, cool one.

A sampling of WTC鈥檚 summer musicals throughout the years

"George M!," 1972:聽Featuring unforgettable tunes like 鈥淕ive My Regards to Broadway,鈥� and 鈥淕rand Old Flag,鈥� George M. Cohan, the Yankee Doodle Kid, was portrayed by Yakima attorney Bill Baker. He was supported by Randall Marquis and Martha Stadelman as George鈥檚 parents, and Melissa Stevenson (now Labberton) as sister Josie.

John Stadelman, Martha鈥檚 son, was one of the hardworking hoofers in the chorus of 鈥淕eorge M!鈥� He recalls a vocal score sung in tight harmony. 鈥�(The show) was an American songbook,鈥� notes Stadelman. Although 鈥渇ully retired鈥� (his term) from gigs at the Ashland Shakespearian Festival and the Ashland Independent Film Festival, Stadelman clearly remains bitten by the theater bug, frequently breaking into songs from the long-ago Yakima production.

"Gypsy," 1969:聽鈥淪ing out Louise! Smile, June,鈥� commanded Madame Rose (Bootsy Semon) as she bustled onstage where her 鈥渄aughters鈥� were auditioning. Semon was backed by a cast that included Kathy Dekker as Louise, who becomes Gypsy Rose Lee, and Sandi Hill as June. The three strippers who counsel Louise as to what it takes to make it in show biz (鈥淵ou Gotta Have a Gimmick鈥�) were played by Martha Stadelman, Elizabeth Pleasants and Shelley Marquis.

鈥淚f you wanna bump it, bump it with a trumpet,鈥� advised Mazeppa, strutting across the stage, bugle in hand. Marquis, only 17 when she was cast as Tessie Tura, says she learned a lot in her first foray onto the Warehouse stage.

鈥淚t was a great starting point for a high school kid,鈥� Marquis said from Spokane where she now lives.

"My Fair Lady," 1982:聽Headed by Tobi Weston in the role of Eliza Doolittle, this musical showcased Weston鈥檚 vocal chops as she sang classics such as 鈥淚 Could Have Danced all Night鈥� and 鈥淲ouldn鈥檛 it be Loverly.鈥� Steve Scholz was Professor Henry Higgins, with Glenn Woods serving as Colonel Pickering.

Contacted at her home on Chinook Pass, Weston recalled her favorite moment from the play was when she placed marbles in her mouth to improve her diction as part of Higgins鈥� uphill battle to transform Eliza from a cockney flower seller into a genuine 鈥渓ye-dee.鈥�

"It was a very well done show,鈥� Weston commented.

Also noteworthy in the 1982 production was Kirk Bowers, who lent his powerful tenor to several WTC musicals. As Eliza鈥檚 would-be suitor, Freddy Eyensford-Hill, Bowers delivered a soaring rendition of the classic 鈥淥n the Street Where You Live.鈥�

"Bye Bye Birdie," 2013:聽First mounted by the WTC back in 1964, the 2013 production was the final summer musical presented in the group鈥檚 longtime home at 5000 W. Lincoln Ave. Shortly thereafter, the Allied Arts Council-owned building was found by the city of Yakima to have serious code violations and was razed in 2014.

Loss of their venue forced the local theater group to relocate, initially accomplished by renting space from what was then Melody Lane Academy, owned by Tony Akin. A couple of years later Akin sold the place to WTC, which remains there to this day.

Like many longtime company members, "Birdie" director Andrea Goberville fondly recalls both the old theater, and the musical itself. The 1992 version was her first onstage appearance at the WTC, she says. Under her direction, the 2013 "Birdie" attracted a strong cast of performers led by Monica Sevigny as Kim McAfee, Jacob Griffin as Hugo Peabody, Brandon Lamb as Albert Peterson and Ryan Clinkenbeard as Rosie DeLeon.

"Annie," 1982:聽This musical featuring Annie and her fellow Hard Knock Lifers has been presented three times by the WTC. Ten-year-old Alison Clark, who performed as Alison Akin at the time, was the first Annie in 1982. Reached at her home in South Jordan, Utah, Clark described the title role as a formative experience in her identity as a performer. She recalled practicing her songs every day under the watchful eye of her mother, Peggy, who directed the Yakima show.

鈥淚t was challenging, doing that many shows in a row without losing my voice,鈥� recalls Clark. She remains a lifetime performer and says her husband and children also participate in local productions in their hometown.

"Singing in the Rain," 2019:聽A young and energetic cast under the direction of Megan Sevigny plus the technical genius of Stephen Clark (no relation to Alison) made 2019鈥檚 鈥淪inging in the Rain鈥� memorable.

Initially, those in attendance may have wondered if Spencer Hert in his role of Don Lockwood (the part played by Gene Kelly) would indeed be singin鈥� and dancin鈥� in the rain. This question was soon answered as the slicker-clad Hert twirled around the stage, 鈥渟elling鈥� the title track. Right on cue, the heavens opened and water poured, to the amazement of the audience.

Clark, a drama teacher at Ike, designed and installed the water delivery system based on a pump and drip irrigation used in orchards and gardens.

鈥淚t was unexpected,鈥� Clark states, since 鈥渋t was the first time it had ever been done鈥� by the local theater group. An elevated stage with a trough on the side contained the water while stagehands did a quick mop up during intermission.

Also noteworthy in this production, Morgan Van Vleck鈥檚 (Kathy Selden) singing, and the goofy 鈥淔it as a Fiddle鈥� number, performed by Hert and Cole Lantrip (Cosmo Brown.)

Editor's note: The author's name was corrected.聽