by Lorie Lewis Ham
This has been a slow month for Valley theatre. If you have already seen the shows at Roger Rocka’s and 2nd Space, there’s not much else to see in January. Well the Reedley River City Theatre Co. has a cure for that–a way to see pieces of a ton of different shows all at once–Legends: Lullaby of Broadway opened this past weekend!
RCTC has been doing its Legends shows for a few years now and they have had many different incarnations–from seeing talented singers bring back the Rat Pack, Buddy Holly, and Judy Garland, to a Vegas style version, to last year’s American Bandstand version–and now this year the Legends of Broadway! This talented cast goes from songs from early Broadway shows such as 42nd Street and Showboat, all the way to more recent hits like Rent, Book of Mormon, and Spring Awakening. And they aren’t just singing the songs; they are doing the songs as the character from the show.
Cast of LEGENDS LULLABY OF BROADWAY
There isn’t a wrong beat in this show–everyone does a great job! Kudos to director Erik Valencia for doing such a great job of putting this fun show together. Highlights include Jeff Lusk’s version of “Old Man River” from Showboat, Berit Rhodes “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” from My Fair Lady, and a very fun version of “Wilkomen” from Cabaret by Joseph Ham. Amber Paradez knocks it out of the park with “I’m Telling You” from Dreamgirls, Marianne McFarland does a hauntingly lovely job of “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music, local celebrity Ron Surabian does “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler On the Roof, and Nicholle Cash dances her heart out in several numbers including the opening number of “42nd Street.” 
Thomas Hayes and Joseph Ham provide a hilarious performance of “Mostly Me” from Book of Mormon, Courtney Cowin belts out “Mamma Who Bore Me” from Spring Awakening, and Alina Gonzalez is steamy in “All That Jazz” from Chicago. Audiences also get to take a trip back to RCTC’s production of Oklahoma with Joseph Ham reprising his role as Curly in an Oklahoma medley, and Meg Clark reprises her RCTC role as Maria in West Side Story. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention adorable little Sam Applegate’s performance of “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” from Lion King–he brought the house down. 
And there’s soooo much more, with everyone doing a wonderful job. Other performers in the show include Tan Clark, Steven Balladarez, and Erik Valencia.
If you are looking for a fun evening of musical theatre, and some sneak peeks at some shows you may never have seen, don’t miss Legends: Lullaby of Broadway on stage at the Reedley Opera House until February 6. Take note, this show does close on a Saturday instead of their usual Sunday closing performance. It’s a perfect way to see you through until a lot more theatre hits the local stages starting next month. Tickets can be purchased by calling 559-638-6500 or on their website.
You can find more theatre articles, and other entertainment articles, in our Arts & Entertainment section.
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