‘Next Hit Musical’ lets audience be a part

The interactivity begins with red-carpet interviews.


How to go

What: “Broadway’s Next Hit Musical”

Where: Clark State Performing Arts Center, Kuss Auditorium, 300 S. Fountain Ave., Springfield

When: 7:30 p.m. next Friday, May 16

Admission: Adult $30, senior citizen $24, student $15

More info: 937-328-3874 or go to http://pac.clarkstate.edu/broadway_s_next_hit_musical.php

Why just see a show when you can be a part of it? That’s the spirit of “Broadway’s Next Hit Musical,” a high-energy improvisational show mixing music and comedy.

This is Clark State’s final presentation of the 2013-14 season and it will be 7:30 p.m. next Friday, May 16, at the Performing Arts Center.

It is part of the Club Kuss Series and is appropriate for all audiences.

“This show is about the audience,” said Rob Schiffmann, co-producer, co-artistic director and performer. “You can feel the energy of an audience on stage. We are the audience as well as the performers.”

“Broadway’s Next Hit Musical” resembles an awards show such as the Tonys or Oscars. The interactivity begins even before the show starts, with an emcee doing red-carpet interviews with the audience in the lobby as they file into the Kuss Auditorium.

Prior to the show, audience members are encouraged to write a made-up song title on a paper and drop it into a bowl. When the show begins, four titles are selected at random and the performers create humorous songs on the spot based on the titles.

The winning title will then be presented as a musical during the show’s second half.

Schiffmann shared a title example: “Smoking in the Back Cabin,” resulting in a musical called “Abe Lincoln Ain’t No Saint,” presenting a fictional, humorous looks at the beloved president.

Another resulted in a crime mystery set on a runaway train. You just never know where a show will go, which makes each fun and different, Schiffmann said.

“It’s similar to a sport, with the cast working together as a team. You are completely in the moment, never know what’s coming next and have to trust each other.

“The greatest compliment is when the people don’t think it’s improvised. … The laughter and smiles of the audience are the judges of our comedy.”

This Club Kuss Series show will begin with a pre-show lobby party at 6 p.m. with free appetizers and a cash bar.

About the Author