Bristol Riverside Theatre begins a summer-long trip down memory lane featuring songs written between 1965 and 1975 in War Songs II: More Songs of the Vietnam Era, the first installment of BRT’s Summer Musicale Series running May 31-June 10, at the theatre, 120 Radcliffe Street, in Historic Bristol Borough.

The first installment of War Songs in 2006 received widespread praise from audience and critics alike, and has prompted BRT Artistic Director and Musicale Creator Edward Keith Baker to provide audiences with another dive into the classic and folk rock written during the time of our most controversial war. Baker arrived at the first rehearsal of last year’s War Songs with over 70 songs he couldn’t do without—only 35 made it to the stage—but it left plenty of additional material to touch upon this year while revisiting some of last year’s audience favorites. The concert explores the vast diversity of songwriting during the era, from mainstream songs of The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, to counter-culture music from the likes of Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. This year’s show includes artists absent from last year’s production like James Taylor, John Denver, Bread, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and more.

Six of last year’s eight singers will be returning for War Songs II. Demetria Joyce Bailey, Anthony D’Amato, Val Moranto, Stephanie Palumbo, Keith Spencer, and Phoenix Ximenez, will be joined by newcomers Robert Koutras and Victor Rodriguez. The eight person cast will be backed by a five member band.

BRT annually presents three Summer Musicales (musicale, defined by Webster as “a social affair featuring a musical program”). This year’s series covers over 50 years of popular American music from the 1920s to the 1970s. The style of the programs fall between a concert and a musical revue, and generally feature three to seven singers with a three to five piece band, depending on the musical style presented. Each Musicale is based around a theme, whether Broadway or Hollywood songs, the music of specific composers like Andrew Lloyd Webber or Leonard Bernstein, or a past era, such as the 1930s or 1940s.

Performances of War Songs II: More Songs of the Vietnam Era are Thursday, May 31 through Saturday, June 2 at 8:00pm, Sunday June 3 at 3:00pm, Wednesday, June 6 at 2:00pm, Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9 at 8:00pm and Sunday, June 10 at 3:00pm. Tickets for all Summer Series 2007 events are available online at www.BRTstage.org, to walk-up customers at the BRT Box Office, or by calling at 215-785-0100. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Meaghan Crawford at 215-785-6664.