Brett Maciech
bmaciech@uwyo.edu
A love-packed Cabaret show is coming to campus on Valentine’s Day and everyone, couples and lonely hearts alike, are welcome to join the evening and enjoy a wild mix of music.
The 7220 Above is a musical show featuring performances of covered love songs by musical theater majors and others dedicated to the spirit of love.
Colter Schmidt, a staff member for the show, said that the theme was specifically chosen for this time of year and will be a cool experience for the audience.
“There’s not a story line to the show or anything like that,” Schmidt said. “It’s a show that celebrates love and helps to showcase some amazing talent which we have in our department.”
Maty Cameron, the co-producer of 7220 Above, says that this show is not only a way to bring the love to the Laramie community, but it gives the musical theater another platform for greater artistic performance.
“I think our theatre department is pushed to the back burner in things the school knows about/attends. And that’s okay too, not everyone loves watching musicals,” Cameron said. “Cabarets give that happy medium of seeing an awesome performance from theatre students with the accessibility of popular music.”
Missy Sorenson, a performer in the show and a scenic design major, chose Adele’s “To Make You Feel My Love” to perform because she loved the message behind the song.
“I love the lyrics, in the original,” Sorenson said. “It’s a really good song about no matter where in the world you are, no matter what you’re doing, I’ll still try everything I can do to make you feel my love.”
The show itself is almost entirely student-run, with the notable exception of musical theatre department head and co-producer Sean Stone, it is the musical theater students themselves that are in control of the show.
“The fact that this entire event was conceived by us, the students and then also run by us is truly an amazing thing and is something worth watching and supporting,” Schmidt said.
7720 Above was conceived last semester by a coalition of musical theater students following a previously successful cabaret show and takes its cue from a renowned cabaret club in New York.
“And with the success of that one,” Schmidt said. “We decided to go ahead and do another one. The biggest influence would have to be that of 54 Below in New York. 54 Below really helps to truly support the arts and all of us performers that are involved in this business.”
“That’s what I’m most looking forward to,” Cameron said. “Getting to bring in more and more musical theatre guest artists. We bring in people from Broadway or TV or movies and they teach us about the business and work on our techniques with us.”
Cameron also said in the past, the theatre department has had a High School Musical alumnus who was also in the original cast of three Broadway shows, a Broadway director and leads in Broadway shows and National tours of shows.
“I can’t wait to see who else we can bring in with more money,” Cameron said.
But even if the show does not go their way, it will not deter them in the future.
“This one could come crashing down and nobody could show up and we would still do another one,” Cameron said. “We’ll just pick ourselves up and learn from our mistakes, and we make a better production.”
The show is at 6 p.m. at the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Studio Theater.
7220 Above Cabaret comes to UW campus
