Loni Nannini Special to the Arizona Daily Star As we approach our nation’s birthday, a local theatre is putting a new spin on traditional patriotic performances: Arts Express will celebrate the Fourth of July with the Tony Award-winning production of Richard Oberacker’s “Bandstand,” a show about a group of World War II veterans processing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through 1940s swing music.
People are also reading… A University of Arizona junior majoring in music, Embry is one of six actors who play instruments live onstage. The musicians, several of whom are acting for the first time, bring a unique and compelling musical depth to the production when combined with the eight-piece orchestra in the pit, according to Nancy Davis Booth, director.
Arts Express is currently the only company nationwide that is producing the show, which features all original music with a patriotic flair and a jaunty swing style reminiscent of the Great American Songbook. “I had to do a lot of research on the character and it was difficult to embody PTSD without having gone through it, but I have family friends who are veterans who have experienced it. It is hard to get your head around, but I will do my best,” said Acker, who began playing the drums nine years ago and earned his Associate of Arts degree from Pima Community College in May. He will begin studying percussion at UA this fall and is excited to explore the distinctive genre of musical theatre.
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