Hasty Pudding To Stage Musical About Asian Spies

"Overtures in Asia Minor," a spy spoof, has been chosen as this year's musical production by the Hasty Pudding Theatrical Society, Thomas A. Rando '79, assistant producer, said last night.

The play, written by Nicholas H. Vanderbilt '80 with lyrics by Caroline N. Franklin '79, is about English spies in Constantinople at the turn of the century. Vanderbilt said yesterday. "It's a topic about which we knew absolutely nothing", he added.

Secret Agents

Vanderbilt said the original idea came from a story about Mata Hari. Consequently, it will feature "a lot of female spies. Of course, there will also be some male spies," he said.

The cast of the show will be all male, as usual, this year.

"Overtures" took approximately six weeks to write, Vanderbilt said. He added the original ideas for the musical were Franklin's.

Vanderbilt said he assumes the show will open in February.

"Overtures in Asia Minor" will be the 131st annual production staged by the society. Last year's offering was "A Thousand Clones."