Andrews Brothers
A USO performance from the Andrews Sisters is in jeopardy of cancellation when they fail to appear shortly before curtain. Thankfully, three earnest stagehands are determined to go on with the show! The Andrews Brothers is filled to the brim with 30 songs made famous by The Andrews Sisters and other top artists of the era, including the showstoppers “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” "Three Little Sisters," and “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." Mistaken identities and madcap adventures—imagine Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in a road movie of Some Like It Hot—along with the music of an entire generation highlight this wonderful valentine to the heroes of World War II.
Act I
It’s 1945 on a small island in the Pacific. USO Stage Manager Max Andrews tries to get his lounging brothers Lawrence and Patrick (and fellow USO stagehands) to prepare for the arrival of pin-up girl Peggy Jones for the big USO show that evening ("G.I. Jive"). Peggy is scheduled in her first show with The Andrews Sisters, and Max and his brothers need to have everything just right for her big debut to help send off the enlisted men who ship off for a big offensive in the morning. After years of watching from backstage, Max has his heart set on appearing onstage, and has decided that today is the day they will masquerade as Peggy’s promised back-up singers. The boys are immediately smitten when Ms. Jones appears ("Peggy, The Pin-Up Girl"), and Max puts his plan into action ("Rosie the Riveter") as Peggy rehearses for her first big number ("Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet!"). Since the boys are all 4-F, their various ailments bubble up throughout the song-and-dance number: Max has flat feet, Lawrence has poor eyesight, and Patrick has asthma and a nervous stutter whenever Peggy is near. Peggy helps them prepare for the evening’s show ("Hit The Road To Dreamland"), and then tries to help with Patrick’s stutter (Breathe-A-Little: "Mairzy Doats" / "Breathless"). Pulling out the stops, Peggy and the boys run through Peggy’s novelty number ("Cúanto Le Gusta"). Now falling head-over-heels for Patrick ("I Wanna Be Loved"), Peggy sends Max and Lawrence off to check on the arrival of The Andrews Sisters, but really wants Patrick all to herself ("What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For"). Max re-appears with the news of a quarantine for The Andrews Sisters (LaVerne got the chicken-pox!), and the head of the USO has wired to cancel the show. Devastated that she’s lost her big chance to prove she’s more than just a pretty face, Peggy runs off in tears. Patrick has also fallen for Peggy, and Max and Lawrence try to cheer him up as they clear out the props and costumes for The Andrews Sisters (Hula-Wana-Hini-Ha: "Hawaiian War Chant" / "Hula Ba Luau" / "The Cock-Eyed Mayor of Kaunakakai"). Peggy enters to find the boys singing and dancing with abandon in The Andrews Sisters’ outfits, and a light bulb goes off: the show might just go on if The Andrews Brothers can masquerade as The Andrews Sisters! They know all of the music, they’ve been touring with them for years, and so all they have to do now is perform live in front of thousands of their fellow servicemen! Patrick panics, and it’s up to Peggy, Max and Lawrence to convince Patrick that they can all pull it off in the rousing Act I finale ("Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive")!
Act II
Now onstage at the USO show, Peggy finishes her solo set "I’m Doin’ It For Defense," before introducing tonight’s star attraction. With much fanfare (and a last-minute run to retrieve forgotten high heels), the boys appear as The Andrews Sisters ("Hold Tight, Hold Tight"). Now on a run-away train, the boys run through some of the greatest hits of this amazing singing trio ("Here Comes The Navy"), ("Shoo-Shoo Baby"), (Down In The Tropics: "Sing A Tropical Song" / "Rum And Coca Cola"), ("Three Little Sisters"), all with various degrees of confidence, frantic hi-jinx and hilarity. Peggy joins the boys, helping to bring up two unsuspecting audience members to join in the action ("Six Jerks In A Jeep"), ("I Want To Linger"). After a frantic costume change and a rousing patriotic number complete with high-heeled tap dance (At The Canteen: "Any Bonds Today?" / "Plain Jane Doe"), the boys finish off their set with an exciting rendition of what is undoubtedly The Andrews Sisters’ biggest war-time hit ("Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"). Peggy returns for a final solo number ("Doin' It The Hard Way"), and then brings out the real stars of tonight’s show, now changed into crisp uniforms: The Andrews Brothers! They pulled off the biggest nights of their lives, and all four celebrate with this high-energy and well-deserved grand finale (Andrews Brothers Finale: "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" / "Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree").