Broadway Our Way 2025
Broadway Our Way 2025
My thoughts on Broadway Our Way 2025 or…Welcome to the Frienaissance
What a year this has been so far and it’s only March. Our community seems to be under attack daily. It’s certainly not the best of times.
Uptown Players’ annual fundraiser and celebration of the DFW LGBTQ+ family, Broadway Our Way is here to lift our spirits with songs, laughs, and a message of love, unity and hope and for a wonderful two hours all is right with the world.
This year BOW is set at a Renaissance Faire and features an inviting design by Dennis Canright that turns the stage of the Kalita into a verdant forest that is beautifully and dramatically lighted by Kyle Harris. Suzi Cranford provides the fun period costumes and Michael B. Moore supervises the hair and makeup. Brian Christensen makes sure all the showtunes sound first rate.
DFW theater icon B.J. Cleveland, a real Renaissance man, wrote the show, directs, performs, and along with Paul Williams, hosts the show.
It’s the gayest of Renaissance faires. The showtunes are non-stop and range from pop to poignant. Adam C. Wright, who arranged all the music and plays Keyboard 2, shares Music Director duties with Kelly Poche Rodriguez, who conducts and plays Keyboard 1. Other mighty musicians in the band are Percussionist Michael Ptacin, Andrew Goins on bass, Jesse Ramirez on guitar, and Chad Ostermiller plays the woodwinds. The “Mistress of Moves” Alli Betsill keeps the choreography surprising and thrilling.
“Welcome to the Renaissance” from Something Rotten sung by the entire company is the lively beginning to the medievally magnificent evening. Also singing from Something Rotten are Brian Hathaway whose “Bottom’s Gonna Be On Top" takes on new meaning and Ryan Michael Friedman and Thomas Renner with their sweet and sexy duet “I Love The Way.”
Act I delivers one terrific gender switched song after another. Linda Leonard with Gena Loe and Kylie Stewart delivered a fresh take on “Buddy’s Blues” from Follies, from & Juliet Carlos Strudwick, Danny Vanegas, Jacob Hemsath, Quintin Jones, Jr. and Thomas Renner had a romp with “Domino” and Jacob along with Carlos, Danny and Quintin turned up all the sassiness with “I Kissed a Girl.” I don’t know if I believed Clayton Younkin and Quintin as they were a little “handsy” claiming “We’re Just Friends” from I Love You Because, and Elizabeth Kensek and Erin Bowman are definitely headed for relationship problems with “I Don’t Want to Talk About Her” from the same musical. And Clayton Younkin, Paul Williams, Ryan Friedman, and Thomas Renner have a blast deciding who is “The Great American Bitch” from Suffs.
There were some dynamite solos. Seth Paden brought a rock star vocal to “You Oughta Know” from Jagged Little Pill, Tim Brawner made “Someone Like You” a romantic heart tugger from Jekyll & Hyde, B.J. Cleveland had us all singing along to “No Time At All” from Pippin, and David Lugo, after leading a rousing “Be Italian” from Nine, sang a charming “The Boys Who Dance Real Slow” from A…My Name Is Alice.
Act II began with the sweetly romantic “One Knight” from Wonderland sung by the female cast. Laura Lites brought all the strength and longing to “Who I’d Be” from Shrek while Brett Warner accompanied by David, Brian, Clayton, Elizabeth, Amy Stevenson, and Johanna Nchekwube, tore up “Forever” also from Shrek.
Kylie Stewart got to display her amazing vocal prowess with “I Met a Girl” from Bells Are Ringing and teamed up with Gena Loe for a country flavored duet, “Whoa, Mama” from Bright Star.
Johanna, Sara Shelby-Martin, and Stephanie Felton brought good times and great vocals singing about their troubles in “Nobody Cares” from Groundhog Day. It’s probably the only song you’ll ever hear with a reference to alcoholic hamsters.
Act II included some powerhouse duets with Brett and Laura’s wildly sexy version of “When I Drive” from Bonnie and Clyde. Tim and Seth just about brought the show to a stop with “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent and Brian and Peter DiCesare brought chills with “In Whatever Time We Have” from Children of Eden.
One of the most tender moments came as B.J. and Paul Williams sang “It Couldn’t Please Me More” from Cabaret. Just beautiful.
Elizabeth’s “If I Can’t Love Her” from Beauty and the Beast was nothing short of stunning. It was the first time I listened carefully to the words and Elizabeth gave it a poignancy that brought tears to my eyes. Elizabeth was followed by Amy singing a plaintive, heartfelt, and hopeful “Tomorrow” from Annie.
Peter DiCesare’s soul piercing “My Days” from The Notebook just about lifted me out of my seat. Peter has a voice that could stop time with its power and goosebumps are a given.
I can think of no one better to sing the penultimate song “From Now On” from The Greatest Showman than Sara Shelby-Martin. Sara, accompanied by Erin, Gena, Linda, and Stephanie, delivered the song with determination and sincerity. I would follow her into battle.
The last song of the evening featuring the entire cast was “Keep Marching” from Suffs. This anthem, inspired by the suffragette movement, has a timely message for our community today. We will not accept less than equal treatment and will not sit by and watch our rights get stripped away. We will “keep marching” until this nightmare is over.
Thank you to Uptown Players for this joyous gathering and to all those who volunteered their time and tremendous talent to make Broadway Our Way 2025 the celebration it is.
If you will indulge me for a moment, I want to thank a young man in the cast. Jacob Hemsath, your exuberance, presence, skill, and sheer joy of performing reminded me of a young Scott Wise and reminded me why I love theater.
Photography by Mike Morgan Photography
