Arizona State University
Music Theatre & Opera Program Alumni Cabaret

Hey Old, Friends!

Arizona State University

October 17, 2020

Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards

The first of what promises to be an annual event was produced as a fundraiser for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Scholarship Program. I worked at what is still referred to as Lyric Opera Theatre (LOT) with its 500-seat theater in the birthday-cake building on ASU’s main campus in Tempe in the 1970s and ’80s. The LOT of today is already way more diverse than I remember.
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Excepting JoAnn Yeoman, who was a legend before my time and currently teaches students, the other alumni were one and two generations after my time.
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Acting Up Series, the company founded by Seth Tucker and Šime Košta, outdid itself with the daunting task of recording all of the singers and creating a cohesive cabaret, which served its purpose of informing the audience of the importance of diversity in the American opera and music-theater world. It would be too much to review every performance, but I want to call out some of the highlights and give a big bravo to Tucker and Košta for pulling this project together in these challenging times. They not only chose their talent and program well, but they wove in fundraising along with personal photographs and inspiring music that entertained a wide and diverse online audience.

The best moments were those with a message that came from the heart. (It is very distracting to see eyes dart down to a script or notes.) Several students shared their personal stories, some from as recently as this summer—fighting off Covid and trying to find enough money to stay in school. My favorite was the trio of Michelle Chin and two non-credited alums Brittany Bradford and Tregoney Shepherd. Their passion and honesty were superior motivators for making a donation. Alums, staff, and faculty were united in their belief that every story matters, and that the arts will be better and stronger only if normally marginalized voices are given help to come into programs like LOT.

Larry Ray, a strong tenor, delivered “Times Are Hard for Dreamers” from Amelie. Alyssa Chiarello, whom I have seen blazing on the stage of Phoenix Theatre Company, joined with Jason Paul for a Colten Julian-arranged and accompanied medley of “Wick” and “Hold On” from The Secret Garden. Matravius Avent, Tucker and John Batchan nailed a medley of “Dear Theodosia” and “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton. Tucker is a master at eye contact, making a streaming performance seem live. Batcher is incredibly talented for his young age. By donning a black tee and performing against a plain wall, he was able to become a very credible rapping Thomas Jefferson.

Damon J. Bolling and Lindsay Geroux, both of whom have Broadway voices, were spliced into an entertaining “It Takes Two” from Into the Woods against a very scenic simulated forest.  Vaibu Mohan, a 2020 graduate, sang “Taught” from Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, which exemplified both the evening’s message and the quality of the training she received. A clear highlight was Julian Mendoza’s “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables, which he sang delicately in Spanish with perfect pitch and tone. My favorite duet was “Sing Happy” from Flora the Red Menace as performedby Aryn Nemiroff and Kristen Drathman. They could not have been more different, but they came together in delightful harmony.

Tucker and Košta’s production shined with two ensemble numbers. The one I at first thought was the finale was “Heart and Music” featuring the 2017 cast of A New Brain directed by Robert Kolbe Harper, the Associate Artistic Director of Phoenix Theatre (PT) and a lecturer at ASU. The collaboration between the university and PT has made a difference in the professionalism of the students’ training and their readiness to work upon graduation. Harper’s message was “We’re still making connections” despite the new normal of virtual staging.

The actual finale was Sondheim’s “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George in which these amazing voices came together with Košta’s fanciful editing of art and the actual birthday cake building. It was the perfect curtain call.
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