SEQUIM — Olympic Theatre Arts is bringing together live theater and live music for a show that explores its characters through song.
“Starting Here, Starting Now” is a musical revue that will begin tonight and run through March 25 at the Gathering Hall at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave.
The show will be presented at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night, as well as March 23 and 24. A matinee is planned at 2 p.m. Sunday and March 25.
Tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for students. They are available at the box office Monday through Friday, or online at www.olympictheatrearts.org.
It combines the lyrics of Richard Maltby Jr. and music by David Shire, who wrote songs for shows that either closed out of town or were never produced. The two writers turned these songs into a revue and created “Starting Here, Starting Now.”
“They pulled the best songs from all these unsuccessful shows,” director Greg Scherer said. “It’s as if you had taken a story and stripped all the dialogue away and just left the songs.”
Scherer said this is his fourth show at Olympic Theatre Arts but his first time directing at the Gathering Hall.
The songs featured in this show are “story songs,” each giving the characters a chance to explore a mini-drama.
In the first act, characters explore the ups and downs of city romances and in the second act the songs present characters that have had unlucky experiences in love and life with a chance for a new start.
“It is a musical revue that deals with first love, love loss, love regained and personal love coming to grips with personal worth,” Scherer said.
“There’s a small storyline and an individual presentation of characters.”
Josh Sutcliffe, Cathy Marshall and Christy Holy play the multitude of characters in this show accompanied by a live percussionist, bassist and pianist to bring the songs to life.
Sutcliffe said he hopes audience members walk away humming a tune or two after attending the show.
“The music is fun,” he said. “It’s very challenging and I enjoy singing.”
Marshall said while most of the music is unfamiliar, it’s still enjoyable.
“It’s not what most people are used to in a musical but it’s great music and once I listened to it I fell in love,” she said.
Holy also shares both of her fellow actors’ sentiments.
“I love to sing and it’s really fun music and it seemed like it was going to be a really good time,” she said.
Scherer describes the show as “uplifting” and hopes it will be both entertaining and inspiring to audience members.
For more information about the show, call the theater at 360-683-7326 or visit www.olympic theatrearts.org.
________
Erin Hawkins is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at ehawkins@sequimgazette.com.
