By Susan Motander
On May 9th, Susan Egan, who originated the role of “Belle” in the Broadway version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, will appear at the Taylor Performing Arts Center in Monrovia. The exciting part of the evening is that it will feature Monrovia High School students performing with Ms. Egan.
The day before the concert, Egan will work with MHS students who are studying music and theater. The students have already been told what material to prepare for this “Master Class” and, in essence, audition. As she works with the students, Egan will be looking for those who will appear with her the next evening at the concert.
Last week in a telephone interview (Egan was holding Master Classes and giving concerts in the Texas/Oklahoma area at the time), the former “Belle” explained her reasons for giving these classes/concerts: “I started these classes when I was interim director of the Orange County High School of the Arts,” she said, “It was a program of ‘performing with the pros’ as I called it.’”
She went on to explain that she found the students accepted the information more readily from actors who had already worked professionally in their fields. “It was a matter of learning from those who had already walked the walk.”
Egan is walking the walk she talks. In the next few months she is giving her class/concert presentation from Kansas through Monrovia to Alaska. Asked why she was doing this, she replied simply, “to pass the torch.”
The torch she is passing is an impressive one. She was nominated for a Tony for her work as the original “Belle” in Beauty and the Beast. She has received critical acclaim as “Sally Bowles” in Cabaret, and NY’s latest Thoroughly Modern Millie. Egan is a standout among contemporary Broadway performers.
The performance that is planned for Monrovia has been called, by the NY Post, “electrifying” as she highlights classic tunes by Gershwin, Porter, and Arlen, modern standards by Kander and Ebb, Alan Menken, and Stephen Schwartz, and music from NY’s hottest new writers. Critics have dubbed her voice the “perfect Broadway instrument,” and her show as a riotous “all-night conversation with your best friend.”
This is your chance to hear a Broadway legend as she brings young people form this community with her on the journey. As she said, “It is easier for them when someone is next to them holding their hand as they perform before a real, live audience.”
Tickets for “The Belle of Broadway at the Taylor Performing Arts Center are available from the Center’s website at http://www.lktaylorperformingarts.com. The cost for tickets purchased in advance is $25 for general admission, $35 for VIP Seating, $10 for Students with ID, and $20 for seniors or groups. Tickets purchased at the door with be an additional $5 in every category.
