Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
It’s our favourite time of year—Show Tune Showdown is just around the corner! On stage at Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe on April 22, Show Tune Showdown is a time for musical theatre lovers (and those just looking to have a fun night) to gather, laugh, sing and enjoy a fabulous show. We chatted with Show Tune Showdown producer Rob Bowman and one of the organizers, Heather Daley, to see what’s in store for the 2023 show.
Apt 613: What can audiences expect from this year’s Show Tune Showdown?
Tone Cluster: Show Tune Showdown 2023 is going to be better than ever, with a new local musical theatre team and a newly expanded 45-member host queer choir called Tone Cluster opening the show. If you’ve never come to this annual Broadway-themed competition, here’s how it works: Three musical theatre teams perform songs they’ve rehearsed and prepared. Every song in that performance round gets scored out of 10 by the three judges for a maximum score of 30. But after every round, we also do a showdown round. The showdowns work like this: All the teams come on stage. The emcee reads out clues to a mystery show tune, and if a team guesses it correctly, someone from that team performs it. We give them music—and a few props—to help out, but the song is performed unrehearsed for additional points.
Believe me, once you’ve attended once, you will make it an annual tradition!
We love the interactions between the emcee, participants, and judges. What can you tell us about this year’s emcee and judges?
Back by popular demand, comedian and Fresh 104.3 Kingston radio host Jesse Reynolds returns to the stage as our emcee and is the icing on the cake for an entertaining evening. And we’re thrilled to introduce this year’s celebrity judges: three-time JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher, CBC Radio’s host/producer of In Town and Out Giacomo Panico, and Somerset Ward City Councillor Ariel Troster. As always, we’ve got a panel that mixes backgrounds in music, media, and politics.
Which local theatre companies are participating in this year’s Show Tune Showdown?
Orpheus Musical Theatre and first-timers to the competition Lost Baggage Musical Theatre will take on last year’s champion, Zucchini Productions, to compete for the Show Tune Showdown title.
Last year’s champions, Zucchini Productions. Photo: Mike Thompson.
Last year, audience participation was removed for COVID safety reasons. What is in store for audiences this year?
The audience showdown round will be back again this year. The emcee will ask if anyone in the audience can guess the name of a show tune. And surprisingly, every year, a brave soul throws up their hand, and the next thing you know, they’re on stage singing and awarding the points they earn to their favourite team.
Show Tune Showdown is a beloved event. What do you think has continued to attract audiences to this annual Ottawa staple?
First, it’s a one-of-a-kind show created here in the capital that has been trademarked and performed in Minneapolis, NYC, Kansas City, and at GALA Choruses International Choral Festival in Denver. Second, the performances are incredibly good, and our emcee and judges will have you belly-laughing in no time. This is our 16th edition, and ticket sales are strong, with our dedicated audience coming back for more and bringing friends and relatives for a memorable night out!
Tell us more about what ticket sales are going to support.
Tone Cluster is an Ottawa-based auditioned choir for queer people and their allies. We pride ourselves on creating a queer-positive safe environment where singers can be themselves while striving for choral excellence. This season, as we approach our 30th anniversary of song and community this fall, we celebrate our journey and give thanks to our first-class artistic and Board leadership, supportive audiences, and enthusiastic, committed singers. Proceeds from Show Tune Showdown 2023 will support costs related to programming for our final concert of this season, as well as community appearances, future seasons, and festival appearances at the Unison Choral Festival in Halifax in May 2023 and GALA Choruses International Choral Festival in 2024.
Show Tune Showdown runs at Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe on Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35. The show runs for about two and a half hours with an intermission.
.gif)
