If you are any lover of musical theater, the familiarity of one show tune alone could be enough to send you off into hours of song and dance numbers from your favorite productions.
Pa’lante Theatre Company’s production of Viva Broadway at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury offers just that; a night of musical theater revue laden with hit numbers such as Dear Evan Hansen’s Waving Through A Window— accompanied by stories of the cast members that highlight their love of music, theater, and the influences that put them on a path to the stage.
The minimalism of the lighting accents the simplicity of the scenes. The colors of the bulb lights affixed to the black backdrop changed and dimmed across the segments of the production and a row of spotlights. The set-- just a stage with the occasional prop. The sound is sharp even when not the clearest. From the lens of humble beginnings, the missing intricacies feel like a Cinderella moment, just before the fairy godmother enters.
The deconstructed scenes from some of the world’s favorite musicals make you wonder what those famous shows might have looked like with less production values. It makes you wonder about how current directors and playwrights might have started their careers. It made me want to flash forward to where this team of up-and-coming writers, actors, directors, and stagehands will be in 5 to 10 years.
Interwoven within the production numbers, which include Funny Girl’s Don’t Rain on My Parade and Dream Girls’ Steppin to the Bad Side are the unscripted stories that are told about what it’s like growing through a career in the arts without the support of family, friends, and community. At the center of this musical theater revue are thoughts and opinions about where a culture fits within an art form that performers love but that doesn’t always love them back. Conversations about representation, tropes, and stereotypes within the morsels of representation they do receive coats this production.
The cast of Viva Broadway bands together to deliver hard truths and beautiful sentiments while serenading the audience with hit after hit like In the Heights’ Carnaval del Barrio and Smooth Criminal from MJ the Musical— all against the backdrop of a few beautifully synchronized dance numbers choreographed by the Sunshine Dance Center. Fior Rodriguez gives us strong vocals, a resonant story of resilience, with a touch of humor that reminds us that joy can always be created when it can’t be found. Luis Ramos shares his undeniable talent, taking the questions of his experiences and offering us answers for why the stage is his home. Elias Ocasio is destined to be a leading man on someone’s stage— a graceful presence with a delightful sound. Alanna Ferrari is all heart with a voice to match. The warm tones of her chosen melodies draw us in and keep us there. Anthony Pina-Ligon’s stage presence and sincerity accent each story and each musical number. Lisa Marie Ward’s voice and story strike a chord in the hearts of the audience. She takes it a little further when her own daughter takes the stage beside her for a brilliant visual representation of what happens when you see yourself, your culture, and even your own kin pursuing passion and dancing with dreams. The ensemble of talented dancers is an added bonus to the show.
The production flows from one musical number to the next with ease under the direction of Zelest Caraballo. In a post-show interview, Director Zelest Caraballo uplifts the talent of the ensemble, mentioning how they empowered her to give them room to be creative and add their own essence to the storytelling.
Representation of Hispanic and Latine culture in the arts is a labor of love, according to Caraballo, one that she and the rest of the team gladly take on. Viva Broadway asks questions that can only be answered by time and progress. Among those questions are, what can the stories of Hispanic and Latine culture add to the culture of theater that Hispanic and Latine people can’t deliver themselves?
For more information on upcoming Palate Theatre Company productions, including their next show, Calling Puerto Rico, visit their website at palantetheater.org.
