Closing the curtains on Covid
A night of show stoppers is set to make up for shows stopped by Covid-19 as Nelson Musical Theatre prepares to bring live stage performance back to the city.
Cast and crew of the upcoming show, An Evening with Nelson Musical Theatre, are in the final weeks of rehearsal ahead of opening night on July 2.
Billed as ‘‘a night of music from some of Broadway’s best known shows, performed by Nelson’s best voices’’ the concert-style show featuring song numbers from The Sound of Music, Little Shop of Horrors along with newer musicals such as Waitress and Hamilton.
Last year, Nelson Musical Theatre celebrated 60 years of entertaining local audiences.
Recent NMT shows have included well-received productions of Mamma Mia, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Nevermore, Avenue Q and Blood Brothers.
The coronavirus pandemic resulted in the postponement of two of the three planned shows for 2020 –Midlife Crisis the Musical and a major production of Mary Poppins at Nelson’s Theatre Royal. Show director Francesca Beckett said despite the disruption, plans for a return to the stage were never far from people’s minds during lockdown.
‘‘We knew we’d have to plan something special when the future seemed bright – for both our performers, [and] the Nelson community.’’
The first meeting to discuss potential show ideas took place at level 2 and appropriate social-distanced rehearsals followed soon after.
Beckett said the timeline of the production from inception to final curtain on July 11 will be around eight weeks in total.
‘‘It’s been put together at breakneck speed, but that’s the great thing about this kind of show – it’s a gala performance so it’s songs that everyone is going to know and love.’’
For Beckett – who also performs a duet in the show – the show will be her last chance to perform before she steps off the stage to prepare for motherhood.
She was thrilled by the enthusiasm of performers in rehearsals. Before the auditions she was unsure of how many would show up post-lockdown.
With just a couple of weeks’ notice, around 40 people auditioned with a cast of 30 eventually chosen, ranging in age from 15 to 83.
The variety of songs in the show has also given the cast a broader canvas to showcase their talents.
‘‘It does give people the opportunity to have a solo as well when they wouldn’t have a lead in a show but they have a fantastic voice. During the auditions one girl said ‘this is my shower song’.’’
An Evening with Nelson Musical Theatre runs from July 2-4 and July 9-11 at Nelson Musical Theatre, 95 Atawhai Drive. Tickets are $25 and can be booked online here. Doors open at 6.30pm.