Saturday evening was very special. At the Van Dyke Theatre in Downtown Greensboro, Tara Raczenski (second from left) and her cast of amazing actors performed a musical comedy of Jane Austen's 1813 book "Pride and Prejudice". The story was adapted into a musical play by Tara Raczenski, who also wrote the lyrics and songs. She also assembled a very talented cast of actors from many local theatre groups. Tara also performed the role of Mrs. Bennet. In the play, Mrs. Bennet is mother to five daughters with very different characters. By the end of the play, the audience knew and loved the characters. The musical arrangement by Chris Tilley is catchy, memorable, and on point with the play. He was also music director and accompanist. Of the twenty unique songs in the musical, we especially loved the snappy opening number, "This Is England".
Tara Raczenski, originally from Kentucky, earned a theatre degree from Oral Roberts University. In addition to acting, she has held a variety of theatre positions in Guilford and Forsyth County. We predict this show will make it to Tanger Center and then to Broadway. Can we please slip it into the 2024-2025 Broadway series at Tanger Center? All of the local high school students could be offered an opportunity to go see it.
Happy Tuesday!