Student’s medley musical succeeds

by Stephen Christensen

Thursday, April 24, 2008 00:00

This weekend, in conjunction with the Undergraduate Theatre Association, 24 students will take the stage in “Bring Me to Light,” a brand new musical revue conceived and directed by University of Wisconsin sophomore Charlie Bauer. The show is a fun, sexy ride, but, more than that, it represents one of the few times per year that undergraduate students are able to take over an entire production at the university and learn about the trials and triumphs inherent in all aspects of theater, from its creation to its production.

A musical revue generally takes one of two forms: It can be a collage of songs that a single composer could not fit into other shows but felt were worthy of public exhibition or the conglomeration of old songs carefully selected from a variety of musicals to create a new show. “Bring Me to Light” is the latter. Bauer explained his decision to construct his musical revue in such a manner: “I came up with the idea for this show this summer. … I went home that night, sat down with my iTunes and made a list of 100 songs from musicals I would love to direct. From those I settled on having three couples, one leading couple, a villain and an ensemble. …  We have 22 numbers from 21 different musicals. The musicals are from everywhere, film, Broadway, off-Broadway, etc.”

Although musical revues do not often have a strong sense of plot, they are more than a chaotic hodgepodge of songs; they usually feature a central idea or theme that ties all the disparate elements together. “Bring Me to Light” centers on that most elusive of prizes: love and a relationship that works.

“The couples’ songs are all tied together by their respective arcs — basically the trouble with love and then discovering what you need to do to make love work,” Bauer explained. “The point of the show for me was to reinterpret these songs out of their context and to prove their universality outside of the context of the shows they were written for.”

The cast features undergraduates from almost every conceivable major on campus, though theater and drama majors enjoy a strong showing. Still, the majority of the group is composed of underclassmen, but a few University Theatre veterans — Bear Bellinger, Lorah Haskins and Andy Talen — lend their experience to the ensemble. The production and design teams are composed of 13 members and the show also features a nine-piece orchestra, all undergraduates.

The show itself is funny and quite sexualized. The first thing seen upon entering the rehearsal hall was about five or six almost-naked men being circled by a ravenous pack of amorous young ladies. Any theater aficionado will quickly realize this troupe was practicing “The Goods” from “The Full Monty,” but my initial shock was sustained by intermittent explosions of sexual energy from the cast.

Despite its sexualized subject matter, the group sounds good. Lorah Haskins belted out the number “Change” with style and flair, and the rest of the group had a great, full sound. At times, the inexperience and exuberance of the young cast became evident in their singing, edging them ever closer to shouting, but Bauer seemed ready to rein them in, unafraid to stop and correct his peers.

However, the path to producing a student show has not always been clear. Being an undergrad himself, and even younger than some cast members, Bauer has had to carefully negotiate the role of peer and authority during the rehearsal period.

“It is always a challenge, though you have to kick some asses to get your show in the right place when those people are older than you. But I’ve found if you understand your vision and you care enough about it and you are respectful, you will be able to get everyone onboard.”

As a series of complicated copyright laws and agreements prohibit the reproduction of this show, this weekend will be your only chance ever to see “Bring Me to Light.” If that isn’t enough of a reason, the excellent work being put forth by some of the most talented young students at this university should be. “Bring Me to Light” is a full exploration of the process of putting on a play, from conception to execution, and any chance to be a part of that, as actor, designer, director or audience member, is a privilege.

 

“Bright Me to Light” shows April 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. and April 26 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Hemsley Theatre. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased from the Union or Vilas box offices.

Feedback

Anonymous (April 24, 2008 @ 10:54pm):

this show was GREAT.
the cast has a lot of talent-- incredibly enjoyable.

Anonymous (April 25, 2008 @ 12:55pm):

looks like someone forgot to close their <em> tags in this article!! ;)

Anyway, the show was great though, I highly recommend going to see if you can find tickets. I have never heard "The Street Where You Live" from my fair lady in minor key; it was hilarious.

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