A Warner Robins theater will give fans a walk down musical memory lane in upcoming shows
While the Warner Robins Little Theatre is counting down the days until April 27, opening night for “America’s Top 40: Hits From the 60s, 70s & 80s,” patrons can look forward to counting down their favorite songs and taking a walk down memory lane with this wide selection of musical genres, spanning from coast to coast and over three decades.
Ranging in age from 12 to the early 70s, these 19 cast members will be hanging out on the set of a 1960s diner as the central jukebox brings music from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s to life. Diners will join in on the fun by singing and dancing to renditions of popular tunes like “Piano Man,” “Honkey Tonk Heroes,” “All Night Long” and much more.
The musical selections will highlight well-known solo artists and popular bands such as The Contours; Earth, Wind & Fire; Johnny Cash; Tony Orlando and Dawn; The Jackson 5; Waylon Jennings; Tina Turner; and Lionel Richie, just to name a few.
To add to the nostalgia, the cast’s continually changing wardrobe of colorful and vintage period clothing, accessories and ever-popular dance moves from the decades will take attendees back in time. Audience members are encouraged to sing along to their favorite tunes and can even come dressed in their favorite decade attire.
Director Corey Dinkins and producer Renee Alday began planning for the play last October with a list of more than 100 songs.
“We have an amazing, talented cast who have worked extremely hard over the past four months,“ Alday said. “It was very challenging narrowing the list to 41 songs because there is so much amazing music from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.”
Dinkins, who studied drama at Northside High School under the direction of long-time local drama teacher Gerald Ray Horne, said his inspiration for the play came from wanting to do something that had not been done before at WRLT.
“I’m fascinated with those decades because I was born in the 1960s and grew up through those decades … music was music,” he said, adding that it is kind of like reliving his childhood in one night.
Dinkins, along with Abi Brown, choreographed all the songs, several of which include large dance numbers with the entire cast. Some of these numbers include “I’m Still Standing,” “Conga,” “YMCA,” “Freak Out” and “Love Shack.”
“I think all the songs are going to be a great draw,” Dinkins said. “I think the crowd is going to enjoy every decade and all the songs. The most difficult part of putting the performance together was coming up with the choreography and trying to fit each dance to a person and make it fit as a whole.”
Brown, who has been dancing since age 5, said she also waited until the cast was picked to determine her choreography. She based the dances on the cast’s experience and what everyone could do. She said she thought the cast even surprised themselves at what they have been able to accomplish because several were hesitant with the dance moves in the beginning.
However, once they got the moves down, she said they just started adding personality into it.
“I think the audience is going to like the quick transitions,” she said. “It’s like a magic show – you don’t know what the trick is, but it ends up on stage. I think the audience is going to like how intentional everyone is being for setting the tone for each decade.”
In addition to musical numbers, the cast will be performing a 1980s Saturday Night Live skit, “Alien Encounter” and a 1960s skit, “Grown Kids” by Art Linkletter. Dinkins said he added the skits because he thought comedic relief was needed to complete the play.
“There is something for everyone in this show,” Alday said. “It’s an evening to travel back in time and reminisce about when they were growing up and for others to appreciate the amazing music we’ve had over the years.”
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at wrlittletheatre.com or calling 478-929-4579. Shows will be held on April 27-28, May 3-4, and May 10-11, starting at 7:30 p.m. Matinee showings will be held May 5 and May 12 at 2:30 p.m.
