Make Believe Theatre Hopes To 'Razzle, Dazzle 'Em'

Make Believe Theatre and Arts is celebrating its first birthday by putting on a show.

Razzle Dazzle 'Em is a variety show featuring professional and amateur talent that will be presented three times June 10-12 at the Lindenwood Cultural Center, 400 N. Kingshighway, St. Charles. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Beth and Phil Duello opened Make Believe Theatre and Arts on June 1, 2010, at 307 Droste Road in St. Charles. The business offers a variety of arts classes for all ages.

"Things are going really well," Beth Duello said. "We're gearing up for our first anniversary. We decided to celebrate with a show."

The show will feature one acts, monologues, song and dance numbers from Broadway musicals, vocal jazz and operatic arias. Fifteen adults and several children will perform.

"My sister and brother are coming in. They're professional opera singers in Chicago," Duello said. "A lot of my friends and their kids are performing, It's kind of a family affair. I will be singing, too."

Beth has been teaching choral music since 1983 and has directed choirs at Hazelwood West Middle School and the St. Charles Borromeo Church. She has sung professionally at The Muny, the Goldenrod Showboat and with The Patt Holt Singers. She met her husband while performing with The Patt Holt Singers.

In addition to the musical performances, the show will feature comedic and dramatic performances. One of them is being directed by Kaelen Carrier, a Lindenwood University theater management graduate currently working on her master's degree.

"I'm directing 'The Bear' by Anton Chekov," she said. "It's very comedic, very snappy. I can't run a rehearsal without tears running down my face from laughing the actors are so good."

The one-act farce was written in 1888 and features a cast of three. "I had worked on it before as an undergrad," Carrier said. "The play really sparked my interest."

"It's neat to allow young people to direct parts of the show," Duello said. "Everybody gets to show off their talents."

In addition to preparing for the variety show, Duello and staff are gearing up for Make Believe's summer art camps. "They're weekly, themed camps," Duello said. "At the end of the week, the kids put on a show."

Camps are designed for ages 5-16 and cover such topics as "Under the Big Top," "Summer Beach Party," "Stars and Stripes Forever," "Wild Wild West," "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Once Upon a Time." Camps begin June 13.

But before they can go to camp, the Make Believe Theatre crew are focused on how to razzle dazzle their audience this weekend.

"The show will represent what we are and what we hope to be in the future," Duello said. 

Tickets for Razzle Dazzle 'Em cost $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information call 636-925-9994 or email bduellomakebelieve@yahoo.com.