Our e-interviews continue with the cast from The 1940s Radio Hour, which wraps up this afternoon at the Renaissance Theatre in Huntington.
Our question for this entry: Is the music challenging or just plain fun?
David Vickers: The music is incredible. It's passionate, fun and very recognizable. I believe everyone will be singing along! I remember my mom singing some of these songs when I was a kid. Because it's so fun, you work through the challenge. The whole cast and the featured vocalists are very good. I watch them while I'm on stage and think, I can't believe I'm surrounded by such great talent! It's very humbling.
Joshua Jannotta: The music is plain fun, although living up to Frank Sinatra's standards has been a little tough.
Linda Reynolds: The music is fun and challenging but I love the familiarity of it. These are songs you hear in old movies, romantic or just plain fun movies made when the country was truly united in fighting for freedom and the very survival of the American way of life. This was the music of my parents’ generation, the greatest generation. I feel quite privileged to be able to help take theatre goers back to such an important time in our history.
Amy Knell: Both, I think it is some of the most fun music ever made, but there are differences in the style as compared to music made today and that can be difficult at first.
Stephen Vance: For me, the music is just plain fun. The first show I ever saw was Guys and Dolls, so I have a soft spot for any music in that era. Bruce Rous has done a great job teaching us the style and the sound of the era. Gene and Coni Anthony have taught us some wonderful dances that blend so well with the story and song. Whether a big band aficionado or not, I think the audiences will be surprised how many of these songs they remember or have heard.
Bil Neal: The music just about killed me. Now, I'm no stranger to four or even eight-part harmony. There are times when (especially the back-up singers) seemed to just sing notes on top of each other. This has been some of the most challenging stuff since I sang with the Janice Gold as a member of Renaissance. Bruce Rous has done an amazing job with the cast as well as getting 12 wonderful instrumentalists from Marshall to serve up the big band sound. That alone is worth the price of admission in my book. John Galloway is our lead trombone and does a beautiful job in what I think is also his first on-stage role. The stuff he does as an actor is as fine as the sound coming from his trombone. Heck, these kids all impress me.
The soloists? Really great. Mary Olson belting "Old Black Magic." Josh Jannotta crooning "I'll Never Smile Again," - just lovely. Our good friend Stephen Vance is hysterical as the comic who ends up with "Blue Moon." My dear friend Amy Knell tears out my heart each night with "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good." Scott Burner has grown so much over the years that you and I've known him - he really sells "You Go To My Head." And don't even get me started talking about Sarah Hayes as Cute Little Connie Miller singing "Daddy" in pig-Latin and tap-dancing. She's a doll.
The music is familiar, yes, but deceptively tough. The right people make it look oh, so easy.
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