The Human Race Theatre, Dayton's own professional theatre company, has a holiday show this year that isn't about Christmas spirit - it's about the spirit of a decade. 8-Track: The Sounds of the 70's takes the big hits of that musically-crammed period and turns them into what the Minneapolis Star Tribune calls "an infectious, joyous celebration."
8-Track is the brainchild of Rick Seeber, who did the same thing with the '60s girl-group musical Beehive, which was a big hit when The Human Race produced it at the Fraze and Victoria in 1993-94. 8-Track has met with resounding success wherever it has played, receiving notices like "akin to a revival meeting!" from The Connecticut Post, "a powerful good time" from the Los Angeles Times, and "a spirited and light-hearted romp" from The Rocky Mountain News.
"He started with about 300 songs," says director and Human Race Resident Artist Scott Stoney, who had co-directed Beehive with
Kevin Moore, "then culled it down to 50, all of which are in the show in whole or in part."
8-Track refers not just to the now-quaint music delivery system that prevailed in the '70s, but also to the show's eight tracks of music, each with its own similarity of content - everything from War and Peace to Disco to The Party. Stoney says the tracks show a development of relationships among the performers, but "there's really no plot, just a chance to see songs involving real issues," be those issues societal or personal.
The songs of artists ranging from
Helen Reddy to
Donna Summer, the Carpenters to the BeeGees to KC and the Sunshine Band are all performed by four singers. "Seeber asked for specific types," says Stoney, and the cast covers the quadrants - two men, two women; two white, two black; two tall, two short; one per vocal part.
All four performers are now New York-based, but there's a two-two split on history with The Human Race. Soprano
Ebony Blake and Baritone J.J. Tiemeyer are both from southwest Ohio and Wright State theatre grads. Blake was in Jitney and the
Musical Theatre Workshop of Nefertiti, Tiemeyer most recently in A Christmas Carol and Man of La Mancha.
Newcomers are alto
Jennifer Wren, who has recently been Adelaide in Guys and Dolls at Tent Theatre and in Brigadoon in Concert at the Shubert Theatre, and tenor
Jonathan Burke, whose background includes a national tour of Cats and The Wiz at Baltimore Centerstage.
Stoney is also Music Director for 8-Track, with the music arranged by Michael Gribbin. Teresa Wylie Williams is Choreographer, with set design by
Mark Halpin, costume design by
Janet Powell, lighting by John Rensel, sound by Nathan D. Dean, and Heather Jackson as Production Stage Manager.
The run of 8-Track at The Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton has been extended to December 2 through December 22. Tickets are available via www.humanracetheatre.org <http://www.humanracetheatre.org> or by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630.
Sponsors of the Human Race production of 8-Track: The Sounds of the 70's are Mrs. Wallace
E. Johnson, Houser Asphalt & Concrete, One Call Now, Burhill Leasing and John and Tamara Clough.
Founded in 1986, The Human Race Theatre Company moved to the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence at the 219-seat Loft Theatre. In addition to the Eichelberger Loft Season, The Human Race produces for the Victoria Theatre's Broadway Series, the
Musical Theatre Workshop series, and special event programming. The Human Race, under the direction of Artistic Director Marsha Hanna and Executive Director
Kevin Moore, also maintains education and outreach programs for children, teens and adults, as well as artist residencies in area schools, The Muse Machine In-School Tour, Youth Summer Stock, and The Human Race Conservatory. Human Race organizational support is provided by Culture Works, Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, Shubert Foundation and the Ohio
Arts Council. The Ohio
Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
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