Stargazer Collaborative Theatre

Women of Broadway

Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff, AZ, September 16, 2023

Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards

This is only my second opportunity to submit a review of a cabaret show performed by local Flagstaff artists; the first was Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival’s I Am Playing Me, a one-woman show by Hannah Fontes. Women of Broadway launched the brand-new Stargazer Collaborative Theatre. My separately posted interview with co-founder and cabaret singer Caitlin Burd provides insights into the new venture and the thought behind the cabaret.

Caitlin Burd

Burd’s fellow cast members included Jessie Luckey, Sarah Kelley, Alison Johnston, and Emily Jacoby. Except for Burd, all are young singers who are theater or voice majors at Northern Arizona University and/or veterans of the recent community productions The 25th Annual Putman Country Spelling Bee and The Last Five Years. They were accompanied by a solid trio of musicians: Scott Seaman on piano, June Connelley on drums, and Clay Allred on guitar. The opening performance was also the final technical rehearsal/Industry night, and some technical issues still needed to be addressed to ensure a balance between the singers (who did have lapel mics) and the musicians so that the audience could hear the lyrics clearly. The Coconino Center for the Arts is not acoustically friendly.

Stargazer is a woman-founded company, and it accordingly chose to present a cabaret of Broadway songs written for women. The company opened with “Big Spender” from Sweet Charity, complete with a dance bar, plenty of choreography, and an attitude and look that made them believably women for hire. After a parade of solos and duets throughout the evening, the show closed in similar fashion with “All That Jazz,” which had original choreography that was very much in the style of Bob Fosse.

Alison Johnson

Each performer had her own distinct sound, look, and style, which speaks to Stargazer’s commitment to diversity. Each woman was clearly talented, but Burd was by far the strongest singer/actor on the stage. She soloed on “Somewhere That’s Green” (Little Shop of Horrors) and captured the pain that Audrey feels by being stuck in Skid Row. She also showed her comic-dialect and movement skills with an energetic rendition of “Roll in the Hay” from Young Frankenstein (with a little storytelling help from pianist Seaman). Finally, she held her own on one of this year’s most frequently sung cabaret songs, “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress. There was no difference between the quality of her performance and that of the many guests of Seth Rudetsky I have reviewed.

Burd shared the duet “No Reason” from Beetlejuice with Johnston. Johnston had two solos that were well suited to her age and look: “Mama Who Bore Me” from Spring Awakening and the driving “I’d Rather Be Me” from Mean Girls. That song’s explicit language and gestures were a big hit with the college-aged audience.

The full cast reprised “Mama Who Bore Me” with rich harmony.

Sarah Kelley

Kelley is a vocal-major graduate from NAU, and she was great at holding our attention while she is on stage. She possesses a contemporary high belt and shined especially on “The Wizard and I” from Wicked. She also sang “Out Tonight” from Rent, took the lead on the finale of “All That Jazz,” and shared the duets—“Dogfight – Dogfight” (Falsettos) with Jacoby and Wicked’s “For Good” with Burd. She exuded confidence on stage as both a singer and a dancer.

Jessie Luckey

Luckey is a comic ball of energy who showed diversity in the material she chose, from her best number “I’m Breaking Down” (Falsettos), to “Not for the Life of Me” (Thoroughly Modern Millie), to “On My Own” (Les Misérables), and “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Funny Girl), which is a vocal monster to perform. She also showed emotion in “I Will Never Leave You” from Side Show on which she duetted with an equally sincere Jacoby. Jacoby has projection issues, and she was hard to hear on “Flowers” from Hadestown with guitarist Allred sitting beside her center stage. “Stars and the Moon” (Jason Robert Brown), one of my favorite songs, came off as a solid recital number, but not a story she could sell given her age.

Emily Jacoby

Women of Broadway had a solid selection of songs and was well staged and entertaining for a diverse local audience. It was, however, devoid of patter and of the personal stories that would connect the audience to each singer and her song. Each song stood on its own. In a few instances, the singer started her number from the row of cast chairs upstage center, but most often each singer walked forward and sang. The only spoken word came from Burd’s welcome and the thanks from the other Stargazer co-founders, DeLano Hays and Dani Knight Commanda, and Board member Mark Hanson (carrying his dog).

They were sincerely appreciative of their supporters and generous in promoting upcoming shows by Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, Theatrikos and Flagstaff Music Theatre (which offers a Halloween-themed cabaret on Friday, October 13.

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Despite any shortcomings, Stargazer Collaborative Theatre has arrived in Flagstaff, and its Women of Broadway fundraising cabaret met with success and with great anticipation of what it comes up with next.