Tufo Will Go “Beyond the Music” in New Theatrical Production

From musican, singer, and songwriter to author of children’s books, Winthrop’s Ralph Tufo has earned a reputation as an entertainer par excellence.

In his current project, Tufo is serving as the playwright, director, and songwriter for the musical, “Beyond The Blues,” that will hit the stage Nov. 11-13 at the Washington Street Baptist Church in Lynn. The event is a fundraiser for the church’s food pantry.

Tufo said his inspiration for the musical was his previous self-written blues songs “that had a story to them.”

Tufo wanted to connect those stories and he wrote the play in which the characters “will talk about the origins of the song and how music has helped them to overcome difficulties in life.”

Tufo’s own band, The Squeezebox Stompers, will appear in the musical as The Blue Blazers. “We’ll be playing the music and the cast members are singing the songs and doing the monologues,”said Tufo.

Tufo, 72, sets the story in a bar in the Brickyard section of Lynn, where he grew up on South Street. “I have a lot of fond memories of that area,” said Tufo. “My family later moved to East Lynn, and I attended Lynn English High School (Class of 1967).”

Tufo is excited to bring his latest work to Lynn.

“I’m really happy with our cast,” said Tufo, who held auditions in Winthrop for the play. “We have assembled a cast of talented actors from throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.”

Tufo has previously produced, “The Katrina Roadhouse,” a musical about Hurricane Katrina that was performed at the Winthrop School For Performing Arts, and “I’d Rather Be Lucky Than Good,” a farcical comedy about golf, also staged in Winthrop. He has also written short plays for regional festivals and venues.

(Tickets for Beyond the Blues are on sale at Eventbrite.com and will also be sold at the door at each performance).