Fresh off a successful performance at 54 Below, a supper club in the heart of New York’s Broadway Theater District, a revue produced by Mike Karns is coming to The State Theatre at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18.
The show includes performances by four Penn State musical theater graduates who are currently appearing on Broadway.
For The State Theatre performance, the revue also will include performances by current students in the program and local performers from Happy Valley. Karns said local high school and middle school students will be part of the show, as well.
Karns, who is president of the School of Theatre Alumni Group, is passionate about celebrating the many talented students who have helped make Penn State one of the most prolific programs in the nation.
“This is an opportunity for us to showcase some of the magnificent talent from Penn State and the State College community,” said Karns. “The evening will be directed by Penn State’s head of musical theater, John Simpkins, with music direction by School of Music director Dan Riddle.”
The four professional performers include Caroline Bowman, Laurie Veldheer, Alan Wiggins, and Nathan Lucrezio. Each of the four has had considerable success.
Bowman was most recently seen as Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway. Veldheer was a member of the original cast of “Newsies,” as well as a recent start of “Mamma Mia!” Wiggins has been seen in “The Lion King” and “Beautiful,” the Carole King musical on Broadway. And, Lucrezio currently is in “Aladdin” and was seen in Broadway’s “Cinderella.”
How are these New York performers able to participate, given their busy professional schedules?
“The stars of this show have cleared their schedules and called out of shows to be part of this concert in January,” said Karns. “These Broadway performers believe in the importance of the bond between School of Theatre alumni and current students and community members. When given the opportunity to come back to their alma mater to share their gifts, these artists were willing to do whatever necessary to make it happen.”
As a graduate of the program, Karns seeks to help it continue to produce graduates who move quickly into professional careers.
“I believe that the Penn State School of Theatre is beginning an important new chapter in our trajectory. We have an active, growing alumni base reaching out to give back to the program that helped shape them,” said Karns.
“We have initiatives like our STAGES (School of Theatre Alumni Giving Experience to Students) summit each spring that brings alumni and friends back to State College for talk backs and master classes. We have an innovative leader and driving artistic force in the newly appointed head of musical theater … . The Penn State School of Theatre is, without question, the preeminent collegiate program in the nation, and I just want to let everybody know about it.”
Karns himself is growing a professional career on Broadway. His most recent credit is as co-producer of “Allegiance,” the Broadway musical that captures the trials of actor George Takei, whose family was was forced into a Japanese internment camp during World War II. In addition to Takei, the show stars the legendary Lea Salonga, who was the original “Miss Saigon” on London’s West End and eventually on Broadway.
