Reflections on Independent Players performances of Love4

When the cast finished its successful run of LOVE4  on Saturday, October 10 with a standing ovation, INDEPENDENT PLAYERS had successfully presented its first musical revue since 1994.  From the solid response it received from its audiences throughout the run, everyone involved knew that this had been a very special three weeks.  Praise for the talent and professionalism of the entire cast was consistent night after night, and audience members, some of whom were seeing IP for the first time, got a chance to see the group at its finest.  So many noted that they were introduced to songs from musicals with which they were unfamiliar and that the variety of the music was top notch.  They praised the director and cast for selecting such an array of songs that worked so well together in presenting the four heartfelt emotions of LOVE—wanting love, finding love, losing love and keeping love.

In addition to praise of the show, they also commented on how each singer was unique and each song she sang featured her individual stylings and was totally suited to her voice.   When they sang together, however, their voices blended together so wonderfully that it sounded as if they sang as one.  “When the entire cast sang together,” one patron noted, “They literally raised the roof with song!”  When leaving, one audience member, who happens to be a fine musician in her own right, said that this revue was a perfect balance of songs, serious and humorous, light hearted and heart-rending, and that it was the very best show she had ever seen on a community theatre stage.

With the tremendous response IP received from scores of delighted theatre-goers, it is happy that it finally presented its first musical revue in twenty-one years. It received great response from the audiences of its recent productions of two lesser-known musicals—The Club and Working— in recent seasons, so it realizes that they are potentially very popular and help enliven any theatre’s season of plays.  As a result, it hopes to present either a musical or a musical revue, whenever possible, in future seasons.  Because so many people loved hearing songs from lesser known musicals, IP will attempt to choose shows which are either new or not as well known to local audiences.  Stay tuned for what it comes up with while it plans what shows it will choose to produce in the coming seasons.