Welcome to Theatre Americana’s very first blog post! The point of these will be to keep you up to date with all of the latest TA news and upcoming performances and maybe even get to know each of us a little bit better! It’s such an exciting new time for us here at TA. More people are joining and adding their talents into our big mixing pot, and seasoned singers are broadening their horizons with new classics, and making important new memories.
I am new to the TA scene, and was christened into the company with the latest show of ours, ‘Broadway’s in Town, and She’s Dazzling!” As daunting as it is to be the newcomer, the people, music, that family feeling- I felt right at home and welcomed as an already valuable member and important contributor. It is nice to not only be surrounded by people with important experiences, but to also know that you are equally as valued for your own experiences, no matter the differences between you. I’ll be honest, it is hard to find a place where all are treated as if what they have to say is just as important as the next person- and encouraged to speak up! But that is the environment that is nurtured and upheld in Theatre Americana, and it shows. Some of us have been singing and acting together for years, and some of us have just joined in the past few months, but everyone is just as welcome.
The company was wonderful, and the show was even more so. When members are content with where they are and who they are with, it shows onstage, and I absolutely found that to be true while working on this show. The excitement and the joy of being in the spotlight all together was so obvious from the energy and each of the performances put on display for those much too short two nights.
The music spanned through the decades of shows that the many talents of Broadway has graced us with. From “A Chorus Line” to Company” to “Dear Evan Hansen,” to even “The Last Five Years.” Every piece of music and every voice was a treat, and all had their place to shine in our two act cabaret.
Our narrator, Mary Ellen Gridley, deftly took us from one play to the next- acting as Broadway personified into flesh, reliving life’s experiences and the emotions they bring out in us, through the help of her own music. Also joining us was Drew Tretick, an exceptionally accomplished violinist. His trio of songs, starting with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical masterpiece, Music of the Night, from “The Phantom of the Opera,” helped to cleanse the palate as we jumped to each new soloist- 22 people all together.
From the costumes, pieced together by our talented and dedicated costumer, Jenna Bergstraesser, to the musical choices and design, labored over by the helm of this great ship, Donna Scarantino- the whole show was an absolute treat. Not only to see and experience, but to be a part of.
I can only hope that you all felt the same way, and that maybe sometime soon we can all experience this show together again.
Thank you to all who were a part and to all who came to support us- you are all so appreciated.
Cassie Depablos