SCAPA grad takes break from ‘Hamilton’ to come home again
Rebecca Covington Webber has come home before. It was in the 2005-06 arts season when the graduate of the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) at Lafayette High School returned to Lexington with the tour of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” that was presented by Broadway Live at the Lexington Opera House.
The Opera House was a stage she grew up on as an artist in SCAPA shows and other productions, so she was able to tell her “Millie” castmates what it was like, and what to expect. And she was able to perform for hometown family and friends on her first professional tour.
“As soon as I stepped on stage, I was like, ‘this is really incredible!’” Webber recalls.
Webber has had some incredible moments since that tour stop in Lexington, including a Broadway debut, marriage, being cast in the twenty-teens’ show of the decade, and having her first child.
Jan. 8 could be considered a bit of a full-circle moment as she will return once again to the Opera House stage as one of the three “stars” in the Lexington Theatre Company’s annual “Concert with the Stars.”
The show, which started in 2014, pairs Broadway talent with collegiate and local performers in cabaret-style concert of show tunes with behind-the-scenes stories from the stars.
Webber will be joined by Jeremy Landon Hays, who you may recognize from TV series such as “Bull” and “FBI” as well as Broadway turns in “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Misérables.”
Webber’s own hubby, Donald Webber, Jr. will also join the lineup and is a veteran of “Hamilton,” “Motown the Musical,” and “Holler If Ya Hear Me” on Broadway. He and Webber are on the “Hamilton” tour that will be in Boise, Idaho when they take their weekend trip to Lexington for “Concert with the Stars.”
The iconic musical has been an adventure for the couple. Webber recalls being in the production that was presented in Puerto Rico with creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, chronicled in venues such as “The Tonight Show,” and the production was in San Francisco when the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down.
At the time, in March 2020, they thought it would be for a couple weeks. When it became clear the shutdown would be longer, the Webbers moved to Los Angeles, not wanting to be away from California when the production resumed. During that time, they also had their first child, a son, who was four months old when the tour resumed late in the summer.
“Before the shutdown, it felt like the show was No. 1, I had to do everything in my life to get ready for the show,” Webber says. Now, she says, being with her son is the priority, and then she gets to go be part of telling the story of “Hamilton.”
“It’s this beautiful game of addition and subtraction in life — kind of move everything around and show you exactly where they belong in the course of a day, and every day is so different,” Weber says.
Concert with the Stars is a place where the stars get to tell the stories of their careers, through songs and stories.
“We don’t really get the platforms to do stuff like this,” Webber says . “I think we’re just gonna hang out and tell our story.” It’s one a lot of hometown fans will love to hear.
Concert with the Stars is at 8 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. Tickets are $31 to $66. Call 859-233-3535 or visit lexingtonoperahouse.com.
‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ at the Lexington Opera House
The 1982 movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” already has a distinctive music feature in “Up Where We Belong,” the chart-topping Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker hit that won several awards, including the Oscar for best original song. The second offering in the 2021-22 Broadway Live at the Opera House season is the musical version of the story, featuring the signature tune along with ’80s hits by Steve Winwood, Yes, Pat Benatar, Corey Hart (not the song you’re thinking of), Rush, and more.
The story focuses on a candidate in the U.S. Navy Officer Training School enduring a relentless sergeant (originally played by Louis Gossett Jr. in an Oscar-winning performance) and finding comfort in the arms of a local factory worker. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, and 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30. Tickets are $60-$175 depending on show time and seat location. Call 859-233-3535 or visit lexingtonoperahouse.com for tickets.
Everett McCorvey new chair of Kentucky Arts Council
Dr. Everett McCorvey, director of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre and a UK professor of voice, has been named chair of the Kentucky Arts Council by Gov. Andy Beshear. McCorvey is the first person of color to chair the state arts agency, which is responsible for developing and supporting the arts in Kentucky.
“When I came to Kentucky, I realized this state has a very rich history in the arts,” McCorvey said in a UK news release. “With all of the economic development, with people coming into the Commonwealth, they’re going to want to have a place to go and visit the arts, to see all the wonderful places in Kentucky where the arts are happening. I am looking forward to serving on Team Kentucky.”
McCorvey came to UK in 1991 and became the director of the UK opera program in 1997, raising its national profile through innovative programming and graduates who have excelled on international stages. He also is the founder and director of the American Spiritual Ensemble and is artistic director of the National Chorale in New York City.
Kentucky artists among South Arts’ Emerging Traditional Artists Program
Six Kentucky artists are among 24 selected for the initial cohort of South Arts’ Emerging Traditional Artists Program.
The Kentucky artists are Bradford Harris of Loyall in craft/material culture and music, Carrie Carter of Whitesburg in music, Malcolm Davis of Paint Lick in music, Micah Wiles of Somerset in craft/material culture, Robbie Teasdale of Richmond in craft/material culture, and Shaina Naillieux of Jackson in craft/material culture.
The program is for artists ages 18 to 35 in Appalachian Regional Commission Counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee who have demonstrated commitment to and leadership in their traditional art form. Selected artists will receive $5,000 to advance their work and receive networking and training opportunities with fellow honorees. South Arts is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and other public and private sponsors.
Studio Players play: ‘Becky’s New Car’
Lexington’s longest-running community theater, Studio Players, gets 2022 started with the Steven Dietz comedy “Becky’s New Car,” about a car dealership employee who is offered a chance at a new life. Performances are at 8 p.m. Jan. 13-15, 21, 22, 28, 29, and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 16, 23, and 30. Tickets are $21 general public, $11 students. Visit studioplayers.org or call 859-257-4929 for more information.