Home Arts & Lifestyle Spring Musical to Be Replaced by Variety Show

Spring Musical to Be Replaced by Variety Show

by Grace Allen

Blackburn’s 2017 spring musical, slated to be “Once Upon a Mattress,” has been cancelled. A musical variety show will take its place.

The decision was “purely based on numbers,” said performing arts professor Dr. Carolyn Conover. “We needed about 20 actors of all types to cast in the show and only 12 showed up to auditions.” Per the nature of the play’s royalties contract, the show must be cast as it was written. While auditioners were sparse, their aptitude was strong. “We had so many talents in the group. We asked ourselves: ‘How can we use these people and what they can do in a different way?’” Eventually,  the decision to create a variety show was reached.

Conover admitted the show was currently in its infancy but described its framework. “We want it to be a movement through time in terms of genre and style. We’re looking at starting in the 1940s and working our way through to the 1990s – music, costumes and television and movie styles. Everything from a USO patriotic show all the way through “I Love Lucy” and “The Brady Bunch” to “New Kids on the Block” and “Saved by the Bell” – plus the popular music styles of those times.”

“Variety, in the true sense of the word,” is what Conover said she is most excited for. She believes that the wide range of music, dance and acting styles will allow the actors to showcase their talents in ways a traditional musical might not. “Each story is like its own little entity. It not only allows actors a chance to play a lot of different characters and a lot of different styles; it allows the audience to see different combinations and types of people.”

Conover also said the wide diversity of performances a variety show would showcase were attractive. “It appeals to so many audiences.” She explained that a viewer of any age or generation would find something familiar to connect with and reminisce on, whether it be radio shows from over half a century ago or Madonna. “Even if you can’t pinpoint the timeline,” she continued, “the comedy and spectacle of it is fun to watch. From an acting standpoint, I’m excited to work with actors on learning comedy, which is not an easy style of performance.”

Logan Elliott, a sophomore leadership major and member of the play could barely contain his excitement when speaking of the variety show. “It’s in the students’ best interest not to have the spring musical,” he said of the change. “They wiped it out and put together a show that would best highlight our talents. When you work in theater after undergrad, it usually is something like this. It’s great experience and an amazing resume builder.”

The variety show is set to open Monday, April 20,  and will end April 22. Entry is free with your Blackburn ID.

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