WISP to present Broadway revue this weekend

EAST HAVEN — A Broadway revue is coming to town, so get ready to celebrate Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m., courtesy of the Wagner Iovanna Studio Performances.

WISP is a nonprofit arts initiative started in 2017 by gifted performers Robert Iovanna and wife Karen Wagner-Iovanna, who have dedicated their talents to encouraging actors, young and old, to develop their skills on stage in the performing arts. They successfully incorporate professionals in the worlds of acting and singing with the new young talent they are cultivating, including special guest performers such as the show’s narrator iHeart Radio’s John Cadillac Saville, and New York City Opera’s Erich Simo as Jean Valjean.

You will be treated to a trio of Broadway favorites. “Dear Evan Hansen” tells the tale of a boy who feels invisible and desperately wants to be accepted. When another student at his high school commits suicide, Evan is swept into a web of lies not of his own making, but which have the power to change his life and give him all the acceptance he so desires.

Will he accept this unanticipated chance or admit the truth of the fabrications? Songs like “So Big/So Small,” “Requiem” and “Sincerely Me” propel the action.

Venture next into the cell blocks of the 1920s when women are celebrated for the brazenness of their murders as Roxie and Velma vie for top billing, belting out tunes like “Cell Block Tango,” “Mister Cellophane” and “All That Jazz.”

Completing the program are the majestic melodies of “Les Miserables,” the tale of an honest man who steals a loaf of bread and is imprisoned for years. Even when he is finally released, Jean Valjean is haunted by a determined policeman Javert, who wants him never to know freedom’s sweet taste.

Every song, such as “I Dreamed a Dream,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and “Castle on a Cloud,” are memorable. The show’s directors are Rob Iovanna and Karen WagnerIovanna, with Lauren Celentano as choreographer and James Teti as musical director.

For tickets ($25, $20 for children under 7), to the performances at the Old Stone Church, 251 Main St., East Haven, call 203-494-1633 or go online to buy.tututix.com/WISP or visit wisperformances.org.

The Fellowship Hall at the church is newly renovated, air-conditioned, wheelchair accessible, and provides socially distanced seating.

This show is dedicated to cast member Shauna Clifford, who was in an auto accident that prevents her from playing Heidi Hansen, Evan’s mom. The production looks forward to her being back on stage for “Spooktacular Halloween Cabaret” in October.

Come to the cabaret, cheer on the WISP stars of today and tomorrow as they bring Broadway right to your table.

Wagner Iovanna Studio Productions / Contributed photo The WISP Performing Arts Initiative will present staged Broadway concert selections Sept. 25 and 26 at the Old Stone Church, 251 Main St., East Haven. From left are Ariana Simo, Jenna Comfort, Hannah Pogemiller, Brittany Kammerer, and, at center, Allison Bradshaw.