Bright colors, swinging sounds, vibrant dancing and supreme singing are all key in a hit musical.
“Copacabana” proved itself to be just that at its Wharton Center opener Tuesday night. The play runs through Sunday.
“Copacabana” is a feel-good musical. It’s the story of a small-town girl, Lola Lamar (Darcie Roberts), who travels to New York to make it big as an actress. While there, she becomes a “Copa” girl, and from there is taken to Cuba where a web of danger, deception and murder entangle her.
Each actor was exceptional, but stellar performances from Roberts and Terry Burrell (Conchita), catapulted “Copacabana” into Wharton Center history.
Burrell’s role as an aging showgirl was executed well. Her voice and style made for a remarkable performance. When she danced, she dazzled the audience with smooth and sensual movements.
Roberts’ character provided a contrast to Burrell’s performance. Roberts, as Lola, played a young, kept country girl with cute looks and a dazzling singing voice. Although it took her character a while to break out of her shell, Roberts’ acting prowess shined through the whole time.
Each dance scene was mesmerizing. The colorful costumes and provocative dances left audiences excited. The dancing was completely in sync, but the actors’ uniformity didn’t hold them back from maintaining individuality.
The radiant peaches, purples, greens, reds and blues were offset by shimmering glitter and gold lace gowns with high splits and exposed midriffs, creating costumes that aren’t easily forgotten.
The most extravagant outfits of the evening were worn by the female company members. Their costumes were long sparkling dresses accompanied by large headdresses with lights.
The orchestra didn’t miss a beat. The swinglike musical had heads bobbing from beginning to end.
“The music part was the best, the swing beat got your toe tapping, and you leave humming show tunes and feeling good,” landscape sophomore Ben Baker said.
The play even attracted people who were born well after the title song, a hit for Barry Manilow in 1978, was released.
Mason High School seniors Rick Heikkila and Jenny Banks heard about “Copacabana” coming and decided it would be something different from their normal routine.
“I loved the leading character Lola’s voice. It was beautiful,” Banks said.
Copacabana bore similarities to another play based on an old favorite - the movie “Footloose.”
“It’s a very high energy play,” human resources management sophomore Alana Dillard said. “It kind of reminds me of ‘Footloose’ in a sense because it’s so active.”
