Jeff De Boer, who is directing Valparaiso's Memorial Theatre Co.'s production of the musical "The Pajama Game" with his wife Kristin, thinks two heads are better than one running this particular show.
"We both know that, individually, neither one of us knows everything," he said.
"We can take experiences that both of us have had separately in previous shows that we have done and collaboratively bring those experiences to this show and have a wider range of ideas."
Opening today and running through April 29, "Pajama" is a look at the professional and personal struggles of the employees of the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Along with workers' demand for a raise, a romance develops between a representative for the laborers and a member of upper management.
"Pajama" opened on Broadway in 1954 and ran there for more than two years.
Featuring Great White Way favorites such as "Hey There" and "I'm Not at All in Love," the musical took home a trio of Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical, in 1955.
"It's a lot of fun," De Boer said. "It's a big, exiting, high-energy dancing show. The story line is very strong and we thought that it would be a lot of fun (to bring to the stage)."
For the De Boers, collaborating for "Pajama" is nothing new. The duo first met during a theater production in Highland Park. In 2004, Jeff proposed to his future wife on the Memorial Opera House stage, where they were married last summer.
"Neither one of us could imagine being married to someone and spending our lives with someone who didn't enjoy (community theater)," Jeff De Boer said.
Next up for the Memorial Theatre Co. is a production of "The Music Man," which is scheduled to open at Memorial Opera House June 8.
"The Pajama Game" is running at Memorial Opera House at 8 p.m. today, Saturday, April 20, 21, 28 and 29 and at 2 p.m. Sunday and April 22.
"The Pajama Game"
When: today through April 29
Where: Memorial Opera House, 104 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso
Cost: $16 adults, $13 students and seniors
FYI: (219) 548-9137 or www.memorialoperahouse.com
