The following is a news release from "Beach Blanket Babylon."
Producer Jo Schuman Silver announced Wednesday "Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon"—a beloved San Francisco institution and the longest running musical revue in the world—will give its final performances Tuesday, December 31. Upon its closing, the show will have played a record-breaking 17,216 performances.
"Audiences have embraced Beach Blanket Babylon since the day it opened on June 7, 1974," said Schuman Silver. "Originally scheduled to run for only six weeks, the show became an international phenomenon and the quintessential San Francisco experience. I am thankful to our fans from around the world who have supported us from the very beginning. Our hats are off to each and every one of you!"
Tickets for all remaining performances, including the annual Holiday Extravaganza Shows (beginning Wednesday, November 13), are on-sale now at www.beachblanketbabylon.com, by phone at 415-421-4222, and at the Club Fugazi Box Office (678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd., San Francisco). Ticket on-sale date for New Year's Eve performances will be announced at a later date.
Seen by 6.5 million people from around the world, Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon was made famous for its hilarious spoofs of political and pop culture, spectacular costumes, and iconic hats. The show 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 star-studded, ever-changing line-up of hilarious political and pop culture characters. Recent highlights include Donald and Melania Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin, Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sarah Huckabee, Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyonc�, Ariana Grande, Stormy Daniels, Oprah, and the San Francisco Giants.
Steve Silver's magical contributions to the world of theater were his creativity, imagination, and whimsy. His infamous street performances in San Francisco drew crowds in the hundreds. Steve moved the revue indoors to Savoy Tivoli in North Beach and named the show Beach Blanket Babylon on June 7, 1974. A philanthropist as well as a showman, Steve gave generously to health organizations, education, and the arts.
In 1988, Steve Silver produced "Beach Blanket Babylon Goes to Vegas," which played the Sands Resort and Casino to standing-room-only audiences. The show was the first American performing arts organization to perform at the 1997 Covent Garden Festival of Opera and Music Theatre in London, England. Garnering rave reviews and playing to enthusiastic audiences, the London show sold-out every performance. The show was featured in the BBC presentation of "Tales of the City," in a PBS documentary, and a book, Beach Blanket Babylon: A Hats-Off Tribute to San Francisco's Most Extraordinary Musical Revue. The show has also performed on "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," and was recently featured on CNN International's "Quest's World of Wonder."
Over the past 45 years, Beach Blanket Babylon has performed before hundreds of international and local dignitaries and celebrities including, HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Secretary of State George Shultz, San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Kamala Harris, California Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, Willie L. Brown, Jr., Rudolph Nureyev, David Bowie, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine, and Sidney Poitier, to name a few.
Continuing Steve Silver's philanthropic legacy in the community, Beach Blanket Babylon has been involved with numerous charities, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Public Library, Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, St. Anthony Foundation, Grace Cathedral, and the National AIDS Memorial Grove. Established in 2002, The Steve Silver Foundation and Beach Blanket Babylon "Scholarship for the Arts" has been awarding thousands of dollars in scholarships to Bay Area high school seniors each year to be used towards their college education. To date, more than half a million dollars has been awarded to 48 students in the categories of singing, acting, and dancing. This year's "Scholarship for the Arts" finals will take place on Monday, June 3 at Club Fugazi. High school seniors have until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2019 to submit their entry. Additional details on the "Scholarship for the Arts" can be found here.
Beach Blanket Babylon performance schedule is as follows: Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
FACTS & FIGURES
� At 45, Beach Blanket Babylon is the longest running musical revue in the world
� 17,216 performances [through December 31, 2019]
� 6.5M patrons [as of 4.17.19]
� The Fol de Rol Hat—at 33 feet tall, 22 feet wide and 8 feet deep—is the largest hat to ever appear on a stage (San Francisco Opera House, 1988)
� The iconic San Francisco Skyline Hat is 14 feet tall, 9 feet wide and 3 feet deep
� The iconic San Francisco Skyline and Wedding Cake Hats weigh more than 250 pounds each
� More than 120 hats, wigs, and costumes are featured in the show
� Each performer has between 7—15 hat, costume, or wig changes per performance