By ELIZABETH SUMMERHAY
The BYU Young Ambassadors will celebrate their 25th anniversary tonight through Saturday with their final on-campus performance of “Tapestry: Weaving the Colors of Life.”
“Tapestry” will have run for a total of 3.5 years at the end of the season, said Eric Brotherson, the show’s choreographer, a senior from Orem majoring in Family Science. High-budget shows typically run for three years, but there has been a change in the Young Abassador’s scheduling which has increased the running time half a year, he added.
The group no longer performs in the summer, so casts are now chosen in April, instead of December. Instead of running the show for 2.5 years, they chose to do it one final year, Brotherson said.
Every show is different, depending upon where they perform it, said Joseph Anderson, a senior technician for the Young Ambassadors from Blackfoot, Idaho, majoring in public relations.
Someone who went to ‘Tapestry’ one or two years ago saw a different show than the one now being performed, he said.
“Although millions around the world have enjoyed this particular performance of ‘Tapestry,’ very few people at BYU and in the Utah Valley have seen it,” said Randy Boothe, the artistic director, according to a press release.
“There were some things that were changed this year specifically because we are going to China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Hong Kong — places that don’t understand English. So everything we do has to be visually interesting,” said Jennifer Sylvester, a senior ensamble member from Salt Lake City majoring in music dance theater.
“It [Tapestry] is a highly choreographed extravaganza that visits 19th century France, the Caribbean, turn-of-the-century America and vaudeville as well as the present day,” Boothe said, according to a press release.
The show’s storyline follows a three-generation family and their memories through musical numbers taken from Broadway shows, Anderson said.
“The storyline is sort of like a tapestry thread, it weaves the show together,” Brotherson said.
The title and song also show that each person can all be different threads and that there are different kinds of people, Brotherson said. Diversity is good, he added.
This cast has a very good chemistry, which is reflected in their performance, Brotherson said.
“Most of this cast is back for a second year, so they are already really familiar with each other…they are all about the same level and they are all very nice — no big egos,” Brotherson said.
The show will be performed in the de Jong Concert Hall beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m., continuing through Saturday. Tickets are $6 for students, faculty and staff; $7 for senior citizens and alumni; and $8 for the general public. For information contact the Fine Arts Ticket Office at 378-4322.
