As stated in the director's (Megan Worthen Nelson) note in the Playbill, a part of Broadway on the Side's goal is "to make the arts accessible to everyone through quality performances", and I can confidently say they have done just that! With a wonderful goal set in place for this performing group, they excelled so perfectly together, and triumphantly lead the audience through an amazing cabaret style performance. When attending a show put on by a theater that I'm not familiar with, I really look forward to seeing how the tone and vibe are set throughout, and the moment I walked into the building, I knew this was going to be a special place. Not only did I feel very comfortable as an audience member, but I also could tell how comfortable the performers were as well, and that's a very special thing.
Something I really enjoyed about this performance is that each song seemed to flow very well throughout the whole performance. I found that I felt more and more intrigued with the introduction for each song with narrations done by Nelson. It helped create a more personal experience, and she spoke with such a beautiful passion! You can truly tell that her passion shows upon the cast's passion as well and creates a magical connection between each and every one of them. Some of these amazing and passionate performers that stood out to me were Sarah Christensen, Amber Kacherian, Max Moreno, and Jazmine Peterson. The first solo of the night, "Friends on the Other Side", was a smooth and evil number performed by Peterson. She really threw herself into the character and seemed to have the audience mesmerized by her portrayal of Dr. Facilier. Christensen performed "Pulled" from The Addams Family musical and didn't just "pull" the audience in, she YANKED us in and left us amazed! When it comes to beautiful portrayals of emotional performances, Moreno did just that! From every facial expression to every note that he sang, he drew the audience right in with "If I Can't Love Her" and had them wanting more and more! With a wonderful introduction given by Nelson including the history around this character and song, Kacherian was able to hop on that stage and deliver a flawless performance of "All Falls Down". Every note was clear and powerful and had me sitting there with a huge smile on my face the whole time.
When it comes to the technical aspect of theatre, I find that with small venues, it can be very difficult to properly execute the lighting and sound design, however, that was not the case at all with this performance! The sound balance was near perfect, and very appreciated from an audience's perspective. Lighting design by Val Seiler was something that stood out to me and what helped tie everything together! A standout moment with lighting occurred in the song "Out There". The way the lights switched from a warm tone to a cool tone during the song really helped set the scene for us without using a single prop or set piece. It was like I was transported right then and there to a whole different place all by the single switch of a light. It was amazing and brought me fully to tears!
Overall, this performance truly amazed me and exceeded all my expectations! The performance created an enjoyable family friendly evening and provided an escape for me personally. With only three performances left, (Friday November 4th at 7 pm and Saturday, November 5th at 2 and 7 pm) I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of that and RUN over to experience this fun show! Lucky for us, Broadway on the Side has another cabaret in the works! Make sure to catch "We Need a Little Christmas" December 8th-10th! How lucky is Weber County to have such a welcoming, fresh, and passionate company?! Thank you, Broadway on the Side, for a wonderful evening! Theatre matters, theatre is important, theatre is impactful.
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