BWW Reviews: THIS STAGE OF LOVE at Fuhrmann Performing Arts

This past weekend was opening weekend of a brand new musical entitled THIS STAGE OF LOVE written by Robert Sturcken and directed by Ed Morvant at Fuhrmann Performing Arts in Covington, Louisiana.

The show chronicles a group of aspiring thespians on their journey from auditions to rehearsals to showtime. But, there's a catch. The director who hired these enthusiastic performers to be in the show that could make or break his future left out one minor detail... he doesn't have a script. Ok, so maybe that's not so minor. The heart of this show is seeing how the characters learn about love through their love of theatre.

There were a few things in this show that I particularly enjoyed. The first was the fact that this musical was written by a local. It's not often that the Northshore area gets to experience a truly original piece of theatre, and it was obvious that this one was born from the souls of everyone involved. The second was having the privilege of hearing cast member Michelle Burris sing two solo songs. Michelle is a professional singer in the New Orleans area as well as a choir director, and she has a gift for telling a story through her singing. The third was cast member Sean Gilvey, a soon-to-be student at Southeastern Louisiana University, who had me in hysterics throughout the entire show. Shout out to G5! (If you go see the show you will understand what I mean).

The heartwarming finale "Music Makes Me Whole" sums up everything that this play is about, and everything that I truly believe anyone who has ever been involved with musical theatre feels. Music has a way of expressing what words cannot, and a way of bringing people together and bonding them in an intimate way. The parallels between the events of this play and the love that an actor feels for his or her craft and cast are undeniable.

THIS STAGE OF LOVE will finish its run next weekend playing November 8 and 9 at 8:00pm and November 10 at 2:00pm. Tickets and more information are available here. Go see this show. It's cute, it's quirky, and most of all you will be supporting a heartfelt original work of art.