Musical revue takes center stage at Leeds Saturday
Published 1:08 pm Friday, June 23, 2017
For two weeks, 18 middle and high school students have been learning Broadway songs and choreography in an intensive program at Leeds Center for the Arts.
The public can see the fruits of their labors Saturday evening in a free performance at 7:30 p.m.
Director Steve Crosby said the students will perform 19 songs in a 90-minute revue. The material comes from Broadway standards like “South Pacific” and “Hair” to more current fare like “Jersey Boys” and “Hamilton.”
“We have a song from Dear Evan Hansen,” which just won the Tony for best musical two weeks ago,” Crosby said.
The variety is intentional.
“We wanted to expose them to the classical stuff and let them pick some of the new things they know and love,” choreographer Ellie Miller said.
“Their repertoire is massive,” Crosby said.
“We’ll give them a song at the end of the day and the next day, they’ll have it,” Miller said.
Throughout the two weeks, guest teachers from around the region have also come in to speak and teach the students, they said.
We want the kids to be pushed to do things they’ve not, and to grow,” Crosby said.
“We’ve given them challenging music and challenging choreography,” Miller said. “They’ve stepped up and blossomed.”
The public performance is free, though donations will be welcome.