Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Pirates of Penzance

With the demise of the Davis Comic Opera Company last year, Davis has been without a resident Gilbert & Sullivan company, leaving those who love the Savoy operettas with nowhere to turn. Fortunately, the Davis Musical Theater Company decided to give it a shot, choosing "The Pirates of Penzance," Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic story of tenderhearted pirates who won’t harm orphans, as the opening production of its 23rd season. Even better, they hired director Gil Sebastian, who has extensive experience with Gilbert & Sullivan, to direct the show.

"We’re not doing the Joseph Papp Broadway version," producer Steve Isaacson assured me, when he announced the 2007-2008 season. That’s a good thing. DMTC has produced a quite nice, quite respectable, and mostly delightful rendition of Gilbert & Sullivan’s 1880 classic.

Musically, "The Pirates of Penzance" is a parody of serious opera. Parts of the score are direct spoofs of "Il Trovatore" and "La Traviata." It offers witty dialogue, a twisting plot and clever lyrics. What’s not to like?

Gil Sebastian’s direction is strictly traditional, with a few little touches that make it uniquely his own (such as the serving of tea during crucial moments).

Frederick, a young man erroneously apprenticed at age 8 to a band of pirates is hoping to reach his 21st birthday so he can devote himself to exterminating his former comrades. The complicated plot moves very quickly and covers a wide range of topics, such as the value of being an orphan, the meaning of true love and the importance of duty.

Travis Nagler, a "Little Abner"-esque Frederick is the one weak link in an otherwise strong cast. While Nagler (who also acted as Master Carpenter for the set) sings well in his lower register, the part is too high and forces him to use a falsetto voice that too often cracks as he strains to hit the notes.

Lenore Sebastian, the hard of hearing nursemaid who mistook "pirate" for "pilot" turns in a funny performance as the piratical maid of all work. She is particularly good in Act 2, discarding her "upstairs maid" costume for more suitable pirate attire. Her beautiful contralto shines in her Act 1 duet with Frederick, "Oh, false one, you have deceived me."

As the Pirate King, Brian McCann is swash-bucklingly delightful. McCann is the perfect comic pirate, at the same time menacing and soft-hearted. The tempo of his "I am a Pirate King" was a bit plodding and I feared for the rest of the show, but tempos picked up as the women came on stage for "Climbing Over Rocky Mountains"

Dan Clanton is his second in command, Samuel, good at handing out a crowbar or a center bit.

What can be said about Allyson Paris, as Mabel, the daughter of Major General Stanley, who is charmed by the young Frederick? Her performance is a gem. Her coloratura parody of Italian opera ("Poor wand’ring one") was delicious.

Rhiannon Guevin was a captivating Edith, with a strong soprano and a twinkle in her eye. Elsbeth Poe and Katie Baad are her Edith’s sisters, Kate and Isabel, respectively, and also give good performances.

Major General Stanley enters toward the end of the first Act, just in time to save his daughters from a fate worse than death (marriage to pirates) and to sing his signature "Modern Major General." Fearn’s diction is impeccable and his characterization very funny. (I particularly liked his Act 2 bathrobe, complete with epaulets - nice touch by costumer Jeanne Henderson.)

No production of "Pirates of Penzance" would be complete without a bumbling band of Bobbies, the police crew enlisted to bring the pirates to their knees. Jonathan Cagle-Mulberg, Scott Griffith, Scott Sablan, Marc Valdez, Arthur Vassar and John VanWart fill the bill, trembling in their boots at the thought of confronting the vicious pirates. Richard Spierto heads up the group as the Sergeant of Police, who tells the plaintive tale about how "a policeman’s lot is not a happy one."

Steve Isaacson is credited with musical direction and gives us some incredibly beautiful choral moments, especially the lovely "Hail, Poetry," and the hauntingly beautiful, "Oh, dry the glist’ning tear."

Director Sebastian also designed the set, which is utilitarian, but, in the first act, does a nice job of suggesting the rocky coast of Cornwall, and, in the second, the graveyard of Maj. Gen. Stanley’s estate.

There's a reason The Pirates of Penzance has been performed virtually non-stop since its premiere: it's so much fun. We humans like to laugh at the foibles of others, and see the pompous brought down a notch or two, when done with humor.

DMTC’s production does Messers Gilbert & Sullivan proud.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Best of Broadway

When you read the 64 page program for “Best of Broadway’s” 35th anniversary extravaganza, “Sounds of the City,” you have an overwhelming desire to count things. For example, there are 57 musical numbers. There are 212 performers listed in the program, 49 dancers, 91 adult vocalists and 72 children plus an additional 4 sign language interpreters and volunteers too numerous to count, other than the 69 listed as ushers.

This is a big show.

Best of Broadway was an idea conceived by David L. MacDonald in 1973 as a way to raise money for Good Samaritan Boys’ Homes. Thirty-five years later it is still under the direction of MacDonald and still raising funds for local charities. MacDonald describes it has having grown to “a hybrid between professional theater and community theater.” Both extremes were blatantly apparent in this production.

Act 1 illustrated different aspects of city sounds, from the night life (including a little bit of the sleazy side), moving into a daytime business area,, and finally a segment that deals with the theatrical life of a big city.

There were outstanding performances, such as Dewight Mitchell in songs from “The Life,” “Grand Hotel,” and “Dream Girls”

Randy Solorio stood out in “Riverside Drive” from “Jimmy,” and in “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Kendra Mattingly, looking very reminiscent of Winona Ryder, was outstanding in “Dream Babies,” from “The Me That Nobody Knows.”

A trio of Melissa Gibson, Meagan Morrison and Lauren Sater were first rate in “Just Arrived,” from “Copacabana.”

Mark Stivers, music arranger, created a medley of Broadway show stoppers, “Music of the Night” by Lou Parell, “Memory” by Nalisha Gray, “Once in a Lifetime” by David L. MacDonald, and “What I Did for Love” by Teresa Taraya, where each sang bit of his or her song and then the four blended together contrapuntally. It was a magical moment.

But the real “magic” comes when the children enter. Their first number was “Light Sings” from “The Me That Nobody Knows” and they were militantly adorable. Watch the left side of the stage for real scene stealers!

Act 2 focused on two shows, “Civil War” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (the version by Dennis DeYoung from the musical group Styx).

Dewight Williams again gave a towering performance in “River Jordan” while Natasha Greer led a moving vocal and dance ensemble in “Someday.”

Enrique Ruiz (also the Children’s Choral Director) was a sensitive Hunchback in several numbers. Ryan Ritter, Rando Solorio and Sam Williams were very funny in “Alms for the Beggarman.” And Feature Musical Director Marji DuBois was wonderful in just about everything.

Christopher Carlson’s mic went dead in “King of Fools.” The actor has toured professionally and his experience as he worked to be heard over the amplification of the rest of the singers on stage. He did, however, have an opportunity to come back, fully miced in the delightful “On a Sunday by the Sea” (with Melissa Gibson, Amy Longstreth, Laura Lothian and Randy Solorio”).

I have reviewed “Best of Broadway” for seven years now and every year I complain about the inconsistent sound system. Levels are sometimes ear splitting, other times distorted, or, in the case of Carlson and Choral Director Corey Rickrode (in “By the Grace of God”), simply not there. When they are good, they are very, very good, but for a show that is a hybrid of professional and community theater, they are not consistently good enough.

The company is also showing the loss of lighting designer Dion Cook. The team of six people credited with lighting (and sound!) design made this a very dark show where much too much of the dancing was done in semi-darkness, while follow spots concentrated on the singer. Particularly bad was a lovely ballet done by Sara Rewinkle, Randy Solorio, Diana Ruslin and Jerald Bolden which was not lit at all, while the focus was on Marji DuBois and Enrique Ruiz. Lighting designers should recognize that the dancers work just as hard (if not harder) and deserve their own moment to be seen as well!

The children’s second number, “The New Ashmolean Marching Society” from “Where’s Charley?”was absolutely stunning, with all 72 dressed in marching band costumes. Kudos to costume coordinators Cathy Carpenter and Joan Pohlman and to children’s choreographer, Kourtney Staab-Spencer.

There will be plenty of opportunities to catch this show. It will run through September 16 at Luther Burbank Theater in Sacramento, and then from September 21 through the 30th at the Whitney Theater in Rocklin. It’s well worth the money, and the money goes for a good cause, so it’s a win-win situation.

Friday, September 14, 2007

A Patriot Act: The Trial of George W. Bush

A military tribunal was convened at California Stage on Saturday for the purpose of bringing George W.Bush to trial. He was charged with war crimes, dereliction of duty, and treason. After testimony by witnesses and deliberation by juries on each charge, he was found guilty on all three counts and sentenced to the maximum time in prison.

As a reviewer, I make it a point never to reveal the endings of plays that I review. I don’t want to spoil it for people who will be coming to see the show. But I make exception for playwright Todd Blakesley’s “A Patriot Act: The Trial of GeorgeW.Bush” because the ending of the show is dependent on audience input. It may change each night. (In fact, I spoke with the director after the second performance, and learned the defendant had been acquitted on two counts and convicted only on dereliction of duty.)

“A Patriot Act” is an experience from the moment you approach the theater. (One hopes that there will be a way to speed up the entrance process, as at Sunday’s performances, a line stretched out the door and into the hot sun while people slowly filed in.) Each person must fill out a security clearance card, which they were informed must be worn at all times. The cards indicate whether the person was there to be a member of one of the three juries, a witness for either the prosecution or the defense, or merely an observer.

Once the cards were filled out, people were screened for weapons before being allowed to pass into the theater itself.

There was activity going on in the courtroom, with potential witnesses being interviewed by attorneys, jurors being assigned to individual juries, and attorneys discussing among themselves. On opening night, there was a longer line for the prosecution witnesses than for the defense.

The audience was informed that the defendant was being held in an undisclosed location, but was monitoring the actions on closed-circuit television and communicating with his attorneys via telephone.

The court is presided over by Magistrate Mark Heckman. Heckman, with Ray Tatar (who also acts as a special agent), is the co-director of the piece and he was very judicial in his supervision of the trial itself.

Bailiff Crag Chavez was stern, at times almost menacing, as he kept things orderly and called each witness to the stand.

Opening statements and instructions were a little rocky on opening night, but the cast quickly settled into the rhythm of the trial.

The prosecution team is headed by William A. Bergen, who is not only an actor...but also an Auburn-based attorney. Of all six of the attorneys (three of whom are attorneys in real life), Bergen was the most at ease and seemed the best able to think on his feet. He inspired confidence whenever he got up to speak.

Other prosecution attorneys were Mark Stone and Eva Kim. The defense team was headed by Sacramento attorney Jeff Kravitz, assisted by actor/attorney Michael Garabedian and Bergen’s real life daughter, Athena Bergen, a U.C. Davis graduate

Four of the witnesses (Devin Ritchie, Ellen Vincent, Franny Phillips and Greg Koski) are scripted, and are called randomly, along with the audience volunteers. (I won’t review their performances, to keep the audience guessing as to who is who, but all gave believable performances.) On opening night there was an interesting assortment of witnesses, each of whom was passionate in his or her statements. Each spoke to how the current administration had negatively or positively affected his or her life. Testimony from audience volunteers provided the heart of this play, giving intensity and depth of feeling about the current administration. It lent an air of authenticity to the proceedings.

When all witnesses had been heard, the jury retired to their respective chambers to deliberate and return with a verdict. It is clear, from the notes some of the jurors took during the trial, that they took their task very seriously. The result was clear to no one until the jurors return from deliberation.

While many may feel that this play is set up to point fingers at the President, in fact the audience is a mix of supporters and detractors, and both sides had an opportunity to be heard. It is an example of the kind of democracy and free speech that we are attempting to spread around the world.

Todd Blakesley and California Stage are to be commended for allowing Sacramento area audiences the opportunity to participate in this thought-provoking work which will surely send many audience members home with lots of points to ponder as we head into “election season.” As for how the trial turns out the night you attend, just remember: YOU are the decider.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Jersey Boys

When the crowd bursts into thunderous applause at the conclusion of “Jersey Boys” at the Sacramento Community Theater, it is not the first time there has been such sustained applause throughout the evening. In fact the show is brought to a standstill by applause three times during the first act for blockbuster tunes.

Whether you were raised in the 1950s, the 1960s or the 1970s, it’s hard to think there would be people who would not love this musical retelling of the story of The Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons hasn’t had a hit song in years, but in its day, the group sold more than 100 million records and produced numerous hit songs ("Big Girls Don't Cry," "Who Loves You" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," to name a few).

Before the “British Invasion,” American popular music was dominated by two groups: The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons. Unlike the Beatles, the Four Seasons (Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi, Bob Gaudio and Franki Valli) came before paparazzi, and the group fell apart at the height of its popularity. Nobody cared about the background of a bunch of blue collar Jersey guys from the streets until book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice came along and realized there was plenty of drama in the story and director Des McAnuff, a longtime Four Seasons fan, gave the project the green light for development and opening at his La Jolla Playhouse in 2004.

After its move to New York, the show was nominated for eight Tony awards and won four and achieved such popularity that some predicted the show could run “for decades.”

Unlike many other “jukebox musicals” (shows with thin story lines built around the music of one particular artist, such as “Good Vibrations,” “Lennon” or “All Shook Up”), “Jersey Boys” is structured to present the music more or less chronologically and to tell the group’s story that way. Each of the four performers has his own version of how things happened and each has a turn narrating a section.

Devin May begins the narration as Tommy Devito, the tough guy, the organizer, the guy who made his living singing in clubs with his pals and masterminding some B&E’s (breaking and entering) on the side. Time spent in prison for petty crimes was as much a given as anything else. It was Devito who brought a young kid, Frankie Castelluccio into his circle and gave him a chance to sing with the group.

Christopher Kale Jones is simply wonderful as Frankie, who changed his last name to Valli. While Jones doesn’t exactly replicate the original, he’s oh so “all but.”

Bob Gaudio, the guy who wrote the music and whose friendship with Valli as well as their business partnership, based on a simple handshake, continues today is beautifully portrayed by Erich Bergen as a tall, rather shy guy, who really doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, but who just wants to write music. His affection for his pal, Frankie, is palpable, especially as he watches the success of Valli’s “come back song,” “Can’t take my eyes off of you.”

Rounding out the quartet is Steve Gouveia as Nick Massi, womanizer and never quite comfortable in a subordinate role, always talking about “getting his own group,” who left for reasons which are never revealed and who died in 2002.

John Altieri is Bob Crew, the astrology-loving producer-lyricist; Joseph Siravo is Gyp DeCarlo, the Mafia Don who takes a liking to Frankie; Courter Simmons does a great Joe Pesci impression.

Friendship is what drives the group and their success. They love each other even when they hate each other. They are a mass of contradictions – Valli didn’t speak to Devito, for example, after the latter hit on Valli’s girl, and yet he takes on Devito’s huge debt because that’s what friends do–they take care of each other.

The story turns dark in Act 2, as conflict plagues the group and one by one the original members leave. Four backup guys are found and it becomes “Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons,” as Valli steps into the spotlight.

McAnuff’s staging and the non-stop energy of the cast is infectious. The enormous set by Klara Zieglerova, a massive thing of metal catwalks, fences, curving staircases, and screens which move in and out for cartoon-like illustrations and video clips add to the “massive” feel of it all.

But in the end, it is the music and the relationship between the four which is what makes this show and gives it its irresistible appeal.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Best of Broadway

When you read the 64 page program for “Best of Broadway’s” 35th anniversary extravaganza, “Sounds of the City,” you have an overwhelming desire to count things. For example, there are 57 musical numbers. There are 212 performers listed in the program, 49 dancers, 91 adult vocalists and 72 children plus an additional 4 sign language interpreters and volunteers too numerous to count, other than the 69 listed as ushers.

This is a big show.

Best of Broadway was an idea conceived by David L. MacDonald in 1973 as a way to raise money for Good Samaritan Boys’ Homes. Thirty-five years later it is still under the direction of MacDonald and still raising funds for local charities. MacDonald describes it has having grown to “a hybrid between professional theater and community theater.” Both extremes were blatantly apparent in this production.

Act 1 illustrated different aspects of city sounds, from the night life (including a little bit of the sleazy side), moving into a daytime business area,, and finally a segment that deals with the theatrical life of a big city.

There were outstanding performances, such as Dewight Mitchell in songs from “The Life,” “Grand Hotel,” and “Dream Girls”

Randy Solorio stood out in “Riverside Drive” from “Jimmy,” and in “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Kendra Mattingly, looking very reminiscent of Winona Ryder, was outstanding in “Dream Babies,” from “The Me That Nobody Knows.”

A trio of Melissa Gibson, Meagan Morrison and Lauren Sater were first rate in “Just Arrived,” from “Copacabana.”

Mark Stivers, music arranger, created a medley of Broadway show stoppers, “Music of the Night” by Lou Parell, “Memory” by Nalisha Gray, “Once in a Lifetime” by David L. MacDonald, and “What I Did for Love” by Teresa Taraya, where each sang bit of his or her song and then the four blended together contrapuntally. It was a magical moment.

But the real “magic” comes when the children enter. Their first number was “Light Sings” from “The Me That Nobody Knows” and they were militantly adorable. Watch the left side of the stage for real scene stealers!

Act 2 focused on two shows, “Civil War” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (the version by Dennis DeYoung from the musical group Styx).

Dewight Williams again gave a towering performance in “River Jordan” while Natasha Greer led a moving vocal and dance ensemble in “Someday.”

Enrique Ruiz (also the Children’s Choral Director) was a sensitive Hunchback in several numbers. Ryan Ritter, Rando Solorio and Sam Williams were very funny in “Alms for the Beggarman.” And Feature Musical Director Marji DuBois was wonderful in just about everything.

Christopher Carlson’s mic went dead in “King of Fools.” The actor has toured professionally and his experience as he worked to be heard over the amplification of the rest of the singers on stage. He did, however, have an opportunity to come back, fully miced in the delightful “On a Sunday by the Sea” (with Melissa Gibson, Amy Longstreth, Laura Lothian and Randy Solorio”).

I have reviewed “Best of Broadway” for seven years now and every year I complain about the inconsistent sound system. Levels are sometimes ear splitting, other times distorted, or, in the case of Carlson and Choral Director Corey Rickrode (in “By the Grace of God”), simply not there. When they are good, they are very, very good, but for a show that is a hybrid of professional and community theater, they are not consistently good enough.

The company is also showing the loss of lighting designer Dion Cook. The team of six people credited with lighting (and sound!) design made this a very dark show where much too much of the dancing was done in semi-darkness, while follow spots concentrated on the singer. Particularly bad was a lovely ballet done by Sara Rewinkle, Randy Solorio, Diana Ruslin and Jerald Bolden which was not lit at all, while the focus was on Marji DuBois and Enrique Ruiz. Lighting designers should recognize that the dancers work just as hard (if not harder) and deserve their own moment to be seen as well!

The children’s second number, “The New Ashmolean Marching Society” from “Where’s Charley?”was absolutely stunning, with all 72 dressed in marching band costumes. Kudos to costume coordinators Cathy Carpenter and Joan Pohlman and to children’s choreographer, Kourtney Staab-Spencer.

There will be plenty of opportunities to catch this show. It will run through September 16 at Luther Burbank Theater in Sacramento, and then from September 21 through the 30th at the Whitney Theater in Rocklin. It’s well worth the money, and the money goes for a good cause, so it’s a win-win situation.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Best of Broadway at 35

It was pandemonium, with tap shoes. The stage at Luther Burbank Auditorium was filled with children, in all sizes. They were talking, laughing, tapping, turning cartwheels, climbing up and down stairs. A circle of little girls sat in a corner of the stage playing a game.

In the audience were the mothers / grandmothers / siblings / babysitters. It was a sea of blue screens as they sent text messages or chatted on their cell phones. Some read magazines, others watched what was going on on stage and took copious notes. Younger siblings chased each other up and down the aisles, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying.

All of a sudden a voice came out of an unseen speaker telling the kids on stage that it was time to gather together and in an instant, the chaos became discipline, the kids were singing “New Ashmolean Society” and marching around the stage in precision.

While the kids were dancing on stage, the adult performers were in another room at a vocal rehearsal. At some later point in the evening, the kids would move to the vocal rehearsals and the adults would come on stage for the dance portion of their rehearsal.

Sheila Engle was sitting in the auditorium reading a magazine. Her 9 year old granddaughter, Lena Wilson is performing with Best of Broadway for the first time. They saw an ad in the newspaper and, since the youngster had danced in several dance recitals around Sacramento, they thought it would be a fun activity. Grandma drove all the way in from Grass Valley on this night because Lena’s mother had to work and couldn’t get her daughter to the auditorium.

Such is the nature of rehearsal for “Best of Broadway,” Sacramento’s oldest and largest all-volunteer community show, this year presenting “Sounds of the City,” its 35th production.

Thirty-five years ago, David L. MacDonald was working for Good Samaritan Boys Homes as a social worker. “We didn’t have enough money to do the things that we thought every kid should have as an experience – trips and traveling kinds of things, birthdays, Christmases, parties, the normal things that most kids experience.”

MacDonald had a background that included theater. At one time he thought of trying to make a career out of it, until he got sidetracked into social work. He did community theater and ran his own theater company, The Broadway Playhouse.

“The only way I could figure out to raise money for the Boys Homes was to put on a show. I called people whom I had known back in high school and college and people that I’d performed with in community theater and professional theater. I just called every individual I could think of and asked if they would come and do a show with me.”

MacDonald didn’t know what he was getting into. “I had produced small things, but never anything nearly as gigantic as what this is and I didn’t realize what it was going to take time-wise.” He found they were rehearsing nearly around the clock for three weeks. Johnny Wilson, music director for Music Circus for 27 years, became their musical director. “He would sit there at the piano all night long -- 3 a.m., 4 a.m. -- the guy is punching away at the piano and we are learning our songs. It was amazing.”

In addition to learning songs and dances, there were all the other aspects of a theatrical performance to consider. “We were literally pounding nails, painting sets and hanging lights backstage while the audience was coming in. We’ve gotten way, way beyond that now. We’ve kind of become a hybrid between professional theater and community theater now,” said MacDonald.

He expected it to be a one-time event, but reviewers came to see the show, and they said nice things. MacDonald felt they had learned so much that first year, and it had been so well received, why not do it again? Thirty-five years later it’s bigger and better than ever. There were 55 people in the first production and there are over 200 in this year’s extravaganza. The aim is to include people from age 7 to age 70 and this year MacDonald is proud of having achieved that goal. “We say to everybody when they come to the auditions that we are looking to include people,” aid MacDonald. “There are those that we just can’t use because they just don’t have the talent, but it’s a small percentage.”

Diana Ruslin is principal choreographer, and also a dancer in the show. “Auditions every year are very exciting,” she says. “It’s wonderful to see new faces along with the returning performers. The growth of the returning cast members every year is inspirational. Every year it is a privilege to have some of the now professional performers return to perform in Best of Broadway, where they started,” she said.

Ryan Jerzak got his start in Best of Broadway in 1993, at age 11. He has since moved to New York and spends six months out of the year traveling as a choreographer with the Royal Caribbean cruise line. This year he has come back to be one of the choreographers.

“Best of Broadway was my first theatrical experience,” says Jerzak. “I had never really explored dance as an option of what my life was going to be. It was amazing. It teaches you a lot about getting to a professional career in the business. You get a lot of performance experience and working conditions under your belt so when you do get out in the industry you know what you’re getting into because you grew up doing it.”

Best of Broadway has been the training ground for “tons” (says MacDonald) of people who have gone on to work in various areas of show business professionally. Molly Ringwald began her career with Best of Broadway. It was MacDonald who suggested that she audition for a touring production of “Annie.” She did, and won a role as one of the orphans.

Jan Gan Boyd has performed in eleven movies, including “A Chorus Line” and performed on Broadway with Yul Brynner in “The King and I.”

Jennifer Foote is the lead in the touring production of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”

Geoff Vaughn was the head carpenter and technical director for “Grey Gardens,” which had a successful run on Broadway and won three Tony awards.

Christopher Carlsen, another Best of Broadway alum, is back again this year, following a year with the touring company of “Les Miserables.” “There’s always a bond that develops at Best of Broadway,” he said. “It’s such a positive thing, a general good feeling that makes you want to come back again.”

It’s not only the performers who want to come back again. Out in the lobby Mary Morrison and Rena Jordan work the snack bar where the performers can buy sandwiches and other snacks during break times. Morrison’s daughter Megan is performing for the fourth year. “She got married last year in October but she flew home from Santa Fe to do the show,” her mother says, proud that this year her daughter has a solo this year.

Mary and Rena have done lots of types of backstage work. This year they work the snack bar, but in previous years they have done costumes, props and sets. They laugh about the “purple year.” “If I never saw purple paint again in my life it would be too soon. The paint would not stick and every night after rehearsal we’d be back out there painting again,” remembered Mary.

Why do they work so hard? “It gives me a chance to be with my kid,” said Mary.

The women talked about the family feeling that MacDonald creates which keeps volunteers coming back year after year. “The performers make new friends every year. They do a secret buddy thing here. They exchange gifts and cards. They don’t know until opening night who their secret buddy is. It’s a way for everybody to meet each other. They do a cast and crew pot luck just before the show opens. Dave does an opening night party and a closing night party for the cast. It’s just a lot of fun. For me personally I get to watch my daughter sing. I get the chance to come out and do something. A lot of the parents that would otherwise be stuck sitting at home get an opportunity to come out and mingle with other parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins and what-not. It builds a family.”

Zack Tucker was there behind the concession stand because his sister Paige was on stage. This is Paige’s second year with Best of Broadway. “This is the first year I’ve done snack bar. I’m proud of my sister for performing, but I’ve never done it myself,” he said.

Pride is evident everywhere you look, people proud of the work they are doing and eager to give the audience the best possible show. Cathy Carpenter has been making costumes for 17 years and Joan Pohlman for the last 11 years. This year these women will create at least 3 costumes per performer. Some performers may wear up to 20 costumes in each performance. The costumers put in 80 sewing hours per week in the six weeks leading up to the show, though both have full-time jobs during the day.

As I left Luther Burbank auditorium, Ryan Jerzak was on stage working with a group of adult dancers. I could hear singing coming from adjacent rooms. David MacDonald was sitting in the front row watching the rehearsal. Mary and Miriam were packing up the concession stand for the night. Tomorrow they would do it all over again. On opening night, September 7, as the lights go up on the stage for the 35th performance of Best of Broadway, everyone involved with the production can sit back and enjoy the show, along with the rest of us, proud of their part in keeping this tradition alive for Sacramento audiences, and for the organizations which will benefit from the proceeds of the show.