Actors between the ages of eight and 80 auditioned Tuesday night for a spot in the SCERA Center for the Arts’ fifth annual “A Night of Broadway.”
“This show is for anybody in the community,” said Shawn Mortensen, director of the show. “We do it simply for the love of Broadway and for those who love to sing and perform.”
Johnathan Baker, 22, a student at BYU, expressed his gratitude for this opportunity that isn’t too much of a time commitment.
“I really like to sing, and during the school semester I don’t have time to be in a full show because I have a job,” Baker said. “A concert was a really good idea.”
Each year is a different-themed show, all focusing around Broadway. Last year’s focus was “Les Miserables”; this year it is a salute to the dynamic Broadway duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
Rodgers and Hammerstein created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, igniting what is called the “Golden Age” of broadway.
“We like to have a celebration of the arts, and for this year we thought we would celebrate this innovative duo,” Mortensen said.
The show calls for a wide variety of interests because of the wide variety of ages and songs involved.
“We try to make sure this show is appealing to the audiences and make sure to include songs that are recognizable,” Mortensen said.
The show will embrace songs ranging from “Les Miserables” and “Wicked” to “The Little Mermaid” as each performer chooses a random piece they love performing. To close the show, cast members will join together in performing “A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein,” a medley composed of songs written by the celebrated duo.
The magic of NYC is coming to Orem with a live soundtrack of Broadway’s greatest hits. The show will be at 7:30 p.m., running Jan. 30, 31 and Feb. 1 and 3 at the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S. State Street, Orem.
