“The Green Room” is a new off-Broadway musical about college students who overcome their respective holdbacks and reach out for their dreams on their journey to put up an off-Broadway show in New York. The audience is invited to a green room inside a college theatre where the show’s four protagonists sing, dance, study and love their way through their college years. John is played by Corbin Williams, Anna is played by Sami Staitman, Cliff is played by Eli LaCroix and Divonne is played by Ariana Valdes.
A green room is where actors and actresses get ready to be onstage, so it certainly is where our characters belong to ─ they are going through growing pains before being released from schools to finally become adults. John gives up on becoming a co-CEO of an architect firm of his father’s, which would have led him to a so-called successful life, and chooses what he really wanted to do ─ acting. Anna is intimidated to wear lingerie-like costumes on stage but eventually overcomes her fear and enjoys being an actress. Cliff was used to be a light-minded guy, mad about sexual matters, but grows up and writes an off-Broadway play. Divonne was frustrated about not receiving the lead roles that she auditioned for, but ultimately decided that she was happy just do take a part in a play on stage. They finally made it on stage, making a debut in off-Broadway, all the way from a tiny little college green room. The group’s struggles are mostly entertaining and make the theatre rock with the laughing crowd but never misses to give out their serious message to the audience.
Their way to New York is not an easy voyage. Breaking deadlocks of problems that any college years of the contemporary time present, they go down to their knees in despair and recoil in intuitive fear. However, by the end, they learn that “It’s All About Me,” as Divonne sings; they choose to take the chance of being on an off-Broadway show, which was what they really wanted for themselves.
“The Green Room” arrived in New York just as our protagonists yearned for, after its dynamite debut on the West Coast. It was just after the show’s premiere, which took place at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, taking part of their Civic Light Opera Season. The show has been on around the United States, Canada and even went as far as Ireland.
Los Angeles Times chimed in that the play was “a bright, beaming cherub of a fledgling musical. Composer-lyricist Chuck Pelletier’s skillfully crafted score is a satisfying range of musical styles.” Directed by Jessica Jennings, “The Green Room” will be on stage for five weeks straight available until Oct. 27, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm, with Saturday matinees at 2pm and Sunday matinees at 3pm at The American Theatre of Actors’ (ATA) Sargent Theatre, 314 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019. You don’t want to miss the chance to take a peek of an off-Broadway green room!
