SCERA Announces 9th Annual A NIGHT OF BROADWAY, 11/15-18

Musical numbers and cast members that earned five-star ratings and standing-room-only audiences at the 2017 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland this summer will receive an encore performance at SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem November 15-18.

It's SCERA's ninth annual showtunes spectacular conceived by Production & Programs Manager Shawn Mortensen and SCERA President & CEO Adam Robertson as a way to highlight the considerable vocal talent of Utah Valley performers. For the past two years, it has also provided a generous look at a show that wowed crowds abroad.

"We are so thrilled to offer the selections that delighted our Scottish and other friends," says Shawn Mortensen, one of the performers. It was a wonderful and energetic sampling of the best from Broadway and London's West End. We designed it to provide something for everyone, including classics and other wonderful music not as well-known."

The 7 p.m. concert will play out Wednesday-Saturday at SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 South State, Orem. Reserved tickets at $12 for adults and $10 for children 3-11 and seniors 65 and older are available at www.scera.org, by calling 801-225-ARTS, or in person at the main office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., or at the ticket office 30 minutes prior to each performance.

"I think this is a win for everybody," Mortensen says. "We get to perform music that was very well received Across the Pond, and we get to bring that strong cast and those well-rehearsed musical selections to local audiences."

The performers-who all met on a SCERA stage-include Mortensen, David Paul Smith, Brittni Bills Smith, Scott Sackett, Kelsey Mariner Thompson, Chase Ramsey and Cameroon Cahoon.

A portion of the proceeds from A Night of Broadway will provide funding for The Jerry Elison Scholarship Program, named after the beloved director, who will be at the opening night performance.

Numbers will be pulled from "Phantom of the Opera," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Les Misérables," Matilda," "Spamalot," "Sound of Music," "Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder," "The Secret Garden," "Kinky Boots," "Annie," West Side Story," and more. The cast will sing individually, in duets, trios and as a group.

Other highlights include a four-part harmony of "For Good" from the blockbuster "Wicked," a group medley from "The Sound of Music" and "Carousel," and Mortensen will reprise his signature comedy piece, "Adolpho" from "The Drowsy Chaperone," one of his favorites, and a crowd favorite as well.

"You'll hear songs you know and love, but we'll also introduce some new pieces from more contemporary Broadway shows that are sure to become favorites," says SCERA President & CEO Adam J. Robertson. "During the past nine years, 'A Night of Broadway' has become one of our most popular events, and this year will be no exception. Audiences in Scotland raved, and we know you will, too."

To post a comment, you must register and login.