GC theater kicks off with CPR

By David Slifer

A blast from the past but with music – “CabaPopaRockaRevue” is GC Theatre’s first show of the fall season. Directed by Ashley Hyers, the show features a combination of songs, with most being from the 1980s and the mid-to-late ‘90s. Ariana Avila choreographed the dance performances, and for the actual music, it was Christina Elkins on piano, Allan Beck and James O-Gara on guitar, Jared Randhawa on bass, and Jacob Anflick on drums.

The cast and crew for CPR (photo courtesy of Avery White).

The cast and crew did an excellent job, and everyone had a good time. This was a show you could completely enjoy, listening to great tunes from some amazing students.

“I Believe in You and Me” by Whitney Houston was one of the first songs, and it was brilliantly performed by sophomore Azariah Surratt. She had the audience applauding with every belted vocal. Without a doubt, she deserved the applause, and her performance left the audience wanting more.

From left to right: Chandler Pointdexter, Azariah Surratt and Gabby Iwaszkiewicz performing “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips (photo courtesy of Avery White).

Another song that captivated was “Love Shack,” performed by sophomore Casey Johnson, freshman Jessa Beard, and senior Lexi Chester. This was a choreography-heavy number that brought everyone together; some members of the audience were even dancing in their seats throughout the performance.

“My process for preparing for this show involved a lot of spontaneous practice,” said Laiken Skinner, a sophomore musical theatre major. “Any time someone began singing one of our songs or dancing our choreography, everyone around would join in. It served as a very helpful method to get the show into our bones. A lot of the process also involved drinking hot tea constantly since many of us were sick, myself included.”

“Getting to work on this show, which definitely had more choreography and a different style than I am used to, I felt I was able to improve my dance skills. The pace of the show kept us on our toes, especially since ‘Love Shack’ and the ‘Wannabe/Everybody’ mashup were back-to-back. The choreography accompanied by singing showed us our limits and how to pace ourselves,” said Skinner.

From left to right: Laiken Skinner, Robin Wilson, Jackie Deane, Chandler Pointdexter and Gabby Iwaszkiewicz (photo courtesy of Avery White).

One of the songs Skinner performed during the show was “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. She stated that the performance was truly a rollercoaster.

“It was fun being able to make the song my own because it is the kind of song you can really play with,” Skinner said. Her favorite number to be a part of was the “Wannabe/Everybody” mashup because she loved the choreography and how the song helped her improve as a performer.

“CPR was a fun first show for sure, but it was really difficult in the beginning given the way we all had to adapt after losing Professor Perry Morgan,” Skinner said. “With everything we had to do to adjust mentally and with the sicknesses traveling through the cast, a 45-minute show was helpful. It was even healing for us, just to know that we could do it and do it well.”

Magnus Conway, Azariah Surratt and Briana Bostic performing “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle (photo courtesy of Avery White).

Senior acting major Magnus Conway agreed.

“It was very fun; this was my first ever music review at this school but also in my entire life, so I was really happy that I was cast for this specific show.”

“Do not forget to take your medicine!” Conway said, reflecting on how he prepared for this show. “Outside of that, I took my sheet music to vocal lessons and accompaniments whenever I needed assistance. Nearly every day as well, I practiced the dances in the rehearsal space, oftentimes on my own.”

Conway performed the song “More Than Words” by Extreme.

“I had a great time working with my song partner Robin Wilson, and Christie Elkins was a great accompanist who was able to assist us with the transition and any parts of the song.”

“I think my favorite part of the show was finally getting to sing onstage,” Conway said. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do in this capacity. This was a good point to cap off my time with GC. I enjoyed this show, and it was great that I got to be surrounded by people who have made my school experience worth it.”