Rodeheaver Series Presenting A Musical Revue Sunday
Posted
Staff Report-
This Sunday, the Rodeheaver Series for the Performing Arts will present a musical revue compiled and performed by a team of Chicago musical theatre professionals titled "The Little Things You Do Together."
The title has the same name from the musical "Company" by Stephen Sondheim. This revue includes that song and others by Sondheim.Mark Elliott, who currently teaches musical theater performance at The Theatre School, DePaul University, Chicago, is the show's developer, director and pianist. Beginning at first with just a list of his favorite Sondheim songs, he began to see the common thread of relationship among them, but felt a bit unsatisfied by the disconnected nature of his list.
"Sondheim's material is so specific to the particular character in his or her particular situation," he said. "The songs needed context."
So he came up with a seasonal approach: the spring, summer, winter and fall of relationships. In other words, the search for love, budding romance, stormy times, and finally, reconciliation.
Elliott's extensive experience with Sondheim's material, and musical theater in general, makes him a natural for compiling such a show. In addition to serving as musical director on more than 100 stage productions and composing scores and incidental music for nearly 50 shows, he has even written a couple of his own.
The two-person cast, namely Dan and Jennifer Loftus, come with their own set of credentials and experiences that make them a perfect fit for the show. Dan's interest in theater has led him to perform for most of Chicago's best known theatrical companies.
Jennifer's career path has stayed within performing and music. A good quarter of her work time is devoted to networking. When she's not taking care of all that background work, rehearsing for a show or shooting a commercial, she's teaching one of her 30 voice and piano students, or playing and/or singing for church services, weddings and funerals.
Although her focus has stayed within performing, her work has definitely not stayed within just the Chicagoland area. In addition to her theatrical work, Jennifer has appeared in several commercials, industrials, and independent films. She has just recently joined Equity and says that the Screen Actors Guild is probably in her near future as well.
Jennifer and Dan are married. Although it is the first time for all three to work together on a project, it was actually Mark who brought Dan and Jennifer together in the first place, as host for a party at which both were his guests.
So after weeks of preparation, rehearsing in one another's living rooms, gathering props and costumes, discovering motivations and memorizing, the team will give the world premiere of this particular collection of songs and settings at the First United Methodist Church of Warsaw, corner of Indiana and Market streets, at 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Donations will be accepted.
More information is available by calling the church office at 574-267-6933 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
