SHENECA SHARPE
Staff Writer
If you’re in the mood for a melody, then on Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. there will be a tribute in honor of Billy Joel and Elton John in the Rockefeller Arts Center. As part of the DFT Communications Pops Series, performances will be done by “Piano Men” Broadway stars Craig A. Meyer acting as Elton John and Donnie Kehr acting as Billy Joel.
These performances will recreate the looks and sounds of the musical masterminds’ pieces. Featuring the six-piece Rocket Band to back the duo up, it is an event no fan should miss. With the word buzzing around about the two Broadway stars coming to the Fredonia campus, people can’t seem to hide their excitement.
“I expect to see a really great performance. Elton John and Billy Joel aren’t just musicians, they’re performers. They know how to put on a show and get the audience hyped. Anybody looking to recreate that is going to put on one hell of a show,” said Emily Bassett, a dual major sophomore in BA theatre arts and French.
There’s a lot of pressure put on this show. Students want a great performance and they don’t expect anything less.
“Honestly, I expect to see Sir Elton John and Billy Joel standing right in front of me. I just want it to seem like they are actually there. I’m sure it’s not easy to play someone that everyone already knows,” said Vanessa Leounis, a sophomore majoring in women’s and gender studies.
Meyer and Kehr understand that these are huge shoes to fill and that they must do it correctly. It helps students who plan to go into this field to process that this is something theatre arts majors and future graduates will have to do: change into a completely different person, and recreate every aspect of who they are.
“I think it’ll be good for actors at our school to see what it’s like to play a character because Billy Joel and Elton John are both people that everyone knows, so they’ll see how well [the performers] execute them. I also heard that there’s a really cool light show involved, so that might inspire some technicians who want to design lighting,” said Leounis.
This has the chance to influence some people into working even harder in their theatre arts or stage directing majors. It shows them that they have the opportunity to work on Broadway and create a successful career in the field, possibly even a legacy.
“I think that it will open new avenues of thought for performers. When most people think about what they’ll be doing after graduation, this isn’t really it. But hopefully they’ll see it and go, ‘You know, maybe I could do that sometime down the line,” said Bassett.
Students all have to wait for what will hopefully be the performance of a lifetime to hit the Rockefeller stage.