Musical Theatre Organization to Present Broadway Through the Ages: A Musical Journey Through Time

students performing

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on April 26, 2017, No Comments

Songs spanning more than 70 years of Broadway musicals by composers from Irving Berlin to Lin-Manuel Miranda will be featured in Musical Theatre Through the Ages, a revue being presented by East Stroudsburg University’s Musical Theatre Organization (MTO).

Curtain time for the performance is 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 in the Smith-McFarland Theatre of ESU’s Fine & Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg. The production is open to the public at no cost.

“There is a great mix of songs that everyone should know along with popular numbers from contemporary musical theatre,” noted MTO vice president Dontel Ducksworth, a senior theatre major from East Stroudsburg who is choreographing the cabaret.

Songs from classic musicals like Annie Get Your Gun, Fiddler on the Roof, Hair, and Grease and recent hits such as Rent, Spring Awakening, In the Heights and The Book of Mormon will be included in the production.

“The choreography is still evolving,” Ducksworth said, “but ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business,’ and the number featuring the seniors definitely will be noteworthy. There also will be striking visuals for ‘Alexander Hamilton.’”

Work on the production began several months ago when the whole membership “sat down and talked about what we wanted to do,” Ducksworth explained. “MTO has more than 30 members from many majors, and this is definitely a group project.”

After selecting a theme and specific songs to be included in the revue, MTO members began rehearsing the music at the beginning of the spring semester. “During rehearsals, there is a lot of collaboration in an atmosphere of respect and support,” Ducksworth added.

“We do many projects throughout the year, including the tree lighting at Stroudsmoor, open mic nights, and presentations to senior citizens’ groups,” Ducksworth said, “but this is our biggest event, and we’re working hard so that our love of musical theatre can shine.”

For more information about the performance, please email esuarts@esu.edu or call 570-422-3483.