Fat Camp @ Hanna Theatre 7/14/11
See this work in progress until Sun 7/24
Ever loved a musical, but wanted to tweak just a few things? Audiences at Fat Camp, a Broadway bound work-in-process at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre, get to do just that (well, kinda). The idea behind the show (which runs through Sun 7/24) is to let audiences glimpse the “page to stage” re-writes and tweaks involved in creating a new musical. And not just see it, but give feedback (written or verbal) after the show to the writers and director. It’s the inaugural production for Playhouse Square’s Page to Stage initiative.
Fat Camp, a rock musical, is set in Camp Overton, a summer camp designed to shape up overweight teens. Complications get even more complicated when a cheerleader squad has to share the camp (think Glee). Since it’s far from the final Broadway show, for each performance the cast deals with rewrites they got the night before, adding and dropping scenes. What audiences see is a one-of-a-kind performance that will not be duplicated the next night.
The night we went people were hanging out before the show (some enjoying the half-price drinks). Most people chose to sit up front. All the seats are good in this theatre so it didn’t matter that it’s open seating. Several seats blocked off by large director’s tables set up in front of them and a couple of places where cables lay draped around seats made it obvious nothing was final.
We were asked not to review the show, but I think it’s fair to say, “How will that play in Cleveland?” seems to have been on the creators’ minds. After all, the throngs that fill the NYC theatres, especially for musicals, are mostly made up of people from places other than New York. Cleveland,a great theater town, is perfect for previews. The producers, writers [story and song] and director, and of course, the actors themselves listened for the laughs, the groans, and [possible] glazed eyes as that night’s version of the musical played to a friendly house.
At $10 a seat it’s really a cool summer bargain. I’m looking forward to seeing it on Broadway some day (when I’ll likely be muttering, “It’s already played in Cleveland!”)
Writers are Randy Blair and Timothy Michael Drucker. Music is by Matthew roi Berger. Casey Hushion is directing.
For a full listing of performance dates and times see http://PlayhouseSquare.org/pagetostage or call (216) 241-6000.
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.
Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.
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