Daniel Ieyoub, left, Judith Washington, center, and Poddy Champeaux display posters for some of the musicals to be performed at the ACTS musical review ''Remember When?'' (Brad Robichaux / American Press)
Musical revue to relive highlights of ACTS history
Last Modified: Saturday, August 04, 2012 7:53 PM
By Dennis Spears / American Press
Local fans will be offered a trip through a theatrical time machine — the Oliver from 1967’s “Oliver” will share the stage with 2011’s Oliver — as the Artists Civic Theatre & Studio presents “Remember When?” Friday and Saturday at ACTS One Reid Street Theatre.
The musical revue, which highlights the history of the Artists Civic Theatre & Studio, brings ACTS longtime veterans back to perform with theater newbies. The youngest singer will be 8-year-old Jules LeJeune, 8, and the oldest will be Daniel Ieyoub, who has been with the troupe since 1967, when he first performed as Fagan in “Oliver.”
Ieyoub will sing “Do You Love Me” from “Fiddler on the Roof,” which he performed with ACTS in the late ‘60s and in the ‘80s.
He said he can still hold the tune.
“It’s easy to sing, but not as easy to move,” he said. Fortunately for him, he said, “there’s no dancing in this particular number.”
Bob Marcantel, who is assisting in staging the production as well as performing in it, said the show will have a uniform look — no costuming and stage sets from the original productions will be presented.
“It’s not a recreation of the things we’ve done, it’s more like a musical revue,” he said.
The show includes ensemble pieces, solos and duets. There are a couple of numbers that feature adults and children, said Marcantel.
Tunes to be performed will include “Try to Remember,” from the “Fantastiks”; “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” from “Funny Girl”; “There’s Nothing Like a Dame,” from “South Pacific”; “Gaston,” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”; and “What I Did for Love,” from “A Chorus Line.”
“It’s a wide variety of performers,” said Marcantel, who has served as musical director and musical coordinator for a number of shows. “Some involved for years and years, some fairly new to theater. It’s a nice mixture of older Broadway music and newer Broadway.
“It’s nice to see that history celebrated. The music in the show spans 46 years.”
“Oliver” was the first ACTS play staged by the theater’s founding director, Marc Pettaway. It was also the last play Pettaway directed.
“Where is Love” will be sung as a duet by Monty Jones, who performed it under Pettaway in 1967 at the Arcade Theater, and by Carmen LeJeune, who sang it in 2011 at the One Reid Street Theatre, Marcantel said.
Others performing will be Barbara Milford, Mary Koonce, Matt Tonkovich, Judith Washington, Andrea Boudreaux Fontenot, Emilie Davis, Hailey Coburn, Pat Van Zile, Kristen Harrell, Tracy LeMieux, Michael Ieyoub, Janet Dolan, Gabi Fontenot, Tyler Spence, Anne Veillon. Poddy Champeaux, Justin Crutcher and Brad Pousson.
Youth performers will be Carmen LeJeune, Allie Kadlubar, Gentry Crain, Cecilia Benoit and Gambrelle Ieyoub.
Michael Ieyoub will produce the show, assisted by Pettaway. Others on the staging staff are Tracy LeMieux, Marcantel and Daniel Ieyoub,
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