Pat Kenney
Staff Writer
For over 40 years the Best of Broadway club has been providing a creative outlet to those students willing to break out of the sports mold in which Springfield College seems to be associated with.
The Best of Broadway spring musical has become a tradition here on campus since the early 1970’s. The second generation, or ‘Bobbers,’ have really brought the tradition back to life, and plan on continuing it for a long time.
The club used to put on two musicals per year, one in the fall and one in the spring, but it was very tough on students and eventually they decided to cut the fall show.
“I think we can put on a bigger and better production with only one a year,” stated Ryan Levine, the secretary of the club, as well as co-drector of the show this year.
“The time commitment is really not that much,” continued Levine. “And a lot of our rehearsals are at night, and we really work with each other’s schedules.”
Set in the French Riviera, “The Boyfriend,” this year’s show, is an arrangement of ‘20s jazz music, providing a sound Springfield hasn’t heard in a long time.
“It is just a lot of really fun music,” said president of the club Ariel Zaleski.
Singers and dancers are not the only ones who participate in the musical, however. Set designers, hairdressers, stagehands, wardrobe and directors play a major role in the production, and without them the musical wouldn’t be able to function.
“People are able to be involved with the show without [physically being in] it,” said Zaleski. “You don’t have to be a singer, a dancer or an actor. All we are looking for is people who are excited and willing to take a chance and be a little silly now and then.”
Throughout the year, the Best of Broadway club grows and develops together as a family, and they begin to make connections and understand each other.
“To be able to watch people grow and develop is my favorite part of the whole production,” recalls Levine.
The student-run club, consisting of undergraduate and graduate students, will be showcasing their talents during their annual spring production, held at the Fuller Arts Center in May.