Beach Blanket Babylon


Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon was the world's longest-running musical revue. The show began its run in 1974, at the Savoy Tivoli and later moved to the larger Club Fugazi in the North Beach district of San Francisco.
The show was created by Steve Silver along with sisters, native San Franciscans, Roberta and Nancy Bleiweiss. The three started on the streets of San Francisco. Nancy was the star of the show, created her characters and wrote all her own dialogue for all her characters for The Valentine Show in Beach Blanket Babylon and Beach Blanket Babylon Goes Bananas, Roberta was the show's manager, Associate Director, Promotion and Publicity Director, Box Office Manager, procured sponsors for the original shows, did the accounting and wrote checks and also performed in the original shows at Savoy Tivoli, Olympus, Dance Your Ass Off and Club Fugazi.
The character of Snow White did not appear in the original shows. It wasn't until the two sisters were no longer in the show that the show title changed to Beach Blanket Babylon Goes to the Stars.
and continued since 1995 under the direction of Steve Silver's widow, 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.
On April 17, 2019, Jo Schuman Silver announced to the staff that the show would be closing on New Year's Eve.

Plot summary

The original Beach Blanket Babylon and Beach Blanket Babylon Goes Bananas evolved from the street group that Roberta and Nancy Bleiweiss and Steve Silver performed on the streets of San Francisco during the early 70s when street artists made a living performing.'Beach Blanket Babylon Goes to the Stars' did not start until the late 70s. It 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 large group of figures from popular culture, who together perform satirical songs. Figures lampooned include politicians and political figures from the San Francisco, California and U.S. governments, film and television stars, famous singers and athletes, and others who have been in the news. 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 cowgirl.

Reviews

The show was described as "A constant cascade of showstoppers" by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010.

Awards and accolades

In 1996, the 600 block of Green Street, between Columbus Avenue and Powell Street, was renamed "Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard" in honor of Steve Silver.

Final production team

  • Steve Silver
  • Jo Schuman Silver
  • Kenny Mazlow
  • Michael Anderburg
  • Tom Schueneman
  • Jayne Serba
  • Mark Reina
  • Matthew James
  • Bill Keck

Former cast and alumni

Tours

Two tours were 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.
London:
  • Val Diamond
  • Doug Magpiong
  • Tony Stroh
  • Erica Wyman
  • Dana Adkins
  • Tony Tripoli
  • Renee Lubin
  • Cristina VanValkenburg
  • Lisa Burnett Bossi
  • Stirland Martin
  • Kenny Mazlow
  • Robert Danielson
Las Vegas:
  • Jeffrey Scott Adair
  • Shelley Werk
  • David Reynolds
  • Kenny Mazlow
  • John Paul Almon
  • Robin Cohen
  • Patrick Reese
  • Richard Pardini
  • Robert Hempstead
  • Janice Sands
  • Joan Benson
  • Stuart May
  • Wanda Houston
  • Sylvia MacCalla
  • Holly Vonk
  • Clay Adkins
  • Jacqui Marshall
  • Diane Ellis
  • Richie Sacks

Beach Blanket Babylon, London, Restaurant

Named after the show, but otherwise unrelated, Beach Blanket Babylon, a London restaurant with branches in Notting Hill and Shoreditch.