Under the bright lights mounted above the stage, five performers shimmer into place.
Dressed in heavily sequined jackets and top hats, they launched into “One” from “A Chorus Line.” Perfectly timed kicks and turns punctuated the rehearsal, as the performers’ harmonious voices filled the intimate studio at Stage to Screen.
Opening night was less than a week away, and Greenwood’s only professional cabaret studio was ready to dazzle.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“When you hear them vocally, when you see them visually, not only in how they present but how they’re accented with their costumes and with the lighting and with the music, this could be a Broadway cast,” said Christopher Tompkins, executive director at Stage to Screen.
Stage to Screen unveils its first cabaret series performance today, a compilation of Broadway’s best songs bringing the sounds and sights of the Great White Way to the south side. “The Best of Broadway” will feature vignettes of the most popular numbers from shows such as “Evita,” “Chicago,” “Oklahoma!” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
The strength of the show is the diversity of the numbers, giving audience members a taste of everything that makes musical theater such a treasured art form.
“If you look at the set list that we go through, Chris picked some of the hits of Broadway, and he picked some of the hidden jewels that people might not know,” said cast member Brooke Barker. “The way it’s choreographed, you get pretty much what you’d expect if you were going to the show. You’ll get edgy, you’ll get fun, you’ll get sweet. You get scary. There’s a whole bunch of other emotions.”
Stage to Screen is a newly formed performing arts complex set in Old Town Greenwood. The organization formed to offer professional theater shows, which Tompkins says have been lacking on the southside in recent years, in Johnson County. The studio recently started an open mic comedy night on Sundays called Laugh Sabbath.
For area performers, having a place to follow their passion and get paid is an incredible opportunity.
“I had been working at a dinner theater in Ohio, and was pretty excited to come back and try this when I found out about it. The fact that it was a professional theater was really exciting to me, because I’m trying to learn and move up, and the fact that it can pay is also exciting,” Barker said. “You get paid to do what you love, which never happens.”
With “The Best of Broadway,” Stage to Screen officially kicks off its cabaret series, which will extend into 2019.
“It’s been really fun to be in on the ground floor of something that’s getting started, to be part of that process,” said Jake McDuffee, one of the cast members. “Now that we’ve gotten into it, Chris is one of those directors where he knows what he wants on stage, but he’s willing to listen to us if we throw out an idea on how he thinks a song could work.”
As the name implies, Tompkins and other organizers at Stage to Screen have plucked some of the most iconic and recognizable songs from Broadway’s biggest hits.
The performance is broken up with two or three songs from each Broadway show, creating small vignettes to give the audience a taste of them all.
“It’s kind of something for everyone,” said Stacia Hulen, one of the cast members. “There’s variety. It’s not all slow songs, it’s a nice mix. You go from doing huge numbers to small numbers, so it has balance.”
Tompkins, the director of the show, picked the initial rundown of songs. Once the cast auditioned and roles were set, they went back through the potential lineup of songs to rework it so that every performer had numbers that suited their vocal talents. The cast shares the load of the different tunes, with everyone getting a chance to show off what they can do.
“Chris has a really big heart for making sure everybody has a really good amount of time on stage,” Barker said. “He wanted to make sure everyone had their moment in the spotlight.”
Robert Moore, the studio’s costume designer, found out the songs that would be included in the show, who would be performing in them and how many different costumes he would need. “The Best of Broadway” calls for 64 different costume changes, with the cast members wearing 25 different wigs, and Moore tried to coordinate it all on the fly.
The result has been an eye-catching rotation of bright colors, sequins and other flair that matches the intensity of the performance itself.
“It’s important for a first real professional theater like this that your first impression blows them away. To do the selections (Tompkins) picked, that are so well-known, not only is it nostalgic, but will showcase what we are truly capable of doing here,” Moore said.
Rehearsals started in early October, as the cast met on Saturdays and Sundays to spend hours getting ready. The abbreviated schedule meant that everyone had to do additional work on their own in order to maximize practice time together.
Even only spending the weekends together, the cast has developed a connection that has made rehearsals more successful.
“What’s really cool about this is we’re all in different walks of life, and different ages and situations. But I feel so connected to all of them. I feel like we’re family,” said cast member Melissa Anness.
The cast and crew of “The Best of Broadway” have put in hours getting ready for their time in the spotlight. They’re excited about the opening of the show.
Now Tompkins hopes that their professionalism, hard work and dedication entices the community to support them. Stage to Screen has planned four more cabaret shows this year and in early 2019, with themes ranging from holiday music to country western to the best of Motown.
Continuing the vision and realizing the potential that Stage to Screen has will require people coming out to see the shows, as well as businesses and organizations to sponsor them, Tompkins said.
“Without this support, no theater can survive and thrive. Most people do not realize how expensive it is to put together a quality production show,” he said. “When one adds up the costs of costuming, music, sound and lighting equipment, tech crew, ushers, cast, and the list goes on and on. None of us expects to ever get rich by doing this, and that’s not our goal. Our desire is to enrich the lives of many through professional live theater and entertainment.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
"The Best of Broadway"
What: A riveting performance of some of Broadway’s best numbers, featuring songs from shows such as "Evita,""Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "Chicago."
Where: Stage to Screen, 350 S. Madison St., Greenwood
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17; 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 18.
Cast members
- Melissa Anness
- Brooke Barker
- Tamaren Grace
- Stacia Hulen
- Addison Koeler
- Jake McDuffee
Tickets: $25 to $35
Information: stagetoscreenstudios.com
[sc:pullout-text-end]
