Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

The El Dorado Musical Theatre (EDMT) and its High Voltage troupe have performed at Folsom Lake College’s Harris Center since 2011 ─ until March 2020. That’s what made tonight’s performance of “Back to Broadway” an experience that was both strange and familiar for all of us involved. It was strange for me and the rest of the audience because it had been a year and a half since most of us had seen a live show in a theater. It was strange for the young people performing because they hadn’t had such a large audience those many months ─ a significant fraction of their young lives. But it was the familiarity that all of us craved ─ the excellent High Voltage performances of Broadway songs, delivered to an appreciative sold-out house in a beautiful venue.

The evening began with an enthusiastic introduction by EDMT CEO, Danielle Levy, who welcomed the audience, noting that “It’s been 554 days” since they had been able to perform at Harris Center. She closed by commenting that, despite the problems of those 18 months, “We are stronger than ever” ─ welcome news to all of us who have been dazzled by all the productions overseen by EDMT founder Debbie Wilson and her collaborators.

The show started with “Seasons of Love” from Rent. It featured some big voices (and impressive styling) from individual singers, and I’ll confess I got goosebumps when they hit their first chord.

Next was an introduction of the 22-member cast. They were introduced at first one by one, with the most senior performers entering the stage with their best dance moves, while their name and number of seasons with High Voltage was displayed in giant letters on the screen behind them. The audience gave each of these veterans an enthusiastic welcome. Eventually, the members with two years’ experience were introduced as a group, then one year, then the 5 first-timers ─ followed by an ensemble dance number. (Click here to see a list of this season's members, along with pictures and bios.)

The evening’s program consisted of 3 songs from each of 9 Broadway shows. Each show was introduced by 2 or 3 cast members giving a very brief background on the show itself and the situation portrayed in each of the songs. These scripted introductions were occasionally humorous, but always charming.

(Click here to open the program in a new window.)

The first show was Anything Goes, and it began with the title song and an entrance by the young ladies of the troupe dressed as 1920s flappers in fringe-adorned dresses. Tap dancing is almost a trademark for EDMT, and training in tap is “Dance Skills 101” for new recruits. So in this first song, the show was launched with a great ensemble tap number.

I was sitting on the end in the first row. I chose my seat when there was still plenty of seating available farther back because I love to watch these young people closely. And in this first number I saw in their smiles something more than a pose for the audience: I saw an irrepressible joy of performing before an appreciative crowd that had been withheld from them for so long.

I’ll confess that I don’t care much for the popular music introduced in the past few decades ─ the kind of music that these young people no doubt prefer to listen to. And much as I love the show tunes of the past, the lyrics of “Friendship” were so dated that I found myself cringing as I listened. But the trio who performed it (with excellent choreography) put so much energy into it that they made it really entertaining despite the hokey lyrics. Then came “Take Me Back,” with an opportunity to bring in another much-loved EDMT gimmick ─ the kick line. This bit of choreography made a return later in the show, and each time the kick line brought cheers from the audience.

I’ll confess I’m a child of the ‘60s, so the songs from Jersey Boys and Grease were a highlight of tonight’s show for me. In “December 1963” from Jersey Boys, the boys came out in dark suits with red ties and performed to a great soundtrack with staging that allowed each of them to demonstrate a bit of attitude. Then the girls performed “My Boyfriend’s Back” in short red dresses. As I watched, I don’t think there could have been a person in the audience who could have suppressed a smile while watching these cute routines. Then we got “Sherry” with a fine imitation of Frankie Valli’s falsetto.

Grease brought new, colorful costumes with “We Go Together.” The lyrics were as silly to modern ears as those of “Friendship.” But these were difficult and fast-paced, and I imagined what a challenge they must have been to memorize.

The audience had to prove they were vaccinated to get into Harris Center. But we also had to wear masks (though quite a few protested by not wearing them correctly). Thinking about the masking, I frequently found myself feeling sorry for the performers. They were singing and dancing their hearts out. But they looked out onto a full house where everyone was wearing a mask ─ a mask that hid the smiles that could have rewarded and encouraged the efforts of those on stage.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s fanciful Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with its send-up of a variety of musical styles, opened the door to more creativity from EDMT’s costumers and choreographers. I was particularly struck by the acrobatic dance moves and fancy footwork in “One More Angel in Heaven.” I don’t imagine it was perfect, but what I saw was outrageously complicated choreography performed with amazing accuracy by the ensemble.

OK, these young people are not professionals. But each member of the High Voltage troupe knows what it means to have professional standards. So they memorize their lines, their positions, and their moves. They strive for perfection because they don’t want to let the rest of the group down. And when they’re on stage, they’re acting every moment.

I haven’t yet mentioned the projections on the back of the stage, but every number had an image that gave an appropriate evocation of the setting of the song. I had to laugh at the projection for “Song of the King,” because it was Las Vegas-style ─ appropriate for a piece that evoked Elvis Presley’s Vegas years.

Act Two of tonight’s performance opened with songs from A Chorus Line. I know that a lot of thought must go into the staging of every High Voltage number, but occasionally there is an idea that demands special attention, such as the way “I Hope I Get It” began ─ with all the performers facing away from the audience, giving the impression that we were upstage from them, eavesdropping on their anxiety about making “the cut.” As they danced in this number, it struck me that some of these young people might indeed have a chance as a dancer on Broadway in the not-too-distant future.

The next number, “What I Did for Love,” took an even more serious turn as the dancers contemplated how they would feel if their dancing were cut short by a career-ending accident. At one point most of the cast was crouched down, while someone was singing. I was sitting where I could look into the face of one young woman, arguably the best dancer in the troupe. It seemed to me that she was really thinking about never being able to dance again, and she had such a pained expression that it seemed like she could begin to cry.

“At the Ballet” took an even darker turn, and the soliloquies of each of the three young women in the scene demonstrated some of the best acting of the evening.

Wonderland was an antidote to the somber tone of A Chorus Line. It is a musical unfamiliar to me ─ and to everyone else, since it closed one month after its opening in 2011. But the fanciful nature of this show gave an opportunity to clear the air with bright colors and whimsy. The choreography and staging (and costumes) allowed each performer to cut loose, and for a while I felt like I was watching a gang of zombies or at least escapees from an insane asylum. I remember the line “We’re all a little nuts” ─ and it fit. It led to dance moves I’ve never seen before (and may never see again). This was followed by “One Knight,” an interesting verbal competition among some of the young men to be the “one knight.”

“Positive” was the first song of Legally Blonde, and it was full of more great staging and ensemble choreography. I was impressed by the unusually sharp moves of the young women, and the thought hit me that this was a statement of “girl power.” “Ireland” was next, and it got me thinking about the many incidental and extended solos throughout tonight’s show. I often reflected about how good these young people were in presenting their songs. Singing isn’t enough when you’re doing Broadway. You have a story to tell, and you want your audience to feel something. I’ve heard it called “selling a song,” and that’s the craft that these young performers are learning ─ right along, of course, with all the mechanics of good singing.

“Whipped” was a choreographic tour-de-force: singing while jumping rope. I’ve seen choreographer Anjie Rose Wilson perform this number herself, and it seemed to me that she might have made it a little harder for the group performing it this time. There were insanely complicated sequences that included crossing the ropes, double jumps and other moves I can’t name. They were hard enough for one person to perform, but to have them synchronized in a group performance was truly amazing. The audience certainly thought so because they erupted in cheers at various points in the number.

“Backstage Romance,” a sarcastic song about love, was the first number from Moulin Rouge. The costumes set the mood: boys in tails and red carnations, girls in black tights with pink tutus. Then came “Elephant Love Medley,” an interesting potpourri of love songs from four pairs of performers. The familiar popular love songs, in very different styles, gave the singers a lot of latitude for individual interpretation and emotion. But from the way the songs seemed to melt from one into another, it must have been very difficult to learn the transitions and find one’s starting pitch.

Another strange song from Moulin Rouge was “Shut Up and Raise a Glass.” It had a driving beat to accompany the energetic dancing, and I could tell that the cast really felt it because I spotted one person dancing offstage while she waited for her cue to enter. This number was one more opportunity for losing one’s inhibitions, and it made quite a frenetic scene, accompanied by frequent repetitions of the phrase, “Shut up and dance with me.”

I don’t know Something Rotten well, so I was surprised that it would end tonight’s show. “Bottom’s Gonna Be on Top” was a number with clever, funny lyrics, culminating in a tap duel between William Shakespeare and Nick Bottom. The whole scene was so impressive that I wrote “absolutely brilliant” in my notes. I would love to see it performed again so I could fully appreciate each detail of dialog, each dance move, etc.

“Will Power,” with EDMT veteran Zach Wilson as Shakespeare, was another highlight of the evening. The witty dialog and lyrics were full of snippets of Shakespeare, brilliantly staged and acted, and I could see that all these young performers “got it,” delivering the humor with great energy. I’ve never seen Something Rotten performed, but after these samples, I’d jump at my first chance to do so.

“A Musical” was a perfect way to close this evening’s show. All night there had been so much talent on display, and it culminated in this number, which included another multi-sex kick line to the cheers of the audience. An elaborate curtain call wrapped things up to a standing ovation and rhythmic clapping by an appreciative audience.

These hard-working, talented young people got the applause, but a giant share of credit for what I saw on this Friday evening goes to EDMT founder and Director/Choreographer, Debbie Wilson, the creative spark behind so much of what delighted this audience. And I know she gladly shares that credit with her daughter and Choreographer, Anjie Rose Wilson ─ as well as Vocal Director, Jennifer Wittmayer and Costumer, Karen McConnell ─ and of course, Producer, Chris Hobbs ─ not to mention the small army of people who gave their talent and time to ensure that all of us could enjoy a memorable two-and-one-half-hour entertainment extravaganza.

Watch a 2-minute video of scenes from rehearsals for “Back to Broadway” here:

 

Learn more about High Voltage and the El Dorado Musical Theatre from their website at this link or their Facebook page at this link.