The musical revue is a tribute to the late Jimmy Denton who directed these musicals in the Arena Theatre (now the Mary L. Welch Theatre). Denton died suddenly on June 28, 2001.

The tribute is the idea of several people-- both Lycoming College alumni and members of the Greater Williamsport community-- who had been directed by Denton in one or more of the musicals he directed over the years.

"Jimmy Denton has an enormous impact on theatre in the Greater Williamsport area for many years," says Glenn Klein, a 1994 Lycoming graduate who is now a professional entertainer. "We thought that this revue would be a wonderful tribute to Jimmy Denton and a way to showcase the enormous amount of talent that has passed through this valley over the years. I think he would be proud."

According to Gary Boerckel, chair of the Lycoming College music department, who is one of the organizers of the event, more than 40 performers from all over the United States and Canada, are coming for the event. The performers include Robert Allen,Garth Bardsley, Gary Boerckel, Michael Brown, Erin Coulter, Anna Douthat, Brimmer Engel, Bob Frederickson, Rebecca Hile, Nin Hiles, Darren Hengst, Glenn Klein, Alice Kline-Alt, Gary Krawford, Jackie Krull, Deborah Lax, Trevor Loehr,  Jaclyn McCourt, Richard Mexdorf, Kelly Mifsud, Helen Kay Rayhorn,  Steven Schierloh, Laura Schrekengast, Rochelle Smith, Jeff Swope, John Tobin, Berndadette Ulrich, Kent Weaver, Jennifer Desmond Wilson, Russ Wynn, Jamie Yerger-Cashman, and C. Scott Zimmerman .

"Jimmy Denton was an inspired performer and an inspiring director," says Dr. Boerckel. Together we produced more than twenty musicals, operas, and operettas. Jimmy's ability to bring out the best in actors was astonishing and his understanding of the musical as well as dramatic requirements of a production made him an ideal collaborator. The extraordinary number of people returning to Lycoming to pay him tribute is a measure of the profound impact he had on many lives."

Early in his career, Denton appeared on Broadway in the role of Hugo Peabody in "Bye, Bye, Birdie." During the 1960s, he was frequently seen on "The Patty Duke Show," studied French at New York University and studied at the Universite Stendhal in Grenoble, France.

Moving to Watsontown in the 1970s, he taught theatre courses at Bucknell University, Lycoming College and Susquehanna University.

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