Detroit’s Record Breaking “Strut” to
be Revived at EMU Theatre
It wasn’t long ago that Detroit’s Gem
Theatre took a stroll down Brush St. to clear the way for Comerica
Park, engraving its place into Detroit history permanently. Additionally,
this landmark has been home to two of Detroit’s longest
running musicals: it’s current tenant, Menopause: the
Musical, and the show that opened its doors in ’91: A
high-energy revue of the music of the 30s and 40s called The
All Night Strut! Now, after too long of an absence
from the motor city, Strut! Will be revived on
the Sponberg stage at Eastern Michigan
University.
Early on, The Gem had struggled to find its identity,
being renamed numerous times and operating as an adult
movie house, amongst other things. It wasn’t until
1991, through the redevelopment by Charles Forbes, that
the new Gem Theatre reopened with the Fran Charnas conception
of The All Night Strut! The musical went
on to become the longest running in Detroit. Ironically, The
All Night Strut was also the show that closed the
Gem in 1997 due to plans for the new stadiums and its upcoming
move across the street.
In addition to its stint in the motor
city, Strut has
wowed audiences across the US, Canada and Europe, earning
such honors as the San Francisco After Dark Award and the
Los Angeles
Drama Critics Circle Award. It has dazzled
people of all ages, including such names as Ella
Fitzgerald,
who is said to have shared a scat session with the cast
after seeing the show in Toronto.
The
All Night Strut will return in a
staging by Wallace Bridges at Eastern Michigan University. The
show will feature the traditional cast of four, musically
directed by R. Mackenzie Lewis, with two additional dancers
choreographed by Brian Carbine.
“The music has grown on me.” says Bridges,
who has been in rehearsal for four weeks. “Over
time, I found myself singing the songs in the shower and
in the car...as I am sure the audience will experience
as well.”
Bridges has been teaching theatre at Eastern Michigan
University since 1992. In addition to teaching and advising
undergraduate students, he directs at EMU annually, and
has also acted professionally onstage at The
Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan and at the St.
Louis Black Repertory Company in Missouri. Bridges founded the
Idlewild Theatre Company, which has a mission to produce
Afrocentric theatre in historic Idlewild
Michigan each
summer. Strut! will head to Idlewild with
Mr. Bridges this coming summer.
“I grew up listening and studying the music of the
30s and 40s.” Says R. Mackenzie Lewis, the
musical director for EMU’s Strut! “It
has been a great opportunity to perform some of my favorite
tunes!” Mr. Lewis, aptly nicknamed “the
maestro”, has offered his considerable talent to
plays and musicals at EMU Theatre for the past 8 years.
The All Night Strut will play February 8, 9,
14, 15, 16 at 7p.m. and February 10 at 3p.m. Ticket
prices are $15 General Admission, $12 for students, $9
for MAINSTAGE patrons
and $6 for children ages 5-12. Tickets are available
by phone at 734.487.2282 and in person at the Convocation
Center, the Student Center ticket office or the Quirk Box
Office. For more information on EMU Theatre, or to
buy tickets online, visit www.emich.edu/public/cta/ted or www.myspace.com/emutheatre.
