Broadway comes to the Black Box
Second Winter Music Revue runs three days in Plymouth
The sounds and sights of Broadway will take center stage at the Second Annual Winter Music Revue 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 7; Saturday, Dec. 8; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 9, in the Black Box Theater at the Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Avenue.
The production is an effort by the Plymouth Arts Council in conjunction with the City of Plymouth.
Audience members will experience an overview of Broadway’s biggest hits over the decades.
Numbers from the “Lion King,” “Singing in the Rain,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Les Miserable” and many others will be re-enacted from a troupe of volunteer performers from Plymouth and the surrounding area.
The cast is comprised of 17 performers 6- to 70-years-old.
Travis Karlen, Arts and Music Director at the City of Plymouth, said the city and the arts council are working to rebuild a theater culture within Plymouth.
“The focus of the arts council right now is to try to get community theater back up and running,” Karlen said. “We used to have a community theater group that was governed by the council, and they’re trying to get a group started like that again.”
The first Winter Music Revue was also held at the Black Box and showcased an entirely nonsecular holiday bill. There was such a good turnout for the event that the city and council decided to make it an annual program.
The response thus far for this year’s production indicates that Plymouth residents appreciate well-run community theater. Each of the three shows will be able to accommodate 125 audience members, and Karlen said almost half of the tickets have already been sold.
Pre-sale tickets are still available at a discounted price of $10. Admission will be $12 on the nights of the performance and seniors 60 and older can attend for $8. Children younger than 4-years-old can participate at no cost.
The cast and crew have been rehearsing since late October, and the arts council and the city have been making arrangements for nearly four months.
“We’ve been working on this since August, and it’s been a lot of work,” Karlen said. “It’s an all ages show. And it’s something that will appeal to both children and adults.”
The Winter Revue will also receive help from Home Depot, which has donated staff to help construct the set.
Local songstress Allison Raney is directing the entire production. Some may recall Raney from previous city events such as the volunteer recognition dinner and the Plymouth Art Fair. Others may have also heard Raney’s voice in the jazz group “Apple Cellar Trio.”
Raney arranged all the music and will perform accompaniment on piano throughout the evening.
There will be an intermission during the revue when attendees can purchase concessions from the Black Box, and folks will have a chance to meet the performers after the show.
“I’m excited about it,” Karlen said. “I think it’s good that we’re finally starting to get a following of people again for theater in Plymouth. It’s nice to see that people have been coming in to buy tickets and supporting the arts in the community. It’s important.”
More information can be found at plymouthmn.gov on the events calendar.
Allison Raney (standing) leads a group through a rehearsal of ‘Getting to Know You’ from the Sound of Music for the upcoming Winter Revue. (Photo by Brian Rosemeyer – Sun Newspapers)
