Press "Enter" to skip to content

Rock ‘n’ roll musical to hit campus

The theater department is taking the stage with its fall musical “High Fidelity” beginning at 8 p.m. Oct. 22. The show will run until Nov. 1 at the Hartmann Center.

“It’s a rock ‘n’ roll musical about an independent record store owner [named] Rob and the weird guys he employs and the vinyl geeks who hang out in his store,” Scott Kanoff, interim chairperson of the Department of Theater Arts, said. “In the beginning of the play, his girlfriend leaves him, and [Rob] thinks he’s going to be fine, and of course, he realizes that he really wants her back. He has to do a lot of growing up.”

According Kanoff, who is also directing the musical, the show is a romantic comedy that will appeal to a variety of audiences.

“Each musical number is a different pop music genre,” Kanoff said. “You have a Coldplay number, an emo number, an Aretha [Franklin] number, an R&B number, a [Bruce] Springsteen number … They’re original songs written in the styles of these iconic rock ‘n’ roll artists.”

This isn’t the first time Bradley students have put on a more contemporary show, according to Kanoff. “Spring Awakening,” the 2014 fall musical, was also a rock ‘n’ roll show.

“Spring Awakening had a very original kind of score,” Kanoff said. “But this one consciously pays homage to all these rock ‘n’ roll genres in a different way. It’s a comic structure.”

Kanoff has helped select and direct musicals for two years at Bradley. He said he wants to begin putting on musicals that will speak to Bradley student and faculty audiences more.

“If we’re going to spend all the resources and energy and tireless work on doing a musical, then I would like it to be something that really resonates with the students,” Kanoff said. “In the last two years … I’ve definitely wanted to shift our focus.”

Show design began during the 2015 spring semester when “High Fidelity” was chosen as the main stage production for the fall.

“We’ve been working all summer on it, too,” Kanoff said. “We brought the students back a week before classes started for rehearsal, and I began work over the summer with our student choreographer, senior Meghan Grott.”

Grott talked about her role in “High Fidelity” and how she contributes to the production.

“Scott knew right from the beginning where he wanted the show to go,” Grott, senior television arts major, said. “My job as a choreographer was to help the director’s vision of the show come to life with the dance moves. It’s been such a wonderful experience getting to infuse my dance background and love of theatre together. These last couple of weeks [it has] really come to life.”
Senior theater arts and psychology double major Ali Pinkerton will play a lead role in “High Fidelity” and has been involved in a number of productions at Bradley, from student-directing to acting on the stage.

“Having a firmer understanding of what theater technicians do is really helpful as an actor because you learn how to better serve those around you,” Pinkerton said. “You’re aware of, ‘Oh, I should stand here to make a better stage picture,’ and other things that are good for directional purposes.”

Pinkerton said she believes the play will appeal to a large number of college students.

“Aside from the fact that it’s a high-energy show … the characters are incredibly endearing and relatable,” Pinkerton said. “Also, it takes place in 1999, and everyone loves a little ‘90s.”

Tickets for “High Fidelity” are on sale now at the Hartmann Center. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for faculty, staff and seniors and $7 for students.

Copyright © 2023, The Scout, Bradley University. All rights reserved.
The Scout is published by members of the student body of Bradley University. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the University.