‘Broadway Melodies’ mixes pop culture with tradition

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but Pauper Players prefers to offer its own twists on beloved Broadway classics.

“Broadway Melodies 2013,” which opens tonight, is comprised of three student-written shows combining popular culture references with Broadway musical numbers.

This year’s performance will showcase “James Bond: The Musical,” “Cluessical” and “The Avengers Convention.”

Wesley Miller, a producer of “Broadway Melodies,” said the process to determine which student shows will be performed is a difficult selection, especially since the show’s turnaround time is very quick.

To make the choice, Pauper Players’ executive board meets in November to discuss student submissions.

“We sit down and talk about which ones we think the campus will enjoy,” Miller said. “We usually select three from there.”

Even after the actors are cast, Miller said the directors are still developing their scripts and morphing them around the actors they have.

Maggie Poole, who plays Ella Vagoodlay in “James Bond: The Musical,” said “Broadway Melodies” is really exciting because there are only two weeks of rehearsals.

“The actors have a lot of responsibility to learn their own lines, but it creates a lot of excitement and creativity because it is such a short learning period,” she said.

Maria Palombo, the music director for “The Avengers Convention,” said her job is to take lyrics the director has written and match them to actual Broadway songs.

Palombo said the most exciting part is knowing the real lyrics to the song.

“They’ve got this whole other story going on and the lyrics are completely different, yet the song is the same.”

Miller said even though there is not much rehearsal time, the show comes together in the end.

“The final week is not like the final week in a regular show because actors are still memorizing their lines,” Miller said. “Magically, it’s there on the final night, and that’s just what is so exciting about ‘Broadway Melodies.’”

Miller said the most exciting part of the show is seeing familiar faces on stage.

“It’s such an enjoyment to watch these students who you see in class all the time,” he said. “You know them, and you know these stories that we’re telling — you’re just seeing them from a different light.”

Palombo said audiences can expect to laugh and have a good time.

“I think Broadway Melodies is one of the most fun shows that we do every year,” she said. “I think if you don’t laugh, then there’s something wrong with you.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.