On Saturday, February 28th the Garden Room was transformed into an elegant formal setting for a night of beautiful music and delicious food, all to benefit the Muhlenberg Theatre Association. The performance, entitled Always True to You: Muhlenberg Divas Sing Broadway, consisted of twelve talented young women singing well-known songs from Tony Award-winning Broadway shows. Guests, ranging from the parents of the performers and MTA e-board members to friends of the college, members of the staff, and even President and Mrs. Helm, sipped wine and enjoyed hors d'oeuvres before the show started. Paulette Cramer & Wood Catering staff also provided a choice of wonderful meals to compliment the performance, the favorite of the night being roasted beef tenderloin in Merlot sauce.
For director Joseph Stefanelli '05, who started working on the show last semester, deciding whom to cast was tough. "The audition process was so difficult," he said. "We have so many talented girls at Muhlenberg. It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make. But I was thrilled with each and every girl!" Singers showcased in the cabaret were Jessica Ball '05, Elizabeth Colpo '05, Sammy Eisenman '06, Leah Goldstein '05, Sarah Hutchison '04, Jessica Katz '05, Colleen Meade '06, Jenny Peters '05, Courtney Romano '06, Mia Scarpa '04, Kara Senich '06, and Ashley Wallace '07. They sang songs from Crazy For You, Damn Yankees, Cabaret, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers, Hairspray, and other popular Broadway shows. Each diva was featured with a solo piece, by herself or backed up by the others. There were also some ensemble numbers, like "The Lullaby of Broadway" from 42nd Street, during which it was evident that they were having a lot of fun performing with one another.
Kerin Nadler '05 provided wonderful choreography for the production, and pianist Justin Brehm '05 accompanied the divas beautifully on keyboards. David Torsiello served as the musical director, and he arranged the music along with Brehm and Stefanelli. Hilarious dialogue, written by Eddie Honan '04, and performed with excellent comic timing by emcees Lance Bankerd '05 and George Psomas '05 provided some laughs. Another special treat was an appearance by Professor Francine Roussel singing a song in French.
The room erupted with thunderous applause and cheers from the audience when the closing number ended. The 50-or-so audience members then mingled with the performers while finishing their dessert. Stefanelli remarked, "Working with these 12 girls was amazing. After a while, I became so close with them, I started to call them my dozen roses." Overall, the event went very well and raised more than $1,800 for the MTA. Congratulations to Joe, all the divas, and everyone else involved in the cabaret for an entertaining and successful evening!