During my first full season at Goodspeed, I was thrilled to discover that our Fall production was slated to be City of Angels, arguably the jazziest original score ever to grace a Broadway stage. In the show, the "Angel City Four," a scatting, vocal jazz quartet propels the plot forward at various times, much like a Greek Chorus, but in very tight harmony. Rather than casting the performers individually, Goodspeed wisely chose four talented actor-musicians from an existing group, Marquee Five, to come to East Haddam as a package deal. Coincidentally, the bass of the group, Mick Bleyer, was an old friend of mine from Reading, PA. We had done community theater together way back in the day, but I hadn't seen him in nearly 15 years. It was amazing to reconnect with him, and meet his talented colleagues, (soprano) Vanessa Parvin, (alto) Sierra Rein, and (tenor/arranger) Adam West Hemming.
Fast forward five years, and the gang is back together, along with the fifth member of Marquee Five, the lovely mezzo, Lyndsey Buckelew. This Fall, we premiered a new set, Backporch Swing, in a show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, followed by a tour of Southern California, Florida, and Virginia. Our time is California was amazing; we stayed with Adam's friend, performer Bree Burgess Rosen, while performing two nights at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, and one night at No Square Theatre in Laguna, co-founded by Adam and Bree. We also performed on a morning radio show and facilitated two student workshops. I was lucky enough to catch up with my old Antietam friend, Jack Kubacki at our show in Long Beach, and meet my Mom's friend from elementary school, Delise Konigsbach, who came from San Diego with her husband Dan to see our show in Laguna. On our day off, I drove to Encinitas to visit my Cousin Amy and her family. Cousins Ezra and Arlo showed me around their neighborhood and ran me ragged at the playground. We also ate our fill of fresh-picked passionfruit and pomegranate – delicious! Florida and Virginia were more like whirlwind performance getaways, but fun and fulfilling, nonetheless. The Tin Pan was a great venue in Richmond, and our gig in Florida came with a camera crew! We'll post videos when we get the final footage.
Fast forward five years, and the gang is back together, along with the fifth member of Marquee Five, the lovely mezzo, Lyndsey Buckelew. This Fall, we premiered a new set, Backporch Swing, in a show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, followed by a tour of Southern California, Florida, and Virginia. Our time is California was amazing; we stayed with Adam's friend, performer Bree Burgess Rosen, while performing two nights at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, and one night at No Square Theatre in Laguna, co-founded by Adam and Bree. We also performed on a morning radio show and facilitated two student workshops. I was lucky enough to catch up with my old Antietam friend, Jack Kubacki at our show in Long Beach, and meet my Mom's friend from elementary school, Delise Konigsbach, who came from San Diego with her husband Dan to see our show in Laguna. On our day off, I drove to Encinitas to visit my Cousin Amy and her family. Cousins Ezra and Arlo showed me around their neighborhood and ran me ragged at the playground. We also ate our fill of fresh-picked passionfruit and pomegranate – delicious! Florida and Virginia were more like whirlwind performance getaways, but fun and fulfilling, nonetheless. The Tin Pan was a great venue in Richmond, and our gig in Florida came with a camera crew! We'll post videos when we get the final footage.