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The ladies starring in “Shout” at Florida Repertory Theatre
Audiences should brace themselves for a British musical invasion as the women of the psychedelic ‘60s flaunt favorite tunes and technicolor flair at Florida Repertory Theatre now through April 13.
“Shout! The Mod Musical” by Phillip George and David Lowenstein follows the stories of five women who turn to an advice columnist who works at the magazine “Shout!” for guidance on life and love.
Each character is named after a color — Red, Green, Blue, Yellow and Orange — and, in the swanky London style of the 1960s, each woman is emboldened by the qualities associated with her name.
The musical throwback is set in London in the 1960s and illuminates the lives of five women who all face tough situations and write letters seeking counsel to Gwendolyn Holmes, who writes an advice column for the magazine “Shout!”
Featuring soulful pop anthems and ballads by artists including Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Lulu, Shirley Bassey, The Seekers and more, “Shout! The Mod Musical” promises to transport eager audiences back to the era of swanky style and English swing.
“Shout! The Mod Musical” is being shown at the Florida Repertory Theatre through April 13.
“The thing about a musical like this — it’s been around for a number of years. A lot of theaters have done it and have had success with it,” said Jason Parrish, the show’s director and associate artistic director at Florida Repertory Theatre. “We did ‘Beehive,’ the 1960s musical last year, which was the American women of the 1960s, and it was one of the biggest hits we had ever had in that time slot. So, this one exists, and there’s a little bit of song crossover, but not really — they’re very different shows. They’re not related to one another, but that music is speaking to our core demographic audience because that was the music of their youth.
“It’s a five-women cast, and each of the women, they don’t have names,” Parrish continued. “They have in that very colorful mod-color palette. You’ll see that represented in our set, as well. There are two voiceovers who are in it throughout. One of them is kind of the voice of the magazine, and then there is a woman who is the voice of Gwendolyn Holmes who answers their letters throughout the show.”
The “Shout” ladies repping for Britain. COURTESY PHOTOS
To fully capture the essence of the 1960s British music scene, Florida Rep incorporated the talents of a skilled creative team including musical director Patrick Burns, choreographer Rebecca Frazier, set designer Jordan Moore, costume designer Kim Griffin, lighting designer Julie Duro, stage manager Alicia Digiorgi, assistant stage manager Brynn Lilah Sklar, sound designer Braden Downing, and musicians Frank Sanders, Max Sundue and Jorge Ylisastigul.
To celebrate the dance frenzy of the era, Frazier drew inspiration from TV shows, including “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “American Bandstand.”
“Most dancers and actors are familiar with social dances like the pony and the hand jive, as they appear in shows like ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Grease.’ I wanted to use some very recognizable dances but also utilize other great 60s dance crazes, like the Locomotion, the Watusi, and the Swim! I had so much fun watching any footage I could find of performances of the songs in the show-l then decided how to incorporate the dances I liked into my own vocabulary and style of choreographing-and we ended up with this production of ‘Shout!’” explained Frazier.
To Frazier, dance is an integral tool to help advance the plot, develop characters and help the narrative unfold in the show.
“I love incorporating the authenticity of movement from the period while also creating a fully staged musical theater number. Finding the balance between authentic vocabulary, telling a story with a beginning, middle and end, and making sure the singing and storytelling are never compromised is always my ultimate goal.
“While the focus of the dancing in ‘Shout’ is certainly on large, fun, splashy production numbers, there are a few numbers that really drive individual character’s arcs-a great example of that is the Dionne Warwick song ‘Wives and Lovers,’ which the Orange Girl sings early in the show. The choreography in that number is designed to show character development, as opposed to being a big party production number. I’m certainly hoping that audiences will be shimmying and twisting their way out of the theater after seeing the show!” said Frazier.
Professional actress Bailey Reeves portrays Orange Girl in the production. She returns to Florida Rep after playing the role of Patty in “Beehive” last year. Probing into the background and era of the musicians highlighted in the show helped her prepare for her role.
“I know a lot of people like to put their own spin on things, but I’m a big researcher,” Reeves said. “That is what inspires me as an actor. Other people work in different ways, but I really like going back to who the original artist was, what her intentions were with the song. I’ve done a few of these more jukebox musicals now, so I’m starting to find a comfort zone with bringing the original artist’s intentions while also bringing what I want to bring and what makes me special to the role. These girls — they’re kind of open-ended — and that’s what makes them fun for actors to play. You can really make it whatever you want it to be. It’s also really fun to play actual historical figures. So, with these shows, you can get a little bit of that because you look at how the original artist performed the song and, like, their tendencies.”
“Shout! The Mod Musical” bursts with the effervescent energy of young women in an exploration of the rise of female empowerment in an era of social change.
“That girly, giggly vibe is a blast to play on stage. Feminine power — I love bringing that theme to things,” Reeves explained. “I feel like the audiences in Florida really enjoy that.
“The world’s crazy right now, and it gets crazier every minute. So, it’s really nice to be able to go to the theater and fully immerse yourself with other human beliefs, real human beings on stage and taking in the joy they’re having and bringing that into your own life.”
Like Reeves, actress Natalie Brouwer performed in “Beehive” at Florida Rep last season and is excited to return to the swinging 60’s as Yellow Girl in “Shout! The Mod Musical.”
“We’re basically doing the British version of ‘Beehive,’” said Brouwer. “Whereas ‘Shout’ follows five women and different circumstances that they go through, I play the one character who is not from the UK. Four of the girls are British, and my character is American. She’s from Cincinnati, Ohio, and she is very loud and brash and has the biggest personality out of all five. And she’s obsessed with Paul McCartney. That obsession is what brings her to the U.K. to try to find him, to try to see if she can spot him somewhere.”
Brouwer emphasized that audiences will be familiar with almost every song in the production and hopes they find joy in reliving the well-known tunes.
“I think that people are going to be familiar with every song, which makes it even more fun,” she said. “A show like this is meant to really just bring joy and to, hopefully, remind people of what they love about this music, what they love about that era. It definitely has some weight to it in some of the moments with some of the things that the women go through, but more than anything, I think it’s just meant to bring fun and joy and music into the lives of the audience members.”
To enjoy a show that brings great music and talent together with an uplifting story of empowerment, audiences will not want to miss Shout! The Mod Musical” at Florida Rep. ¦
In the KNOW
“Shout! The Mod Musical”
· When: Now through April 13
· Where: The Florida Repertory Theatre, Historic Arcade Theatre, 2267 First St., Fort Myers
· Info: For tickets, see www.floridarep.org or call 239-332-4488