Musical to close tonight

Tonight is the last chance to catch this year's national tour of the classic musical "Show Boat" at the IU Auditorium.\nBased on a novel by Edna Ferber and created for the stage by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, the original "Show Boat" had its debut in 1927 to rave reviews. Set on the Mississippi River in the late 1800s, the crew of the boat, the Cotton Blossom, takes the audience to a bygone day as "Show Boat" follows the lives of Cap'n Andy Hawkes, his wife Parthy and his daughter Magnolia. The musical includes such recognizable songs as "Only Make Believe," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man," "Bill" and the classic, "Ol' Man River."\nBryan Rives, general manager for the IU Auditorium, said he is excited to bring "Show Boat" to the auditorium's stage. He said although his personal interest in the theater is in Broadway musicals, he does not choose the shows. The auditorium conducts surveys to determine which shows should be presented each season. \n"'Show Boat' has proven to be such a popular choice amongst all the events we are presenting this season that the only seats we have left for sale are in the rear balcony," Rives said.\nTuckey Requa, a marketing associate of NETworks who has worked for this production company for 16 years, said the show is an American classic.\n"'Show Boat' is an absolute classic (of) American musical theater…it truly is," Requa said. "This production is physically beautiful, and the singing is extraordinary."\nCharles Railsback, undergraduate adviser of the theater department, said the show is important to the American stage.\n"It's a landmark musical, a musical in which key elements of theater come together," Railsback said. "It has been the fight of outstanding American theater work."\nShow time is 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Auditorium Box Office, at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 333-9955, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets range from $30 to $50, with a 50 percent discount available for IU-Bloomington students.