Diana Krump
WC-4
May 15, 2014
“Broadway to Africa” May 3, 2014, a benefit for Younglife ministry in Africa.
Stage Director – Jennifer Condreay Music Director: Melanie West
Choreography: Joyce Cole and Bob Mitchell
Pianist and Band Leader: Lance Garrett.
The show was a series of twenty-five songs from popular Broadway musicals. The costumes were colorful and elaborate. All songs were set against a plain black back-drop that adapted to colorful stage lights.I will review my favorites performances, and then list the rest of the songs, so that I can meet the requirement of keeping this performance review to three pages:
Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast was a clever rendition of singers in costume. The soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts were evenly performed, and I could tell they put much time into the song preparation and the choreography.
Mame from Mame was a solo piano piece with exciting dynamics and a tempo that made me want to get up and dance. Sitting close to the pianist, I was able to watch him use the energy of his entire upper body as he played the song.
Easy Street from Annie was a combination of speaking and singing parts. It was like a musical skit, and I loved the costumes and New York accents of the performers.
Do You Love Me from Fiddler on the Roof was sung by a real life married couple. It was fun to compare it to the movie performance we watched in class and the musical at Arapahoe High School. I liked the movie performance the best, but all of them showed the tender moment when the singers admitted to being in love.
Defying Gravity from Wicked was my favorite performance because I love that song. One person performed this song, so they changed the lyrics to make it flow better for a solo piece. The singer’s voice was strong and she was able to stay on the correct pitch regardless of whether the music was pianissimo or fortissimo.
I Won’t Grow Up from Peter Pan was fun to watch, because the main singer was my age. There were 12 singers in this piece, and the choreography flowed smoothly and made it look like each singer knew each other well as they confidently played their parts.
Unexpected Song from Song and Dance was a new song for me. The singer was a solo performer. I noticed she had very good breath control.
Dreams from Minimum Wage was an accapella piece with four singers. The piano player jumped up from his piano bench, put on a red candy striped shirt to match the other singers’ outfits, and sang one of the most clear bass parts I’ve ever heard. The bass part guided the tempo, and everyone stayed on pitch!
I Know It’s Today from Shrek, the Musical was a performance by three singers, a little girl, a teenager, and an adult. They all wore the same green gown to represent the singer at