By Kathy Hirsch || Contributing Writer
During the weekend, from April 6 to April 8, the F&M Players brought a slice of Broadway to Lancaster in their show, Broadway Revue: They Live In You. This performance starred students from all class years and showcased twenty Broadway numbers.
This year’s show commemorated the 35th anniversary of the founding of the F&M Players. To celebrate, this year’s theme, They Live In You, revolved around the history of the F&M Players. The musical theater group was formed in 1982 by a group of students from F&M’s Theater Department. Since their first show, Godspell, the group has performed more than eighteen musicals including big names like Guys and Dolls, Grease, Into the Woods, and Bye Bye Birdie.
Co-directed by James Morogiello ’18 and Abbie Reed ’17, this show featured songs from previous performances along with numbers from current Broadway hits.
The first act featured comedic performances. One such number was the “Brotherhood of Man” with soloists Fermin Serrano ’19, Thomas Lehman-Borer ’18, and Angela Lacerna ’19. This act was followed by two Halloween-esque performances, “When You’re An Addams” and “Join the Family Business,” from the The Addams Family and Young Frankenstein shows respectively.
The big hit, “My Shot” from Hamilton ended the first act with a bang. The number featured solos from Nadia Johnson ’17, Astrid Perez ’18, Seth Duncan ’19, Fermin Serrano ’19, Kevin Gallagher ’17, Catie O’Gara ’18, and Asia Mateen ’17.
While it may seem impossible to fill Hamilton’s shoes, this crew lived up to expectations and exceeded them.
The Chicago hit “Cell Block Tango” opened up the second act and prepped the audience for the amazing numbers still to come. One number that followed in the second act was “Not Alone” from A Very Potter Musical.
At the end of song, it was clear that the singers Darby Lucius-Milliman ’20, Molly Minter ’19, KT Thomas ’18, and Melanie Greenwald ’19 were having just as much fun performing on stage as the audience was watching them.
The show then gradually evolved from fun and comedic numbers to a more emotional tone. The seniors sang a heartfelt final song, “Seasons of Love” from Rent featuring Becky Branovan ’17.
Finally, the last number, “They Live In You” from The Lion King, wrapped up not just this show, but the history of the F&M Players. While the seniors sang in the front of the stage, their fellow Players acted out the history of the F&M Players behind them. By the end of the song, the entire group was onstage to finish an evening of phenomenal singing, dancing, and acting.
First-year Kathy Hirsch is a contributing writer. Her email is khirsch@fandm.edu.