Oberlin Music Theater Students Wowed NYC Pros

Gathering in the burgundy-brocade and antiqued brass of the iconic 54 Below, in the heart of the NYC Theatre District on March 24, the nine seniors graduating this year from Oberlin’s Music Theater program performed to a sold-out crowd in the hopes of securing agents and beginning their lives in show-business.

The theater industry is well aware of Oberlin’s history of producing Broadway-caliber talent. The evening’s event was hosted by acclaimed performers Seth Rudetsky and Judy Kuhn, who both are Oberlin alums—or “Obies.” With stacks of credits between them, Kuhn and Rudetsky are living proof that instruction at Oberlin College and Conservatory can lead to a lasting career.

Rudetsky and Kuhn kicked off the evening’s entertainment, discussing how far Oberlin’s program has come since their days on campus—when instructors forbade vocal belting, in fear that singers would ruin their classical voices. The pair dueted “Do You Love Me” from Fiddler On the Roof, with Rudetsky accompanying on piano. Then, as Matthew Webb took over as pianist for the night, Kuhn unleashed her true soprano with “Vanilla Ice Cream” from She Loves Me. Kuhn and Rudetsky remained seated on stage, off to the side, as each young performer then took a turn to sing individually, with some duets sprinkled in. A group number of the classic “New York, New York” rounded out the evening. 

The students’ song choices ranged from contemporary Broadway (“Sadness and Joy” from The Notebook performed by Elliot Block,) to classic (Tobias Yeung with Cabaret’s “Don’t Tell Mama,” music by another Obie, the legendary John Kander,) to 90s R&B (“Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell sung by Justin Lee Price, as Kuhn and Rudetsky swayed along instinctively in the shadows.)

Stephen Sondheim was well represented in students’ selections. Izzy Baker and Elliot Block paired up for “Move On” (Sunday in the Park with George.) Bebe Moss and Capri Castriotta dueted a mashup of “Losing My Mind” (Follies) and “As the Days Go By” (Merrily We Roll Along.) Ryan James Sweeney brought his guitar onstage for a modern arrangement of “Somewhere” from West Side Story by Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein.

As a surprise, and a valuable learning opportunity, Rudetsky ad-libbed some performance notes. While this “masterclass” as he half-jokingly referred to it, was not planned, the students were unphased, taking the notes with a professionalism admired by the audience. Rudetsky, for instance, requested that Reese Henrick try the last few notes of her song “Jenny’s Blues” with vibrato on varying notes, to observe how it changed the overall effect. He suggested Capri Castriotta sing a bit of her “They Just Keep Moving the Line” in a more lighthearted way, bringing Ryan James Sweeney and Tobias Yeung to the stage alongside her, as if she were casually singing a story to friends.  

Prior to the nighttime performance at 54 Below, the students performed in afternoon showcases at nearby Alvin Ailey Studios. The studio space was packed with industry professionals who, after the show, eagerly rushed to book appointments with students in what Oberlin Director of Music Theater Victoria Bussert referred to as “a feeding frenzy.” Noting not just their talent, but also their high level of professionalism, one attendee told Bussert “I could cast all of them right now.” Bussert left the afternoon feeling confident that “every single student is going to have an agent.”

Per Andrea Simakis, Oberlin’s Director of Media Relations, after the showcases, the students have had more than 100 requests for agent appointments, with more coming in each day. Some students needed to extend their planned stays in New York to accommodate new bookings. Marcus Alonso, who sang “You’ll be Back” from Hamilton at 54 Below, will indeed be back—he and another student have been asked to tape for a role in Hamilton. Alonso told me he plans to move to “a shoebox apartment” in the city after graduation.

I asked Reese Henrick about her thought process when choosing what to sing at 54 Below, as opposed to earlier in the afternoon. She said she wanted to “pick something that showcased a different side of myself” other than what she had chosen for the daytime showcase. Marcus Alonzo said for both performances he chose “songs I love.”

Late in the evening, after leaving 54 Below, students had time to relax and reflect on their long day of performances during a rooftop after-party at Bar Sprezzatura, along with family, Oberlin faculty, administration, and alumni. In her welcoming remarks at the after-party, Carmen Twillie Ambar, President of Oberlin College and Conservatory expressed her pride in the students’ accomplishments, noting in particular their poise in the face of Rudetsky’s impromptu notes and direction. Bill Quillen, Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory, repeatedly used the word “transformative” to describe Bussert’s contributions to the Music Theater program, her curriculum preparing students for immediate success. Bussert expressed appreciation for fellow faculty such as Lauren Marousek, Matthew Webb, and Alex Sanchez.  Of the day’s showcases, Bussert said “it was so important to us to announce what Oberlin Music Theater was.”

Photo Credits: [Kerry Trautman]

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