The Show Must Go On for ESL's Stephen Schwartz Scrapbook

Last month I took my family to the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket to see Milford's own Rachel MacKenzie play the lead role of Tracy Turnblad on opening night of the RI Stage Ensemble's production of the musical Hairspray.  We have never seen a bad performance from Rachel but we surely saw a terrific job of singing, acting, and even dancing that night.  What we did not see, however, was that on her way out of the theater that very cold night Rachel slipped and broke her leg!  Unable to dance and move like Tracy, Rachel was unable to continue in the show.

Rachel is also a professional accompanist and music director, having directed among other shows the Milford Performing Arts Center' 2012 production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods (yes, I was in that show, as was my daughter Mackenzie!).  This year Rachel was very involved with Hopkinton's Enter Stage Left Theater Company in developing and staging a musical review based upon the songbook of Stephen Schwartz.  However, playing the piano for a score of Broadway songs requires a lot of physical exertion, most particularly leg work on the pedals of the piano.  Because she could not properly work the piano's pedals with a broken leg, Rachel had to withdraw as the show's accompanist.

The show, called the Stephen Schwartz Scrapbook, was already in rehearsal and scheduled to open in April.  ESL's chief business administrator Kelly Grill and the Scrapbook's Director Mark DeCampo were left to scramble to find a new accompanist for the show's 27 young adult singers.  Being able to play the piano is a talent.  Being able to accompany a vocal group while playing sometimes difficult piano pieces is a rare talent, and those who can do it are much in demand!

Fast forward to a Saturday afternoon in March.  Kelly and Mark had found an accompanist and brought her in to meet the performers for the first time - at the recording session of the latest installment of Milford Performs!  The singers knew their material, the accompanist knew her stuff, but the singers and the accompanist did not know each other.  Watching as the pianist and the singers ran through their songs once or twice then performed them for our show was simply terrific, an amazing display of resilience in the face of adversity - not to mention talent!
 
Watch their performance on Milford TV Comcast Channel 8 / Verizon Channel 38 Fridays at 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM, Saturdays at 5:30 PM, and Sundays at 10:00 PM through April 11, or anytime on YouTube at www.MilfordPerforms.com.

Enter Stage Left's Stephen Schwartz Scrapbook runs April 10, 11, and 12, 2014 at the First Unitarian Church on Pine Street, Milford.  For more info click here:   http://milford-ma.patch.com/groups/events/p/stephen-schwartz-musical-revue.