by Lorie Lewis Ham
This past weekend the latest Legends show opened at the Reedley Opera House presented by the River City Theatre Co. Legends is a series of cabaret type shows that have a different running theme in each one. This year’s theme is Hollywood!
Legends: Hooray For Hollywood opened with the entire cast singing the song, “Hooray For Hollywood,” a perfect opening number for this walk down Hollywood’s memory lane. From there, they went through time covering different major moments in Hollywood through song and monologues–from Charlie Chaplin to the latest version of A Star Is Born with the song “Shallow.” Along the way, the cast members took turns introducing the next number and sharing some bits of Hollywood history. 
The cast is made up of many familiar faces to the RCTC stage, some of which have been missing for the last few years, and one or two new faces. Cast members are Michael Angel (recently seen in the RCTC production of Jekyll and Hyde), Peter Boldt, Courtney Cowin, Jhony De Oliveira, Heather Awbrey Glosier, Jeff Lusk, Rebecca Potts (also in the RCTC production of Jekyll and Hyde), Lana Rotan, Erik Valencia (who also wrote and directed the show), and Glenda Stewart.
Left to right-Rebecca Potts, Heather Awbrey Glosier, Peter Boldt, and Lana Rotan
Some of the multitude of songs performed included well known songs like, “Over the Rainbow”(Courtney), “As Time Goes By” (Michael), “Singing in the Rain” (Jhony), “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” (Rebecca), “The Way We Were” (Heather), “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” (Peter), and “Let It Go” (Rebecca). Not only does the show present many well known songs, but also dancing, some beautiful voices, and a lot of fun and nostalgia.
Countney Cowin
One of funnest songs of the night closed Act 1, “Time Warp,” from Rocky Horror, another big cast number. Another favorite of mine was “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” sung beautifully by Jeff Lusk and Michael Angel. Since I had never seen Rebecca (who writes for KRL) perform before, I was excited to finally get to see her on stage. I enjoyed her lovely voice and sparkling smile in another of my favorites of the night, “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” Michael and Courtney blended beautifully in the newer hit, “Shallow.” Lana’s performance of “Cups” (You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone) from Pitch Perfect was also a favorite of the night.
There were also monologues from Gone With the Wind and Sunset Blvd., two of my favorite classic movies. Costumes ranged from stunning to adorable (Peter as Woody in Toy Story). Kudos to costumer Stephanie Barnett.
Peter Boldt
If you are looking for a fun night out, and you are a fan of Hollywood music through the ages, be sure to check out Legends: Hooray For Hollywood which will be on stage at the Reedley Opera House, 1720 10th St, Reedley, through September 8. You can purchase tickets on their website and by calling their box office 559-638-6500.
If you love local theatre, be sure to check out Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. You can also find the podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Spotify, and Google Play, and also on podbean.
Check out more theatre reviews & other local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section.
I regret that we just simply can’t mention everything about a show, but now you have added more information for people so thank you.