A Night on Broadway was featured in the new acting studio within the Fine Arts Complex of West Texas A&M University from April 2 to April 5. Two senior musical theatre majors, Chris Ratliff and Josiah Robinson, directed the show.
According to Ratliff and Robinson, they had difficulty with the process of creating the performance. The last few showings of “Government Inspector” and the rehearsals of “Macbeth” corresponded with “A Night on Broadway.” This overlap led to many late night rehearsals for the cast.
The show was based on the ups and downs that life takes everyone on and, since both are graduating at the end of the semester, the struggle of how to make it in the world after college is very present in their minds. Also, it reflects the twists and turns that they faced in their own life, one that the entire theatre department can relate to.
“Life is about the journey, not the destination,” Robertson said.
A wide range of lessons were represented in each song that is performed during the show.
“There are lessons that each audience member can take, relate to and hopefully pull them through hard times,” Beth Avila, a senior Musical Theatre major and cast member, said.
The lessons revolve around the awareness of starting a new life and going out on your own. There is a song about tragedy and grief that was sung by Katie Tuttle. This song, “I’ll be here,” is about the tragedy of Sep. 11, 2001. Tuttle sings the song with much emotion and expresses the grief of the people that were most effected by the tragic event.
There are also songs about remembering when times were better in the face of hardships. One song in particular, entitled “I Can Do Better Than That,” talks about a woman’s past and how she dreams of a perfect life. However, she realizes that she is so much more than what she had planned for herself.
Finally, the show ends by showing how to get through a crisis or tragedy. The last song of the show, called “Falling Slowly,” expresses that although everyone is damaged and there are times that all feel like life isn’t going their way, one must keep going and keep pushing through. It also shows the audience that there will always be someone to lean on to get through the hard timed. The show is an emotional roller coaster for the performers and for the audience, and shows the quality that the WTAMU Theatre Department has to offer.
