SECTION
HEAR iT! HEADER!
THEATRE,
REVIVED
Words by Ty Unglebower
It’s a simple concept: find the obscure, forgotten or
ignored in musical theater and stage a production
of it. That is at the core of Being Revived, a musical
theater company in Frederick.
Most community theaters provide a steady offering of such classics as
“Annie,” “Anything Goes,” “The Music Man,” “Oklahoma” or “Grease.”
Such shows are well loved, but also well known and well traveled. While the
folks at Being Revived acknowledge many reasons for staging such standards
(making fast money, name recognition, an established mood that is easy to
recreate), exploring the depths of something new and exciting and breathing
life into it for the first time are not among such reasons.
Which is why Being Revived has staged such musicals as “It’s a Bird It’s
a Plane It’s Superman!,” “Lucky Stiff” and “Reefer Madness.” These are
not exactly old stand-bys of musical theater, but rather shows that the
company feels deserve an audience, at least one more time. Maybe such
productions entertain a few people and maybe not, but at least these
obscurities have a second chance. (In some cases, a first chance.)
Drama, comedy, memorable tunes, vivid characters: other than
obscurity of source material, these are some of the hallmarks of a Being
Revived production. So is a certain minimalist quality. Productions,
however long forgotten, that require intricate choreography or
elaborate sets don’t usually find a home at Being Revived; budgets and
space tend to preclude them for now.
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SPRING
SPRING 2015
2015