Valley Rep presents "From Stage to Screen"

     Musician Stevie Wonder once wrote in a song, “Music is a world within itself / with a language we all understand.” This past weekend, the Valley Repertory Company gave Enfield, CT a glimpse into their world with its 2nd annual Cabaret performance, entitled, “From Stage to Screen.” Singing world renowned songs from Broadway’s top musicals, Valley Rep exceeded the expectations set by last year’s performance, and over three consecutive days, left their audiences looking forward to next summer’s performances.

            The Valley Repertory Company of Enfield has been staging theater performances since 1986. They now set up stage at the Village Center of Thompsonville, where they have provided audiences with every type of show, from tragedies and comedies, to Broadway musical performances. This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending Saturday’s performance, where they opened the show with “Seize the Day” from Newsies. Right from the start, I could tell this would be a good night, because even performing as an entire group they blended together well, each singer complementing the other. Over the course of the night, they would perform twenty-eight songs in two acts, with the night being emceed by Lisa Eaton and Sue Reese.

            Having attended the Cabaret both last summer and this most recent performance, it was fascinating to see the difference a year can make. While I enjoyed last year’s, the performers have made great strides in their comfort on stage, which really allowed them to express themselves even more vividly on stage. For instance, Rebecca Rinas’ attitude in the song “Take Me or Leave Me,” from the musical Rent, helped make the first-act performance spectacular. She performed that song with Bianca Slota. Heather Maloney’s performance in “All That Jazz” from Chicago really brought out cheers from the audience, and Amanda Feliciano displayed her intensity while singing “Shadowland” from The Lion King.

            Bianca Slota challenged herself with the difficult song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” from Evita, and she performed admirably, catching the class and dignity of Eva Peron. Perhaps my favorite performance of the First Act was “I’m All Alone” from Spamalot. Jacob Pizzuto was hilarious in this role, and was complemented perfectly by Rebecca Rinas, whose growth on stage from last year was palpable. Valley Rep ended the first act with “Coffee Break,” from How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. It’s safe to say that the message of this song really resonated with the audience, many of which were probably looking for coffee during the break.

            The Second Act was just as impressive. One crowd favorite was “Gotta Get a Gimmick,” with Phaedra Beckwith, Heather Maloney, and Tanya Ochs. In this song, three strippers are humorously coaching a newbie on how to make the most money. Another crowd favorite was Heather Maloney’s performance of “Little Girls” from Annie. Also getting a lot of laughs from the crowd was Liz Hoffman and Spencer Reese’s performance of “The Song That Goes Like This,” a spoof from Spamalot. Liz Hoffman was great all night, as her voice is so technically sound that she really is a joy to listen to.

            Two of the most powerful performances of the night were Spencer Reese’s “If I Didn’t Believe in You,” and Phaedra Beckwith’s “Children Will Listen.” Reese and Beckwith really caught the essence of their characters, which can be difficult to do when a performer is only doing one song from an entire musical. Valley Rep ended the night with “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” from Hairspray. There was so much talent on display, as many of the singers (like Reese and Slota) were also playing the music for other performers’ songs.

            It’s important to note that the Valley Rep put on this year’s show in benefit of Fermi High School’s Lamplighters Drama Club. These two troupes have forged a “working relationship” in which they help each other out when need be, and there are several crossovers between the groups. For instance, Rebecca Rinas just graduated this year from Fermi and was a member of the Lamplighters. Also, Caity White, who performed “How Lovely to be a Woman” from Bye Bye Birdie and “I Know It’s Today” from Shrek the Musical, just graduated from Fermi and has performed with the Valley Repertory Company. Current Fermi High student Emily Miclon was the sound technician at this year’s Cabaret.

            The directors of this year’s show were Heather Maloney, Spencer Reese, and Phaedra Beckwith. Spencer Reese, a UCONN scholar, has written and produced an opera entitled “Always Hope,” which will be presented in December of this year at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs, CT. Information on this show can be found at http://jorgensen.uconn.edu/events/view.php?id=340. The next Valley Rep performance will be this fall, as Lisa Eaton directs “Bone-Chiller,” a comedy-thriller by Monk Ferris. Visit Rep’s website, valleyrep.com, for more information. I applaud the good work of Valley Rep, and look forward to their next performance.