“Howl at the Moon” is a one-night-only Broadway cabaret where the ghosts of the Great White Way come out to play.
“We're going to play some scary and creepy and spooky TV and movie themes that people will recognize,” said Southwest Florida Theatre Music Director Julie Beardon Carver.
Joining Carver are vocalists Ray McLeod, Matt Michael and Natalie Brouwer for a selection of songs from “Young Frankenstein,” “The Addams Family,” “Rocky Horror,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Phantom of the Opera.” Carver is also bringing in a second pianist to play some four hands with her.
But that’s not all.
“And I'm actually debuting a new instrument that I've learned called the Theremin,” said Carver. “It's an electronic instrument by Moog. It’s based on sound waves and manipulating the sound waves and the volume with your fingers in the air.”
Costumes are encouraged, screams are guaranteed, and the spirit of Broadway has never been this hauntingly alive. After all… when Broadway gets bewitched, anything can happen!
“Howl at the Moon” is Thursday, October 23 at 7 p.m.
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From haunted harmonies to monstrous melodies, this electrifying evening blends showstopping vocals with a wickedly fun Halloween twist — all of the songs in the show have been reimagined with a spine-tingling flair — bringing you everything from devilish ballads to howling anthems.
The Theremin has no reeds, no keys and no strings. Instead, it is played in a manner that seemingly conjures music from the ether, simply through the motion of the body when close to the instrument. Throughout history, performers have achieved unprecedented expression by mastering this unique connection between the hands, the body, the environment, and the instrument.
The Theremin’s elegant simplicity and unparalleled expressivity fueled Bob Moog’s lifelong love affair with the instrument, from building his first Theremin at age 14 and completing his final Theremin design at age 70.
Julie Bearden Carver is a professional musical director, voice and acting coach, orchestrator and arranger. As artistic operations manager for Gulf Coast Symphony, she rosters and facilitates housing for guest artists from across the country. As music director of Southwest Florida Theatre Company, Julie works directly with producer Andrew Kurtz, to select, cast, and produce shows at the Music and Arts Community Center and the spring show with orchestra at Barbara B Mann. She regularly conducts piano rehearsals and performances. Shows include “Next to Normal,” “Grand Night for Singing,” “Nunsense,” “Route 66,” “Forever Plaid,” “Camelot,” among many others. Her new cabaret series “Julie Carver presents…” will showcase singers from the local community stages to Broadway.
Go here to view the rest of Carver’s long and illustrious theater credits.
Raymond Jaramillo McLeod is an actor, voice actor, and singer. He has appeared on stages performing opera and musical theater nationwide. He has been in five Disney movies. On TV, he is best known for roles on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Adventures in Wonder Park,” and guest appearances on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” He appeared in the Gulf Coast Symphony production of “West Side Story” as Officer Krupke (his first non-singing role in a musical). He will star as John Adams in Gulf Coast Symphony’s upcoming production of “1776: The Musical.” He has performed at the Hollywood Bowl and has been seen on Broadway stages including Eddie in “The Wild Party” opposite Taye Diggs and Wreck in “Wonderful Town” at City Center Encores. He recently appeared as Juan Peron in the 20th anniversary tour of “Evita.” He has also performed in several Los Angeles opera productions, notably as Doctor Grenvil in “La Traviata.” He has also performed with Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, and Kiri Te Kanawa and performed in concert with John Denver, Barbara Streisand, and Linda Eder. Other stage credits include multiple roles in “A Tale of Two Cities,” a villager, vampire and Creature of the Night in “Dance of the Vampires” and Simon Stride in “Jekyll & Hyde.”
Matt Michael is an accomplished actor and singer active in Southwest Florida’s theatre community. Michael brings vocal versatility and stage presence to every performance, making him a dynamic addition to any ensemble.
Michael's credits include “Through the Decades” at Broadway Palm; various roles for Players Circle Theatre in “Night and Day,” “The Dining Room” and “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”; Nunzio, a cop and the stage manager in “Newsies” for Iron Bridge Dinner Theatre in Tyrone, Pennsylvania; John Adams in “1776” for Northhampton Summer Theatre in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Mr. Jacobi, Seitz and Male Swing in “Newsies” for Northhampton Summer Theatre; Sam Carmichael in “Mamma Mia” for Iron Bridge Dinner Theatre; J.P. Morgan in Ragtime for Northampton Summer Theatre; Tony DelVeccio in the regional premiere of “Disaster!” for Northampton Summer Theatre; multiple roles in “Playing Doctor” for Clove Creek Dinner Theatre in Fishkill, New York; multiple roles in “Almost, Maine” for Clove Creek Dinner Theatre; Corny Collins in “Hairspray” for Sugarload Performing Arts Center in Chester, New York; Chuck Cranston in “Footloose” for Sugarload Performing Arts Center; the Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera” for Sugarloaf Performing Arts Center; Kenickie in “Grease” for Theatre at West Shore Station in Newburgh, New York; Orin and ensemble in “Little Shop of Horrors” for Just Off Broadway in Newburgh, New York; and the Pirate King in “The Pirates of Penzance” for Rail Road Playhouse.
Natalie Bouwer performs professionally as an actor and singer up and down the East Coast but now makes Florida her home base.
Brouwer’s stage credits include “Beehive: The 60’s Musical,” Carole King in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” (The Broadway Palm); “Jersey Boys” (Barbara B. Mann PAH); Linda in “Night and Day,” “Jingle Bell Jubilee,” Lady in the Street in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” “Ho! Ho! Ho! The Christmas Show” and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” for Players Circle Theatre; “Nunsense” for Gulf Coast Symphony; “Beauty and the Beast” for The Alhambra Theatre and Dining; “Miracle on 34th Street” for Beach Street Repertory Theatre; “Bright Star,” “Marvelous Wonderettes,” “Sanders Family Christmas,” “Something’s Afoot” and “Working: The Musical” for Appalachian Repertory Theatre; “Common Enemy” for Triad Stage; “The Wizard of Oz,” “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Winnie the Pooh” and “Sleeping Beauty” for Barter Theatre; and multiple singing engagements for Brian Gurl Productions.
Brouwer also works as an audiobook narrator. She grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina. She received her B.A. in theatre from Lee University (where she performed in “Wit,” “Sabrina Fair” and “33 Variations”) and her M.F.A. in acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (where she performed in “Cabaret,” “Machinal” and “Twelfth Night”).
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
