1961
August 21. The Rhode Island Theater Company. Matunuck, RI. Ensemble. MN (drums). Work(s): Sandy Wilson, The Boy Friend (1953). N.B. American musical concert symphony
In August 1961, Max Neuhaus spent the summer performing as the drummer for a production of Sandy Wilson's musical, The Boy Friend, at the historic Theatre-by-the-Sea in Matunuck, Rhode Island.
Date: The production premiered the week of August 21, 1961.
The Rhode Island Theatre Company, a renowned summer theater.
Neuhaus played drums and percussion for the musical's band.
Significance of the "Summer Stock" Period
This assignment occurred during a crucial transition in Neuhaus's life, a few months after receiving his bachelor's degree in music from the Manhattan School of Music in May 1961 and before beginning his master's degree that fall. As he was becoming a star of the New York avant-garde, performing works by Stockhausen and Cage, his work at Matunuck demonstrated his technical versatility as a professional drummer, capable of handling the rhythmic precision of 1920s-style musical theater.
The Theatre-by-the-Sea was a staple of the summer circuit, having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Neuhaus joined a long list of prestigious artists who worked at this seaside barn-turned-theater.
Megan Murph, “Max Neuhaus and the Avant-Garde” (Master’s Thesis, Louisiana State University, 2013).