Broadway Music Past and Present Can Warm Your Heart in Bigfork

“A Night on Broadway at the Edge” is a staged concert in Bigfork at The Edge Center featuring decades of Broadway tunes. This early spring collection of music from 1926 to contemporary Broadway productions will include three performances and feature the talents of local singers and instrumentalists.  Put on by the EdgeWild players, the program is a concert under the musical direction of piano and voice teacher Cris
Brown. Friday and Saturday April 4 and 5 at 7PM and Sunday April  6 at 2PM. $12 adults. $5 children.

The show’s Music Director Chris Brown studied piano, voice, and flute at Bemidji State University. She started accompanying at 15, is a member of the Itasca Music Club, the National & Minnesota Federation of Music Clubs, and has been in the Itasca Community Chorus. She worked in the Aztec District Music Department in New Mexico, has worked with the Grand Rapids Players as a rehearsal pianist, and currently works as the music director at her church. She gives private piano lessons in the area, some in conjunction with the school district.

“I come with years of experience directing music, spent too many hours to count accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as coaching, teaching, and preparing them for performances, contests, and judging. This is something that I absolutely love. It gives me great pleasure to be able to work with the wonderful talented people that we have in our communities.”

The oldest music hails from the 1920s with each decade following represented.  With all of these years of music available, choosing a good fit for each performer certainly was a challenge. Performers have a wide range of ages with the youngest eight years old, and are from Bigfork, Bovey, Effie, Grand Rapids, Greenway School district, Lawrence Lake, Northome, Marcell, Sand Lake, and Talmoon.  The music will range from funny and heart-warming to serious and thoughtful. Audiences will be treated to the wonderful sounds of the Northern Lights Trio before, during intermission and after the show.

Brown adds, “I wanted a variety of music from several Broadway shows. I want to present new, old, familiar, not so familiar, fun, sentimental, jazz, standards, etc. There was so much great music to choose from, it was hard to decide. The musical goal of the show was to provide a performance that would be fun for the audience as well as the performers.  We also wanted some music that might not be familiar to all who hear it, but is special and worth hearing. Two of our newest songs are from Disney Broadway musicals, ‘Wicked,’ ‘Suessical’ and ‘Aladdin’ opening this year.”

Cris says, “I love the age spread the most because Broadway involves all ages of people and in order to be true to that format, we needed all ages. It has been amazing working with the young people and their enthusiasm and energy and equally amazing working with the whole group. The joy they give while singing leaves everyone feeling touched/blessed.”

The “Night of Broadway at the Edge”show tentative musical lineup.  Changes may occur before show time.

The 1920’s

1926 Oh, Kay  Someone To Watch Over Me
1927 Ziegfeld Follies  Shaking The Blues Away
1927 Showboat  Ole Man River

The 1930’s

1932 Face The Music  Let’s Have Another Cup of Coffee
1935 Porgy And Bess  Summertime
1937 Babes In Arms  The Lady Is A Tramp
1938 Knickerbocker Holiday  September Song

The 1940’s

1945 Carousel  If I Loved You
1946 Annie Get Your Gun  There’s No Business Like Show Business
        Annie Get Your Gun  Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
1947 Finian’s Rainbow  Look To The Rainbow

The 1950’s

1959 The Sound of Music  My Favorite Things
The Sound of Music Edelweiss

The 1960’s

1964 Fiddler On The Roof  Far From The Home I Love

The 1970’s

1970 Company  Being Alive
1976 Phantom Of the Opera  The Place Is Mine
        Phantom Of The Opera  Music Of The Night


                                      


The 1980’s

1985 Les Miserables  Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
        Les Miserables  Castle On A Cloud
        Les Miserables  I Dreamed A Dream
        Les Miserables  Bring Him Home

The 1990’s

1997 Jekyll & Hyde  Once Upon A Dream
1997 Lion King  Be Prepared

The 2000’s

2000 Suessical  Notice Me, Mr. Horton
2008 The Little Mermaid  Part Of Your World
        The Little Mermaid  Poor Unfortunate Souls
2003 Wicked  Popular

The 2010’s

2014 Aladdin  One Jump Ahead

Finale
Les Miserables  Can You Hear The People Sing?

That's the music, but what about the performers?  Who will play and sing what music?  That will be in the performance program. Come to one of the performances and find out for sure.  You can then take a program with you. “A Night on Broadway at the Edge” staged concert in Bigfork put on by the EdgeWild players. Friday and Saturday April 4 and 5 at 7PM and Sunday April  6 at 2PM. $12 adults. $5 children.