Broadway Miscast at Carrollwood Players

As a Florida transplant with more decades of professional theater experience than I care to specify (I'm old), I was delighted to find the Carrollwood Players on this hot summer weekend.

What a great community arts organization right here in my new, steamy backyard. And what a fun show they have on stage right now.

Broadway Miscast, of course, is most famous as the annual benefit produced by the MCC Theater in New York, where Broadway stars perform songs from roles they would never ordinarily play. But the concept is not unique to New York (say that 5 times fast), and many iterations of it have been produced around the world.

For a great evening of entertainment, how can you go wrong by presenting a bunch of Broadway songs performed in completely unexpected ways?

Creator/Director Jim Russell has hit the jackpot by doing just that for two years in a row.

Carrollwood Players is an all-volunteer community theater featuring local talent, so I came in with high hopes and low expectations. I'm thrilled to report that my hopes weren't dashed and my expectations were buried in joy and laughter.

The songs featured in this fast moving two hour show were as eclectic as you can get. When I chatted with Mr. Russell after the show, he shared that he allowed the cast to choose most of the songs, and encouraged them to help with the writing.

The result is nonstop laughs, silliness and fun, with some sudden dramatic brake slamming.

With amateur performers filling the cast, the level of talent in this show is beyond titillating. It is always a breath of fresh air to see performers who are on that stage for the love of the craft.

Considering the show's aim is to make us laugh and just have fun, there isn't a weak link in the bunch. I can forgive one or two less than perfect singing voices in exchange for the great time I had.

From a totally unexpected interpretation of The Impossible Dream, performed hilariously by Jennifer De Sane, to a riotous and chaotic version of Flower Drum Song's I Enjoy Being a Girl, sung by the adorably baby-faced Luke Charles Wittmeyer, this show is fun, fun, fun.

Some of my favorite instances of Broadway being turned upside-down included songs from Mean Girls, Grease, West Side Story, Chicago and even the recent New York sensation, Death Becomes Her.

Patricia Farber is hysterical as the comedic foil that propels the show. Thomas Pahl, an older gentleman, holds his own in a sequined gown and a wedding dress, and Ava Petrignani stops the world with her powerful rendition of Bring Him Home from Les Mis.

Mariana Montoya (an actress who is going places if I know anything) delivers triple threat Broadway quality in her two big songs, I'll Be There from MJ the Musical and Aldolpho from The Drowsy Chaperone. Kevin Still is super fun as a lovestruck teenaged girl, an undersea villainess and a 90s grunger. Jacobe Salb is a powerhouse of energy and will make you want to have more hair.

My two favorite performers are Allan T. Anderson and Becca Iverson. Anderson's performance as Viola van Horn and Matron "Mama" Morton will leave you begging for more. Iverson's solo take on Alexander Hamilton is simply astounding and mesmerizing to watch and she is so funny as Danny Zuko.

This production is an absolute winner. Is it perfect? No. Is it a must see? Yes. A big part of the fun is that creator/director Russell clearly intended to let community theater poke a little fun at itself. And he executes his plan flawlessly.

Bravo to this little, Off Broadway-ish theater in a strip mall in Florida for stepping outside the box and doing something unique.

Broadway Miscast is on stage at Carrollwood Players Theatre from now until July 25th. Depending on the performance date and when you buy, tickets run an incredibly reasonable $25-$30. For the entertainment, you can't beat it.

Tickets are available HERE.