What’s the buzz?
Starlight Theater eases on down the road with a high school musical
by Chris Moore

ANTHEM – With a successful staging of “The Music Man,” which drew its final curtain August 5 after a two‑weekend run, Starlight Community Theater launches its second season with a schedule of three more musicals, one with a youth cast, one with an all‑ages cast, and one with an adult cast.

There’s no lack of name recognition in the 2006‑2007 roster, with hits like “The Wiz,” “High School Musical,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” scheduled for performance at the community theater’s usual venue, Boulder Creek High School Performing Arts Center. 

“One of the goals of Starlight Theater is to provide equal time for kids and adults, and I think we’ve done that with this season’s line‑up,” says Pat Bennett, one of the co‑founders of Starlight Community Theater who will be co‑producing “The Wiz” and “High School Musical.”

The season’s first show, “The Music Man,” with its all‑ages cast of 45 actors from 7 to 70 years old, accomplished that and the theater is hoping to build on that example.

“Everybody was talking about how much they enjoyed the show,” says Betty Towne, a co‑founder of Starlight Community Theater, about “The Music Man,” which she produced. “The audiences were good‑sized and very enthusiastic.”

‘The Wiz’

The cast of Starlight’s next outing, “The Wiz,” will be even larger than the one assembled for “The Music Man,” but because it will be performed by Starlight Community Youth Theater, the informal division under the Starlight umbrella focusing on children’s productions, all 60 or so members of the cast will be kids.

“Because we need some very strong vocals for these huge singing parts, and because there are so many lines, we’ll probably draw the 12 main leads from middle school or high school,” says Bennett, “but the rest of the cast will be much younger kids.”

According to Towne, it was Mark Oesterle, another Starlight co‑founder, who “really wanted to do ‘The Wiz’ this season because he felt it would be a good draw for the youth.” Oesterle will be directing the play. Choreography will be by Sherry Henderson, with musical direction by Jackie Hammond. Ann Olsen will co‑produce the show with Bennett.

Auditions for “The Wiz” will be held Saturday, August 19, at Gavilan Peak School in Anthem at 1 p.m., with call‑backs on August 21 and 22. Anyone interested in auditioning should bring musical accompaniment (CD or tape) for a one‑minute song, or “if you’re planning to bring sheet music,” says Angie Ellsworth, Starlight’s public relations manager, “please bring a pianist.” Hopefuls may also be asked to do a script reading, and everyone is advised to wear closed‑toe shoes and comfortable clothing for dancing.

“The Wiz” will be performed at Boulder Creek High School Performing Arts Center November 3‑4, and 9‑11. Rehearsals will begin the week of August 28.

“The Wiz,” based on the book by William F. Brown with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, is an urban adaptation of the children’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, which later became the beloved 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland.

Brown’s adaptation of “The Wiz” later became a movie in 1978 starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as The Scarecrow, which featured streetwise direction by Sidney Lumet, hip musical supervision by Quincy Jones, and four Oscar nominations.

The original all‑African‑American Broadway production of the play was nominated for eight Tonys in 1975, earned seven of the awards (including Best Musical), and proceeded musically, as its most popular song goes, to “Ease on Down the Road” until the show closed in 1979 after 1,672 performances.

‘High School Musical’

“Kids are crazy about the Disney movie,” says Towne about “High School Musical,” the third offering in Starlight’s season. “They’ve all seen the movie and they’re absolutely gung‑ho about it.”

“You could ask a third grader and a high‑school senior if they’d seen the movie and they’d all give you the same answer–an enthusiastic yes,” says Bennett, explaining why Starlight selected this play, which will feature an all‑ages cast.

The catch is, though, it’s not really a play. At least not yet. Or is it? According to Bennett it was originally written for the stage but then purchased and produced by Disney as a 2006 TV movie. Then, due to the wild popularity of the film, it was decided to re‑adapt it for the stage.

“You can tell when you see the movie,” Bennett explains, “that it must have been a play.” When it came up at a Starlight selection meeting, Bennett remembers “We thought it may have been a play ... and when we looked into it and found out that it was, we knew we had to do it.”

Ever since making that choice, and getting its name on the list with the theatrical licensing agency Music Theatre International (MTI), Starlight has been waiting to hear if the play would be available. Bennett has received notification that “it has gone into play form,” so all that remains is to nail down the licensing to stage the performance.

“The only possible hang‑up would be if MTI doesn’t release it in this area, which doesn’t seem likely,” Towne says. “But you never know.”

The storyline of “High School Musical” may seem a little familiar, but when you’ve got it, flaunt it. The play brings together two students from different worlds–he from basketball, she from the science club–and tests their mettle in a third–the theater, where the drama queen, another player, reigns–or thinks she does. When jump shots, Bunsen burners and call‑backs collide, what ensues can only be described as a delightful musical explosion.

“The theme of the show is really great,” Bennett says, describing the appeal of the show, over and above the popularity of the songs, which, she adds has soundtrack CDs flying off store shelves. “It says it’s okay to be yourself, regardless of what others think. You can be good in sports and still be interested in fine arts. It’s cool to do all these things.”

“High School Musical” will hit the stage February 2, 3, 9 and 10. Auditions are scheduled for November 18, 20 and 21. This show will be co‑directed by Kristin Rebb, who will also be acting as musical director, and Sallyann Martinez, with assistance by Paul Towne, president of Starlight’s board of directors. Henderson will again provide the choreography. Bennett and Cathy Murray will produce. If, for some reason, licensing does not come through, Starlight will substitute the musical “Grease.”

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

Easter weekend of  2007 will, probably not accidentally, be the perfect time for Starlight not only to bring its season to a close but also to resurrect another Broadway favorite–Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which like the others in Starlight’s season, has its silver screen version and in its own right was extremely popular.

Nominated for five Tonys in 1972 for its original Broadway run, “Superstar” became a pop culture phenomenon in the 1970s, not without some controversy, by amalgamating the Christian, hippie and rock music ethos in powerful music that spoke to the culture in still famous songs like “What’s the Buzz,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Superstar.”

The adult cast production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” will be directed by Paul Towne and produced by Betty Towne. Performance dates are April 6, 7, 13 and 14. Auditions are scheduled for February 17, 20 and 21.

All things considered, Starlight Community Theater’s second season should more than live up to its highly successful first. With increased numbers of volunteers and community interest and involvement, Starlight’s audience and influence seem ready to greet a new season.

“I would like to thank everyone in the community whose efforts made our inaugural season such a huge success,” says Paul Towne. “A community theater can only be as strong as the community that supports it.”

Anthem’s art scene, with Starlight Community Theater taking center stage again this year, is apparently gaining strength. It should be fun to watch.

Auditions for “The Wiz” will be held Saturday, August 19, at Gavilan Peak School, 2701 W. Memorial Drive in Anthem. General auditions will be held at 1 p.m. Preferred audition times for Starlight Sponsors and “Star” members will be earlier that day. Contact Ann Olsen at (623) 533‑4826 with any questions, or to secure a preferred audition time. Call‑backs, as well as the casting call for anyone unable to attend August 19, will be held Monday, August 21, at 6 p.m. Call‑backs only will take place on Tuesday, August 22. For further information call (623) 594‑3832 or visit www.starlightcommunitytheater.org.

Reach the reporter at cmoore@thedesertadvocate.com.