Once Upon A Time Cabaret
Breakthrough Theater
Created and Directed by Vicky Wicks
Winer Park, FL
Breakthrough continues to draw amazing performances out of surprisingly young entertainers, and it avoids the icky – sticky “Oh, isn’t she so CUTE!” virus that filled this first half of the last century. Ten singers tackle 14 songs, and nearly everyone gets a solo. The songs lean heavily toward the Disneyfied musicals of the last few decades, but they provide the correct level of challenge to the cast. We open with Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” that’s a tough one for almost everyone but its works here. After the introductions, we hit the solos: The responsible Adult Kirsten offers us a very slick “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins. Other favorites here include “Anything’s Possible” from “Seussical” sung by Josiah, “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” by Brianna, and “Never Neverland” from “Peter Pan” by Shelli. On a show on this stage, someday soon, these kids will earn having their last names printed in the program, but tonight they are building resumes and getting skill in front of that fabled live studio audience. Here’s a solid show by new talent that we will likely see in future Breakthrough projects.
