A CASE OF THE MONDAYS

This June, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” returns every Monday at 7 pm with five show-stopping classic musicals!

The program kicks off June 2 with Mamma Mia!, the 2008 hit starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, and powered by the music of disco legends ABBA! Sophie Sheridan (Seyfried)is about to marry her fiancé Sky (Dominic Cooper). She wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but there’s a problem—she doesn’t know which of three men (Brosnan, Firth, Skarsgård) is her real pappa. In a bid to solve the mystery, Sophie invites all three of the potential daddies to her wedding without telling her mother, Donna (Streep), a free spirit who never properly dealt with her breakups. Filmed on location on the gorgeous Greek island of Skopelos.

Up next on June 9, we present the classic Singin’ in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, and Jean Hagen. Set during the transition from silent films to “talkies” in the late 1920s, the story follows Don Lockwood (Kelly), a silent film star who finds himself struggling to adapt to the new era of sound cinema. Don’s co-star Lina Lamont (Hagen) is a problem for the studio—her voice is grating, and she can’t make the leap to sound films. Meanwhile, Don falls for the sweet, aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Reynolds), who finds herself in a career competition against Lina. As the studio rushes to create a new film with sound, they come up with a plan to dub Lina’s voice with Kathy’s. Chaos and laughs ensue. Singin’ in the Rain stands as one of the all-time great musicals, featuring brilliant filmmaking from directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, amazing choreography by Kelly, and the unforgettable music created by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown.

The rain sticks around for another week when we screen Purple Rain on June 16! The semi-autobiographical smash hit stars musical genius Prince as The Kid, a young man who struggles to balance his ambitions with his chaotic personal life. Brooding and charismatic, The Kid climbs his way up the ladder of the local Minneapolis music scene, falling in love with aspiring singer Apollonia Kotero (playing herself), facing off against the slicker and more popular Morris Day and his group The Time, and confronting his abusive father at home.

On June 23, the program goes international when we screen The Young Girls of Rochefort, the light-hearted 1967 French hit directed by Jacques Demy. Delphine and Solange (Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac) star as two siblings searching for love and purpose in their small town. Delphine, a struggling composer, crosses paths with a lonely sailor (Jacques Perrin) who could be her soulmate. Solange, the more whimsical of the sisters, meets Andy (Gene Kelly), an American showman who is searching for new talent to include in his upcoming show. With potential suitors knocking on their door, the sisters must decide whether to trust their hearts or turn away love once more. Created as a love letter to American musicals, Demy’s film is filled with vibrant colors, astonishing choreography from Martha Graham, and the brilliant musical work of Michel Legrand.

Finally, the program closes on June 30 with Grease, the box-office behemoth that is still charming audiences nearly fifty years later. If you’re one of the few people on the planet who hasn’t seen Grease, here’s the breakdown: Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) are two crazy kids who fall in love over summer break. However, when Sandy unexpectedly transfers to Rydell for the fall semester, they find themselves struggling to maintain their relationship in the face of peer pressure and social expectations. Can a good girl like Sandy actually date a delinquent T-Bird like Danny? Grease co-stars Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Joan Blondell, Sid Caesar, Frankie Avalon, and Eddie Deezen.

Drexel Members get free admission to Mamma Mia!