Ticket sales benefit nonprofit The Composers Showcase of Las Vegas
By Debbie Hall
The Last Show, a new musical inspired by the true stories of Vegas performers, will present an exciting concert of the script and original musical score as a benefit for The Composers Showcase (TCS) of Las Vegas at Myron’s at The Smith Center starting on Sunday, Oct. 26. A VIP meet-the-artists reception follows the performance.
The Last Show pulls back the curtain on the raw and authentic lives of those who give everything to the stage. Unlike any other city, Las Vegas demands relentless devotion, talent and perseverance where dazzling spectacle hides exhaustion, sacrifice and grit. When the lights go dark, a show family must reckon with identity, loss, and the haunting question of who they are when the stage disappears. With biting humor and a soaring score, this musical gives the classic genre a bold Vegas twist.
A Nevada nonprofit 501(c)(3) since 2017, whose mission is to provide a platform for original music, scholarship, and financial assistance to the Las Vegas entertainment community. TCS serves as a forum that allows local and visiting composers, lyricists, and songwriters the opportunity to present original music to a supportive audience in an informal cabaret-style setting. TCS also encourages and nurtures young, emerging creative talent by offering scholarships to the UNLV Music Composition and Jazz Composition Departments.
Co-founded in 2006 by longtime Broadway music director, composer, and arranger Keith Thompson (The Cocktail Cabaret, Idaho! The Comedy-Musical, Jersey Boys), who produces and hosts each showcase. TCS encourages the development of new works and new collaborations between writers who meet at the Showcase and often begin writing together. Visit thecomposersshowcase.com to donate or for more information.
WhatsUp.Vegas spoke with Thompson about the show and the role of The Composers Showcase.
Q: What was the process with this show?
So in the same way that we’ve done with other writers like Richard Oberacker, we have that same process where they would write songs, and then they would present them, one or two at a time, during the showcase. That’s how Bandstand ended up on Broadway: they wrote the musical piece by piece and saw how it all came together.
It’s a really interesting process. Then, recently, we started doing these shows, and we also did this first with Richard, Angel of Arkansas, where the Composer’s Showcase presented a staged reading of the show. There wasn’t a full production, but it was a presentation that gave you a sense of the entire show, the cast, and the band.
Q: How do these shows fit in with the mission of the Composer’s Showcase?
We’ve done three different pieces the same way—meaning the same process: we get together with the creative team, and the show and all the creative elements are theirs. Then the Composer’s Showcase acts as presenters, not producers. So we’re helping set up the whole thing with the venue, making sure there’s a reception afterwards, and looking at the tech elements to ensure everything is taken care of.
It sounds unglamorous, but it works. This helps the Composer’s Showcase more fully realize our mission of providing a forum and a platform for the writers. Our focus is the writers, not necessarily the directors, authors, or actors. The focus was entirely on our work, which is part of our mission.
Q: How does it feel to be working with director Eric Jordan Young? Was
We have such a great relationship from doing cocktail cabaret and even before that, from some shows we did together. He’s so creative and so gifted as a director, an actor and a dancer. You know, that’s what’s exciting about Eric. He’s a jack of all trades. He brought the project to us because we had started recording some of the songs for The Composer’s Showcase.
The stellar cast lineup includes leads Janien Valentine (God Lives In Glass, Mayfair Supper Club), Lisa Marie Smith (Mayfair Supper Club, Baz), Gret Gonzalez (Nunsense, Tony ‘N’Tina’s Wedding), Paul Bradley (Vegas! The Show, Children of Eden, Big River), Jack Saleeby (Shrek, The Wizard of Oz), and Jason Martinez (Sheena Easton, Jersey Boys). The supporting cast is Paul Johnson (The Atomic Saloon Show, Spazmatics, Raiding the Rock Vault), Tim Tucker (Mamma Mia Las Vegas, Hair), Peng Peng Lee (Warped!, Overcompensating), and Brad Standley (Baz, Waitress National Tour).
The Last Show script was written by Michelle St. Angelo, music and lyrics by Barry Anderson (Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde), directed by Eric Jordan Young (The Cocktail Cabaret, Vegas! The Show, Ragtime) and produced by Megan and Susan Wilson of Libra Productions. Anderson will conduct his own score from the piano, joined on stage by bassist Tyler Williams (Le Reve), UNLV percussion alum and two-time Pacific-Southwest Emmy Award winner Dr. Alex Stopa on drums, and guitarist Steven Lee (Donny and Marie).
Click here to purchase tickets. An additional tax-deductible donation of $40 is requested to attend the VIP reception. RSVP by email to composersshowcaselv@gmail.com.
Follow on Social Media:
Facebook: @ComposersShowcaseLV @TheSmithCenter @TheLastShow:ANewMusical
Instagram: @ComposersShowcase @lastshow @smithcenterlv
