This past weekend, members of the John Brown University theater program brought to life a story about love and meaning in their rendition of the Broadway musical “Fly By Night.”
“Fly By Night” centers around Harold McClam, played by freshman Heath Stark, a young man who has just lost his mother. The audience follows him during the year following his mother’s death as he falls in love with two sisters, Daphne and Miriam, played by freshman Noelle Hogue and senior Rachel Mann respectively, and struggles to find happiness in his job. As romance is had, and sandwiches are made, each character finds out more about themselves and the world around them.
Unlike the other productions this year, “Fly By Night” took place in the Jones Recital Hall instead of the usual Berry Performing Arts Center. This allowed the audience to have a more intimate connection with the actors as it created a black box stage instead of the traditional auditorium feel.
Instead of following a horizontal timeline, the musical jumped around, giving context to what each character was doing at different times during the musical. As the narrator, played by freshman Jack Sampson, gave context to what was happening on stage, he became another character in the scene. From Daphne and Miriam’s mother, to a creepy fortune teller, he did it all, bringing laughs to the audience frequently.
Another fantastic part of the production was the music. Not only did each actor bring out all of the emotions in their songs, the live band added another level to the show. Since Stark’s character is a budding musician and Hogue’s is a wannabe Broadway star, it fit to have a band on stage instead of a prerecorded track. The songs themselves also brought out many different feelings in the audience members. From freshman Seth Childs’ performance of “What You Do To Me,” which brought laughs to freshman Josiah Ungos’ performance of “Cecily Smith,” which caused some audience members to become teary eyed, it was clear that JBU has much talent in the theater department.
Not only did the musical end with a heartwarming moment between the father, Mr. McClam, (played by Ungos) and Harold, but also between the actors. After the bows on the Saturday night performance, Liesl Dromi, assistant professor of music, came onto the stage to give Mann a bouquet in honor of her last JBU theater performance. This sweet moment was met by a standing ovation from the audience.
JBU’s performance of “Fly By Night” was a perfect end to the season, and I can’t wait to see what the department does next.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Van Andel.