Programme – Back From Broadway

FOUR’S COMPANY PRESENTS

BACK FROM
BROADWAY

AUGUST 16th 17th 18th
PLAYHOUSE THEATRE. HASTINGS

FOUR’S
PERFORMING ARTS TRUST
COMPANY

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BACK FROM BROADWAY

As some of you may know, in April of 2015 Four’s Company received an incredible invitation from a concert organiser in New York who had seen some of our performances online. They asked if we would consider travelling to NY to perform with other singing groups from around the world at the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts. This invitation was a huge honour and together we decided it was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity.

After a massive two-year fundraising effort and with much support from local organisations, 26 members of Four’s Company performed on the world stage in New York. As a group we shared countless special experiences, including workshops and meetings with some of Broadway’s biggest composers and musicians.

Between us we covered at least 16 different Broadway shows, some even twice! It was there, in the bright lights and cityscapes of New York City that this show truly began. We were lucky enough to live our wildest drama-geek dreams, so we have brought a little piece Back From Broadway for you to enjoy…

BACK FROM BROADWAY

WHO ARE WE?

Four’s Company was formed in early 2010 by a small team of creative and like-minded people. Our initial group consisted of 20 young people but has since blossomed to include adults from 20-60+ yrs who contribute their talents and mentor each other. We have members from all walks of life. Some have grown up performing in the group and many have rediscovered their love for performing within our tight-knit, supportive family. At Four’s Company we have gained quite a reputation, particularly for our slick production skills and ability to collaborate. We bring together some of the best local artists and create performances of the highest standards.

Today, our power-house creative team consists of Carol Della Barca (director, left), Linda Gilchrist (musical director, middle) and Jillian Andrew (choreographer, right). Together, they share a huge range of skills and knowledge both in the performing arts and in the art of mentorship. They foster an environment of growth, ambition and excellence while providing a safe and supportive place for people to explore their love of the arts.

REHEARSAL PHOTOS

PROGRAMME ACT 1

HONK
Ugly the duckling is very different from the other animals in the barnyard. Rejected and alone, Ugly goes on a journey of discovery, meeting a unique flock of characters who prove that different isn’t bad at all. Whether set in the English countryside or an corporate office, this adaption of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale delivers an age defying message – embrace your uniqueness and the world will embrace you… warts and all!

NUNSENSE   (WE’VE GOT TO CLEAN OUT THE FREEZER)
When cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally kills most of the sisterhood with a dodgy meal the convent is left with no money to bury the last of their deceased. The remaining nuns decide to stage a variety show to raise the extra funds while keeping the four dead sisters on ice in the freezer!!

SISTER ACT   (HOW I GOT THE CALLING & THE LIFE I NEVER LED)
After becoming involved with a gangster and witnessing a crime, an aspiring singer is placed into witness protection… in a convent! Struggling with the constraints of convent life she joins the convent choir and, through music, discovers a loving and fun bunch of sisters who are not to different from herself.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Seymour, a meek employee at a failing florist in Skid Row, is in love with his abused co-worker Audrey. His life takes a prosperous turn when he attains an unusual plant during a total eclipse. The plant, Audrey II, sparks huge business. But there is one problem – the plant survives on human flesh. Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend becomes the first victim in Seymour’s attempt to keep the plant, his love, and his newfound prosperity alive. Meanwhile the plant grows to apocalyptic proportions…

WAITRESS   (OPENING UP)
Jenna works in a Diner with her two quirky friends, OCD Dawn and sassy Becky. Despite being a exceptional pie baker, her life grinds to a halt when she discovers she is pregnant with her abusive husband’s baby. We enter the story with a shocked Jenna facing another day in the diner, whilst knowing her life is about to change dramatically.

COMPANY   (YOU COULD DRIVE A PERSON CRAZY)
On the night of Robert’s 35th birthday he struggles to think of a wish to blow out his candles.
Surrounded by all his married friends, he wonders whether romance is what he needs in his life. The song “You could drive a person crazy” comes into the story as Robert claims he is not against the notion of marriage or commitment. However, the girls he has been fooling around with beg to differ!

MY FAIR LADY
Eliza Doolittle is a young flower seller with an unmistakable Cockney accent which keeps her in the lower rungs of Edwardian society. When Professor Henry Higgins tries to teach her how to speak like a proper lady, an unlikely friendship begins to flourish.

PROGRAMME ACT 2

INTO THE WOODS
A baker and his wife are cursed to remain childless by a witch. They venture into the woods to find the ingredients that will lift the spell and give them the child they wish for. In the woods they meet Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, two handsome Princes and Jack. As they journey through the woods, each have their own wish to fulfil and their own lessons to learn about the nature of children, love and growing up.

SOUTH PACIFIC   (NOTHING LIKE A DAME)
On an idyllic South Pacific island during WWII, this musical follows the intercultural love stories of an American Soldier and Nurse and their respective love affairs with native locals. Both Americans find themselves struggling to reconcile their own cultural prejudices with their amorous feelings, all the while dreading the war looming over their island paradise. Based on the true anecdotes of a U.S. Navy commander, the story also touches on the seemingly endless boredom of waiting for battle – the inspiration for the song “Nothing Like a Dame”.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN   (WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW)
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new American musical about life and the way we live it.

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
Horton is an elephant who believes that a speck of dust is actually home to a whole town of Whos. On the speck lives Jojo – a dreamer, sent to military school for thinking too many “thinks”. Held together by the storytelling Cat in the Hat, Seussical follows Horton and all of your Dr Seuss favourites. It’s an intertwining story of friendship, loyalty, family, and ultimately, holding true to your dreams even when they seem impossible.

ENSEMBLE

Linda Gilchrist
SOPRANO
Nun, Wicked Witch

Lisa Eagle
SOPRANO
Audrey, Snow White, Nun

Leonie Vercoe
ALTO
Secretary, Nun, Jack’s mum

K-Ci Williams
TENOR
Baker, Barman, Sailor

Samantha Cole
SOPRANO
Nun, Baker’s wife

Olga McClunie
ALTO
Ugly Step Sister, Sour Kangaroo/Club Diva, Nun

Kerran Williams
Alto
Eliza Doolittle, Nun, Wicked Witch

Cameron Young
BASS
Audrey II, Pianist, Wolf, Sailor

ENSEMBLE

John Graham
TENOR
CEO/frog, Freddie Eynzford-Hill, Sailor, Lumberjack

Darian Walker
BASS
Dentist, Prince Charming, Bar owner, Sailor

Taylor Vercoe
ALTO
Backup trio, Cinderella, Jenna, Air force girl

Sydnee Vercoe
ALTO
Ugly, Back up trio, Rapunzel, Becky, Navy girl

Callum Reeve
BASS
Prince Charming, Seymour, Sailor

Mackenzie Vercoe
BASS
Sailor, Lumberjack

Phoebe Chenery
ALTO
Backup trio, Jack, Jojo, Dawn, Army girl

Zara Sheard
SOPRANO
Little Red Riding Hood, Baby Audrey II

ENSEMBLE

Michelle Westerlaken
SOPRANO
Ugly step sister

Oscar Nagy
SOPRANO
Dentist victim, Dwarf

Colleen Anderson
SOPRANO
Grandma

Lorraine Guillemot
SOPRANO
Wicked Witch

Rosalie Thompson
SOPRANO
Evil queen

Jane Fisher
SOPRANO
Wicked Witch

DIRECTOR – Carol Della Barca
CHOREOGRAPHY – Jillian Andrew
STAGE MANAGER – Paula Nagy
STAGE CREW – Max Nagy, Sam Gilchrist, Jack Gilchrist, James Miles Nadia Cudd, Jessie Sadlier
OTHER HELPERS – Wendy Person, Simon Evans, Andy Nagy, Jack Thompson, Christine Mayne

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to extend a very big thank you to the following schools, people and organisations:

Karamu High School who support Four’s Company all year round by providing access to their music suite and hall for weekly rehearsals.

Heretaunga Intermediate School who support Four’s Company’s large-scale productions by providing access to their school hall and stage area for rehearsals in the lead up months.

Our amazing team of volunteers taking care of Front of House and Supper.

Planters Nursery in St Georges Rd for providing us with such wonderful plants.

David Sorenson – Four’s Company’s favourite Accountant
Four’s Company’s amazing Board Members who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our organisation ticking along like clockwork

Care Pharmacy Hastings for helping provide props.

Kath Purchas at Bay Studio for helping us with advertising space ([www].baystudio.co.nz)