[ad_1]
From The Beatles and Elton John to Queen and Dusty Springfield, one of Branson’s latest gigs is a tribute to some of the greatest musical artists who have ever crossed the pond to America.
Debuting in Branson in 2021, British Invasion of American Theater will take audiences on a musical journey as the cast presents the music that gives new meaning to American rock and roll.
British Invasion features the talents of Adam Webster, Johnny Moroko, Matthew Boyce, Adrianna Fine and Jack Cathcart. For the show, the audience first hears the voice of the group that started it all.
“British Invasion is a celebration of music, starting with what the Beatles brought to America in 1964, all the way to Queen and everything in between. We have the best women in British rock. We have the best women in the world. The great Mick Jagger pays tribute to the artist. You can’t find anyone better than Johnny,” Webster said. “We have Elton John, there are a couple of John Lennon songs in there. So whatever your niche is, Herman’s Hermans, The Kinks, anything to do with the UK, we’ll do what we can in reporting on the show to reach as many fan bases as possible.”
Webster added that the show was inspired by the first meeting between two members of the British Invasion cast.
“Michael Knight from Legends in Concert called me and said, ‘You have to meet Matthew Boyce, you have to meet this guy. He played Elvis and I know you played an amazing John Lennon. I need you both A meeting. I said, ‘No way, it’s 10:30 at night and I’m going to bed. Boyce also barely came, but we met at Michael’s house, so Michael Jackson and John Lennon and Elvie Spresley all met in an apartment in Branson, Missouri,” Webster said with a laugh. “Matthew and I hit it off. We hit a taco truck the following Tuesday and sat down for Taco Tuesday. He said, why aren’t you at the show? Why aren’t you performing somewhere? I said, ‘I’d love to be a man, I just didn’t get a chance. He said, ‘I see, let’s do a British show.'”
When Boyce called Morroco one day and invited him to audition, Morroco shared his experience joining the show.
“I just flew back from Florida. I’m probably 36 hours away from the stage, so I’m still excited. So I gave them a good audition and they said, ‘Okay,'” Moroko said. “If you’re going to be doing a British Invasion show, obviously what you’re going to do is the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and 100 other groups that have to be focused and presented. So it’s just a coincidence that I’m here to perform Mick Jagger, and I just happened to be here because I’m going to be here with another show, so here I am.”
Fine is one of the latest additions to the cast, joining the show mid-year.
“I’ve been a part of Jerry Presley’s God and Country Theatre for four years. I’ve mostly been a tribute to Stevie Nicks in Fleetwood Mac Dreams. Last year, I was a part of CJ Newsom’s classic country comedy, Awesome The ’80s and Elvis’ King Story auditioned for Americana Theatre. So I got all three in that audition,” Fine said. “Then it was July and they needed a replacement, so I threw my name in the hat asap and sang two dusty Springfield songs and here I am.”
Webster said actor Matthew Boyce said it best when comparing their introduction year to this year.
“He said, ‘The first year of the British invasion is gone, so the second year can run.’ We proved the concept last year. There’s a niche that nobody else in town is doing. There’s a lot of people on their show. Add the Beatles clips because they’re so popular and there’s a lot of people gently touching on these kinds of things,” Webster said. “So it was an interesting process to be able to take that idea and create a whole show out of it, starting with last year’s structure or skeleton, picking out the best parts and really fleshing it out from there to make it appealing to as many people as possible. people.”
Moroko explains the process they went through to initially create the show in 2021, and the new features they welcome to the production this year.
“When we came up with the idea, like anything, you put the bands on the board and you figure out which ones will work. You need some main band with enough material that you can focus on doing three or four songs , and then some you don’t need,” Moroko said. “Last year we did a little Kinks setup, but this year we didn’t do it, but we still have a Kinks song, we just do that one in the medley. You’re just trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t Yes. It’s like a football team, you look at who you have in the team and you play according to your team. I think I just figured out who can do what and just rearranged some things.”
With the addition of the mid-season cast, the current version of the show is slightly different than it was earlier this year.
“For the Queen part, whenever I got into the show, we actually changed it a little bit and added Bohemian Rhapsody,” Fine said. “We were trying to figure out, what can we do to fill that, because we don’t have a huge choir and they double the sound, so we’re just making it up with what we have. Honestly, it’s really Good. I like it.”
Now that the production has completed nearly two seasons, Webster shared how grateful he and the show are for all the support they’ve received.
“People’s level of support for being able to come to the show and tell us afterward how much they liked it, it reminds them how much of their childhood, how much they liked this music, how many songs they had forgotten we were from that era , forget that we brought so many great memories. It’s hard to beat it,” Webster said. “It’s hard to beat hearing how much they love seeing what we do. The support is huge.”
Webster added that they hope to add a little Christmas flair to their show later in the season.
“We’ve been talking about it since day one. I’d love to do it. I want to do a Christmas show. Elton John has “Step into Christmas,” John Lennon has that song “Happy Christmas War is Over,” and you can put Any rock song is put in front of Johnny and he can do it. So does Adriana. That’s the beauty of what we have with people who are flexible enough that we don’t just focus on one thing,” Webster said. . “So if it’s not this season, by the time next season comes, we’d love to do a Christmas project. It’s a huge deal for Branson, and it’s another untapped thing that no one is doing. so it would be a crime not to do so.”
British Invasion screenings are Monday and Wednesday at 5pm and Friday at 2pm. The American Theater is located at 2905 W. 76 Country Blvd. in Branson.
For more information on the show or to book tickets, call 417-544-8700 or visit americanatheatrebranson.com.
[ad_2]
Source link