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“Bat Boy” flies into Lerner Black Box

Posted November 21, 2009

For a surprisingly perfect bat-cave set, look no farther than Lerner’s Black Box theater. The relatively small, dark space is an apt location for Columbia Musical Theatre Society’s production of “Bat Boy: The Musical,” which began performances Thursday and continues through today.

“Bat Boy”—which relays the tale of a half-man, half-bat finding both love and hatred in a prejudiced West Virginia town—is, in the words of the show’s creative team, “not your typical musical.”  And upon seeing the show, this mantra proves true—the show features no fewer than six violent deaths, as well as rape and incest. (more…)

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New V115 Cast Member Announced

Posted April 8, 2009

After losing one ensemble member last night to creative differences, the 115th Annual Varsity Show announced this evening that Connor Spahn, CC ‘12 will now be joining the cast. Previously, Spahn has appeared in Columbia Musical Theater Society productions of Tommy and Little Shop of Horrors.

V115 co-producers Darcy Zacharias, CC ‘10 and Becca Lewis, CC ‘11 said, “We are very excited to be welcoming Connor into the Varsity Show family, and we look forward to presenting a great production to the Columbia community in May.” 

Spahn will have to catch up quickly, since the Varsity Show’s opening night is May 1, barely over three weeks from now. The production’s fans will just have to wait and see how the cast and crew overcomes this last-minute change, and if the Varsity Show can work some theater magic to pull everything together in time.

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Important Varsity Show Update!

Posted April 7, 2009

Tonight, rumor circulated that the 115th Annual Varsity Show will be replacing one of its cast members, less than one month before opening night. This information was confirmed by one of the show’s co-producers, Becca Lewis, CC ‘11, who stated that the actor in question is Ricky Schweitzer, also CC ‘11, who was part of the ensemble.

Lewis stated, “There were just creative differences between Ricky and the production. We think Ricky is very talented… It just wasn’t a good fit between this person and this production.”

No word has surfaced so far about who will be Schweitzer’s replacement. Lewis said that the V115 creative team has not yet begun searching for another actor, but they are hoping to find someone within the next few days. Spectacle will post an update as soon as the new cast member is announced.

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Roar, Lion (King), Roar!

Posted January 9, 2009

This past week, the traveling production of Disney’s Broadway hit The Lion King rolled into my hometown of Phoenix, AZ, and I found myself with a ticket for last night’s performance. I went to see it with my 16-year-old sister, not expecting to be especially bowled over—both of us had seen the show before, a few years ago, and I expected that the surprises and spectacular costumes wouldn’t be quite as awe-inspiring the second time around.

However, to say it plainly, I was utterly wrong. The jokes were far from stale, the songs were still lively as ever, and I found myself completely absorbed even though I was fully aware of exactly when Mufasa would die (the show’s climactic tear-jerker moment). Even my sister, who isn’t always easy to impress, looked over at me periodically and whispered “I don’t remember this part” or “This is so amazing!” 

In truth, I shouldn’t have been so shocked at finding The Lion King to still be entertaining. After all, I’ve seen other shows multiple times, such as Wicked and Spring Awakening, and would leap at the chance to go again. It seemed like maybe the over-the-top aspects of The Lion King—such as the endless flow of masks, puppets, and strobe lights—might lose their impact over time, but that wasn’t so. I guess it was unfair for me to assume that anything Disney had to get old at some point, because many of the original animated movies from decades ago are considered timeless and the stories are enduringly meaningful. So, I’ll gladly let The Lion King join the ranks of Disney classics, in both movie and musical form, and have the lengthy Broadway run it deserves.