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From left, Verlyria Hairston, Michelle Johnson and Sierra Dalton, as The Supremes, sing “Stop in the Name of Love” during a rehearsal for “Beehive,” a musical about the 1960s. (Contributed photo) |
Monday, June 15, 2009
By KIM BARTO - Bulletin Staff Writer
Get out your hairspray and get ready to groove to the songs of the ’60s when TheatreWorks Community Players present “Beehive, The 60s Musical” this week.
“Beehive” pays homage to the “girl groups” and solo singers of the ’60s, with performances of pop hits from the likes of Brenda Lee, Lesley Gore, The Shangri-las, The Chiffons, The Supremes, Mama Cass, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin.
“Even if you didn’t grow up in the period, like I did, and remember those songs, they’re classics. Everybody knows them and loves them,” said Andy Parker, chairman of the TheatreWorks board.
The musical promises “wailing women, a hot six-piece band, outrageous costumes and wigs, and 15 cans of hairspray,” according to a TheatreWorks news release.
“It’s high-energy, very fast-paced,” Parker said of the show. “I think everybody’s going to have a great time.”
“Beehive” will run Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Community College’s Walker Fine Arts Center, with Sunday shows at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Wednesday, which is preview night, all tickets will be $5 each.
Tickets for the remaining performances will be $12 for adults and $6 for high school students and younger.
“We provide live entertainment for about the same price as you pay going to a movie, and you see your friends and neighbors, which makes it even better,” Parker said.
The cast, crew and musicians are “all homegrown,” Parker said.
“The area can be very proud of their local talent. From what I’ve seen thus far, I would put it up against some professional regional theater I’ve seen around the country,” he added.
And Parker would know, as a professional actor who once performed on Broadway “way back in a former life.”
“I don’t heap praise when it isn’t deserved,” he said. “These girls can just flat-out sing.”
“Beehive” cast members are Sierra Glenn of Martinsville, Kristen Muscatello of Ridgeway, Verlyria Hairston of Eden, N.C., Michelle Johnson of Martinsville, Jennifer Graham of Collinsville and Rhonda Hopkins of Ridgeway.
Backup vocalists are Emily Warwick and Brittney Lewis of Martinsville.
Dancers are Leigh Anne Ottaway and Brittaney Brown.
Several veterans of past shows are cast members, but overall it’s “a good mix” of TheatreWorks alumni and new performers, Parker said.
“The neat thing about TheatreWorks, and about community theater in general, is it changes lives. It’s a great venue for people to showcase their talent,” Parker said. “Even if you can’t sing or dance, you can build a set, paint a set or run sound.”
More locals lending their talents to the production are director Corbin Campbell, set designer Matthew Emerson and stage manager Eliza Walmsley, with costumes by Ami Shupe, lighting by Jackie Finney, sound by Tom Berry, vocal direction by Anita Ray and music direction by Susan Branham.
Not only will the musical feature a live band onstage, there also will be a multimedia screen on which the original ’60s singers will be projected.
“It’s going to be a feast for the eyes, between the costumes and all that’s going on onstage,” Parker said.
The band includes Riggs Roberson on lead guitar, Susan Branham on keyboards, Matt Turner on tenor sax, C. Bonnell Young on drums, Nick Stewart on trumpet and David Abbot on bass guitar.
Parker said TheatreWorks strives to give performers of all ages a chance to participate in the shows.
“What we do is not just kid stuff. We want to try and do multigenerational, multiethnic” performances, he said.
TheatreWorks Community Players began in 2004 under a different name to revive the area’s past tradition of community theater. PHCC and Piedmont Arts Association began working to bring community theater back to the area with performances in 2001, 2002 and 2003 that played to large, receptive audiences, the release said.
TheatreWorks has produced annual shows since 2005, and the positive response has prompted the group to add more performances for the first time this year, Parker said.
“We will be going from a one- to a three-show season because it’s been so well-supported by the community,” he said. “I think they see that we’ve delivered a quality product all the way around.”
The Harvest Foundation originally granted TheatreWorks the funding to get off the ground. Now, Parker said, the next step is seeking funds to create a permanent uptown home for the theater company.
TheatreWorks hopes to set up a black box theater in an uptown storefront, a goal that is “probably nine months to a year away,” he said.
A black box theater is an open room, painted black, with a simple stage that is ideal for small productions, Parker said. Limiting the audience to 100 or 200 people will provide an intimate setting, he said.
“There’s a lot more energy when you can pack a smaller house,” Parker said. “It’s better for the performers; it’s better for the audience.”
Also, he said, the location will “really add value to uptown and to the businesses uptown. People can go get dinner, then see the show.”
While the group will continue to hold its main summer production at Walker Fine Arts Center, the other two shows will rotate among the Rives Theatre uptown and other venues in the community.
“What we’re trying to achieve is providing that balance of a large-scale production in the summer” with a small production at the uptown theater and a medium-sized production at the end of the year, he said.
“My number-one priority with this is economic development and quality of life,” Parker said. “When companies look at an area to relocate, this is the kind of stuff they look for.”
For more information about “Beehive, The 60s Musical” or TheatreWorks Community Players, call 632-3221 or visit www.piedmontarts.org/theatreworks. |
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