STARKVILLE — The Starkville Community Theater’s Summer Musical Revue is returning for the first time since 2019.
This year’s revue, stylized as a cabaret, is called “Back to the Beginning” and will feature performers from the first SCT summer revue 23 years ago. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday and Saturday at the SCT’s Playhouse on Main Street. There will be a special dinner theatre performance at Magnolia Social in the Hotel Chester at 7 p.m. Friday.
The Starkville Community Theater typically hosts a musical revue in July of every year, in addition to its regular season shows and other activities. Pattye Archer, who also works full-time as the coordinator for digital media at the Mississippi State’s Mitchell Memorial Library, is directing this year’s revue. She came up with the idea to do something smaller and more intimate featuring the original performers.
“In 1999, SCT had their first summer musical review. And we did them for over 20 years, but because of the (COVID-19) pandemic we haven’t had one in several years,” she said. “So I came up with the idea of inviting five of the original members to come back and do one again. Something kind of intimate with just these five people who were there in the very beginning, performing songs that have personal meaning to them, either through their relationship with SCT or just some of their favorite songs and making it more of a cabaret style show.”
Those five performers are Lyle Tate, Brian Hawkins, Madeline Golden, M.J. Etua and Kris Lee. They will be joined by Derek Aaron, Elizabeth Balzli and John Brocato.
Hawkins, who also serves as co-chair of publicity and marketing, has continued to participate in the summer revues since the first one in 1999. He said he is excited to share the stage with his friends.
“Some of us have done them off and on over the years. This one’s bringing back several of the original performers from the first summer musical revue in 1999,” he said. “So it’s exciting for us to be able to get together and sing together because a lot of us have been singing together for years. But it’s going to be great to be able to share the stage with friends and make music together and entertain an audience.”
SCT had a full slate of performances for the 2021-22 season, minus the revue.
Like Hawkins, Archer has been involved in the Starkville Community Theater for many years, directing more than 20 shows, including many of the summer revues. She is looking forward to bringing the revue back.
“It just sort of feels like coming home,” she said. “There’s nothing more uplifting and more unifying than music, and so to be able to work with talented performers and pull together a show of music that brings people together and makes them feel good and entertains them is just a wonderful experience. There’s enough negativity in the world. There’s too many bad things happening, too much to be worried about. So, I just think it’s fabulous to be able to celebrate the return of live music and the importance of the arts in our lives.”
Tickets for the Thursday and Saturday performances are $20 per person and may be booked by calling the SCT box office at (662) 323-6855. Tickets may also be booked online at https://starkville-community-theatre.ticketleap.com/beginning.
Tickets for Friday’s performance have sold out, though there is a waiting list that can be accessed through the SCT box office.
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