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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Nov. 19, 1964
Student Architect Writes Musical
Jon Putnam, Leawood junior in architecture, spends his spare time away from the drawing board as a musician, an artist, a writer, an executive director of a corporation and All Student Council representative from men's large residence hall.
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Right now, he is looking forward to the premiere of his musical, "The Lady's Game."
ON JANUARY 7, the musical will have its world premiere at Willamette University, Salem, Ore.
Putnam wrote the story on which the musical is based. He also directs the corporation which is producing it. He designed the sets and is conducting the advertising campaign.
As a student at Willamette last year, Putnam collaborated with two friends on the musical. The three wrote "The Lady's Game" at the suggestion of a faculty member.
"We wrote the book and lyrics and composed music for 18 songs in two weeks." Putnam said. "One night we wrote six songs."
THE ORIGINAL script was revised 15 times. Thirteen of the original songs were thrown out in favor of ten new ones. The title was changed twice, from "Round and Round" to "Hearts and Spades" and then the present title was accepted.
"We started with the idea of writing a small skit, something like Rock Chalk Reve," Putnam
said. "Now the show runs two hours and 45 minutes."
The plot centers around a woman who is chairman of the board of a large eastern university, Putnam said.
"SHE USES her position as a front for the gambling syndicate she heads," he continued. "She tries to fix a basketball game by having one of the players seduced. The bookie system at the university is supposed to make a handsome profit by taking bets on the team."
Willamette University is backing the show now, but Putnam plans to send the script to Noel Coward after it has been copyrighted.
Putnam and his partners, Barbara Davis and David Welch, formed the DaBarjon Corporation because they hope to produce the show professionally.
"Coward is well-known as a backer of young talent," Putnam said. "We are hoping, with his help, to move the show to Broadway, or at least produce it off-Broadway."
The corporation is negotiating with theaters in San Francisco and Seattle now, making arrangements for possible production of the musical next summer.
THE TRIO hopes that Coward will also help them find a financial backer, known in show business as a "theater angel."
Rehearsals for the premiere have been underway since Nov. 8. Although he is 1500 miles away from
Salem, Putnam isn't fidgeting because he can't be there to keep an eye on production.
"Barbara, David and I have a telephone conference for about 45 minutes every Saturday night," he said. "We discuss any problems that are coming up. On Monday, we send detailed letters to each other about the production and give suggestions for straightening out kinks in rehearsals."
If this venture is a success, does he plan for a career in show business?
PUTNAM WILL go to Willamette in December and stay through the opening performance.
"My future will certainly be influenced by the success of "The Lady's Game," Putnam said. "But I will definitely finish in architecture. Maybe then I will go into set designing or musical production."
Whether or not "The Lady's Game" is a success, DaBarjon Corporation is planning ahead. The three are already developing ideas for another musical. Putnam said they plan to start writing and composing it in December.
P-t-P Teams Form
Foreign students interested in forming intra-maural teams can meet at 7:30 tonight in the Sunflower room of the Kansas Union.
The meeting is sponsored by People-to-People.
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