By Molly Magennis
A group of talented Williamstown Light Opera Alumni are reuniting for a special one night only extravaganza in Williamstown this month.
Mary Vlahos, one of the Williamstown Light Opera company (now Williamstown Musical Theatre) alumni, said the idea spawned from a recent reunion she had with cast members of a 1990 production of ‘Best Little Whorehouse In Texas’.
“You know, everyone was saying how amazing, wouldn’t it be great to get back on stage but, I mean, these days, it’d be really hard to get a role in amateur theatre because there’s just so much talent,” Vlahos said.
After reflecting on the amazing experiences and friendships created during their theatre days, Vlahos, alongside fellow alumni Leanne Emmerson, decided it was finally time to get back on the stage.
The pair decided the show would be comprised of a mashup of excerpts from different musicals, and when a call out was put on Facebook they were inundated with people interested in getting involved.
The Williamstown Musical Theatre Company got behind the project, and the ‘Alumni Variety Concert’ was born.
Vlahos said the show will be broken up into three main segments.
“We’ve called it entree, main and dessert, with a break in between, we’ve got a slideshow with really old photos that are going to be shown up on screen during the break so everyone can see young faces,” she said.
“We’re doing songs like Cellblock Tango from Chicago, we’re doing, you know, just excerpts from musicals that everyone will know. It’s not just group numbers, there’ll be soloists, there’ll be duets, there’ll be trios, and I believe we even have [a group of] four.”
Vlahos said her time as a stage performer was one of the best times of her life, and made her into the person she is today.
“I was a shy little thing and it just brought me out, it just made me confident. I’ve made so many friends. It was the time of my life,” she said.
“I owe a lot to theatre and just the friendships and the support that you get from theatre people, it’s a special breed.”
The ‘Alumni Variety Concert’ will be held on March 5 at the Williamstown Town Hall, with tickets still available.
Details: bit.ly/wmtcalumni
