SWINGTIME CANTEEN

RUN TIME: 2 hours including one 15-minute intermission.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: Recommended for ages 10 and up. A joyful and uplifting WWII–era musical filled with popular hit songs from the 1940’s, infectious energy, and heartfelt moments. Appropriate for families – a feel-good experience that audiences of all ages can enjoy together!

Inspired by real WWII canteens: The show is set in a London underground canteen modeled after the real-life entertainment hubs that boosted morale for Allied troops during World War II.

A jukebox of the 1940s: Featuring swing-era favorites made famous by the Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and more—music audiences will instantly recognize and love.

Women on the front lines: The show spotlights strong, funny, and fearless women who kept spirits high while the world was at war.

An American story abroad: Though set in London, the show celebrates American performers and soldiers bringing joy, hope, and music overseas.

Big heart, small cast: With just a handful of performers playing multiple musical instruments, Swingtime Canteen delivers enormous energy and charm. If you enjoyed our production of Million Dollar Quartet, you’ll love Swingtime Canteen!

Swingtime Canteen premiered Off-Broadway at The Blue Angel Theatre in New York City on February 24, 1995. Starring two-time TONY Award nominee, Alison Fraser and Emily Loesser, daughter of the legendary Broadway and Hollywood composer, Frank Loesser (Guys & Dolls, How to Succeed in Business) and the show features several of his classic songs!

Maxene Andrews, of the great Andrews Sisters, appeared as a special guest star for several weeks of the original production’s run! 

The original cast  was featured in a starry lineup in the Times Square celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the ending of WWII  in 1995.

“Featuring 30-odd songs, including an Andrews Sisters medley, a rendition of "I'll Be Seeing You" that could tear your heart out, and a "Sing, Sing, Sing" that had the place jumping!” — The New York Times, 1995

It's London, 1944. Join MGM star Marian Ames and her all-girl band from the Hollywood Canteen for the rip-roaringest canteen show of them all. After 17 years with MGM, still-glamorous movie legend Marian Ames has endured four flop films in a row and is being put out to pasture. But this is 1944 and no time for self pity. So Marian has gathered up her instrument-playing gal pals from the Hollywood Canteen and headed for London to entertain the troops. Joining her are Jo Sterling, (her drum-playing stand-in on 17 pictures), her skittish niece Katie Gammersflugel, solid-as-a-rock piano-playing riveter Topeka Abotelli, and leggy chorine Lilly McBain. Get ready for a memorable night as these five archetypal film characters from the 1940's prove their mettle while they sing over 30 vintage classics from the war years. Laughs, tears, emotional fireworks, air raids and a celebration of women during the war punctuate this hilarious and heartwarming story. Songs include “Don't Fence Me In,” “I'll Be Seeing You,” “Sing Sing Sing,” “How High the Moon,” “I Don't Want to Walk without You,” “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” “Sentimental Journey,” “Apple Blossom Time,” a fast paced, 12-song Andrews Sisters medley, and many more.