| Beach Blanket Babylon | |
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30th Anniversary poster |
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| Productions | San Francisco 1974–present London 1994 Las Vegas 1999 |
Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon is America's longest-running musical revue. The show began its run in 1974, at Club Savoy Tivoli and has since moved to the larger Club Fugazi in the North Beach district of San Francisco. The section of Green Street between Columbus Avenue and Powell Street was renamed "Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard", in honor of the show.
The show was created by Steve Silver (1944-1995) and continues under the direction of his wife, Jo Schuman Silver with frequent changes and spoofs of pop and political culture. Performers wear disproportionately large hats/wigs and gaudy costumes while performing satirical renditions of popular songs.
Contents |
Hailed as “A constant cascade of showstoppers” by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010,[1] Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon follows Snow White as she takes a fast-paced journey around the world in search of her “Prince Charming.” Along the way she encounters a star-studded, ever-changing line-up of hilarious pop-culture characters, including Lady Gaga, President Barack & Michelle Obama, Charlie Sheen, Justin Bieber, Sarah Palin, Snooki, California Governor Jerry Brown, Prince William, Kate Middleton & the Queen of England, Oprah Winfrey, the Cast of Glee, Taylor Swift & Kanye West, Michael Jackson, and the San Francisco Giants. Also present are long running characters such as Glinda the Good Witch, Mr. Peanut, Louis XIV, Oprah Winfrey, James Brown, Tina Turner, Carmen Miranda, Elvis Presley, a band of dancing French Poodles, and Snow White's tour guide, a female narrator who takes on several incarnations from an Italian Pizza Lady to a Japanese Cowgirl.
As the show was created in San Francisco, some of the characters and musical numbers focus on people and political issues directly related to California and San Francisco, specifically. The San Francisco Giants winning the 2010 World Series, the election of Governor Jerry Brown, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senators Dianne Feinstein & Barbara Boxer, politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, rolling blackouts by PG&E, the legalization of gay marriage in San Francisco by Mayor Gavin Newsom, and the controversy surrounding Prop. 8 are some of the characters and themes that have been touched upon by Beach Blanket Babylon.
As the show constantly evolves to stay topical with parodies of popular celebrities and events of the day, some characters are phased out as new characters are introduced. Some former characters featured in the show include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, George W. Bush, John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rod Blagojevich, Larry Craig, John Edwards, Lehman Brothers, Meg Whitman, Coco Chanel, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Tiger Woods, Britney Spears, Michael Phelps, Beyoncé, Paris Hilton, The Jonas Brothers, Amy Winehouse, Katy Perry, Susan Boyle, Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston, Kate Gosselin and Nadya Suleman.
Two tours have been produced, in London and Las Vegas, in celebration of Beach Blanket's 20th and 25th anniversaries. The show also has a smaller touring cast that caters primarily to corporate events and parties around the world.