Director’s Perspective
James Gelter, Director
When VTC put on its first Broadway Revue, I was simply the light-board operator, but had an amazing time. I loved the atmosphere of a dinner theatre, the intimacy. I loved the quality food. And most of all, I loved watching the performers, knowing that they were enjoying performing just as much, if not more, as the audience was enjoying watching them perform. Over the years since that show, I have continually gone back to visit it in my mind and felt very strongly that we should give it another go. So, when the opportunity arose, I pushed hard to make a new Broadway Revue a reality, and was happy sign on to direct it.
The beauty of a Revue, or cabaret style show, is the flexibility. For a regular musical, you must search (sometimes desperately) for actors that fit into a certain pre-established list of roles. But for the revue, we are able to shape our show to fit our cast, and picking each number for each performer, as to play to everyone's strengths and guarantee that every number will be dynamite. The flexibility also allows us to cover a large range of musical styles. It helps to make the show enjoyable for everyone, as the numbers are a varied as the audiences’ specific tastes. Our show covers a great range of material, with numbers coming from many different decades and composers.
When creating a show to fit your talent, you need to make sure your talent truly has TALENT. I am blessed to have incredibly talented talent to work with for this production. The ages and personalities of these performers are as varied as the numbers they are performing, but each has one thing in common: pizazz. They are all captivating, they are all enjoyable to hear, they all have the ability to make you say, "Wow."
The ability to hand-tailor the show led it to a place I didn't expect. I decided to shape my show around my cast, and when my cast turned out to be mainly women, it seemed logical to make that the theme of the show. Broadway history is full of incredible roles for women, and I have greatly enjoyed being able to put the spotlight on them. I never thought I would be directing a women-themed production, but I always love working on projects that I would necessarily consider to be "me."
That first Broadway Revue I worked as a light tech on truly brought on that sense of magic that only musical theater can create. Working on this show, I have felt that magic again. I hope the audience will feel it too.