BRANDON — A convergence this year of three significant anniversaries, the town of Brandon’s 250th, the Brandon Town Hall’s 150th and WWII’s 70th, inspired Brandon Town Players’ Director Dennis Marden to stage the WWII musical comedy “Kilroy Was Here.” The show, which opened last Friday night and finishes its run on July 15 and 16, is the first major musical to hit the Town Hall stage in almost 30 years.
While used for many purposes since its construction in 1861, Brandon’s Town Hall was always a venue for community gatherings. After the annual Town Meeting in 1979, however, the building was mostly closed to the public.
In 1998, a group of concerned citizens formed the Friends of the Brandon Town Hall and began raising funds to restore the historic structure. After $600,000 in renovations, the Town Hall is now able to host the Brandon Town Players as its resident community theater group.
Formed in 2003, the Brandon Town Players is committed to providing affordable entertainment for the whole family and gives theater lovers in the Brandon area an opportunity to showcase their talents. This summer’s production of “Kilroy Was Here” is no exception.
The show takes place in a U.S.O. Club in Brooklyn in 1942 and features lively big band music, jitterbugging G.I.s, a hypnotist, spies, colorful costumes, a cast of more than two dozen, and several Brandon area veterans paying tribute to all branches of the armed services.
Tickets for the show, which Marden presented to sold-out crowds at Rutland’s Paramount Theater after it reopened its doors in 2000, can be purchased at Briggs Carriage Bookstore, Carr’s Florist or at the door.