DUMMERSTON — The Vermont Theatre Company presents Coming Back, Moving On, a Broadway musical revue staged at the Evening Star Grange, 1008 East-West Rd., on Friday to Sunday, Aug. 20 to 22.
The ensemble cast includes five local actors: Hillary Ballantine, Ayla Cordell, Krista Coughlin-Galbraith, Henry O'Connell, and Katy Peterson.
According to a news release, Coming Back, Moving On “will explore, through songs of Broadway and beyond, some of the things we've gained in isolation throughout the last year and will now bring with us as we continue to expand into the larger world.”
As described in a news release, the show is “filled with songs about friendships, fantasies, and memories - some poignant, some purely for fun!”
Act One focuses on “the experience of adhering to the constraints suddenly placed on us with songs such as 'Home' from 70, Girls, 70, where we reveal how being stuck at home made us all a bit loopy at times,” the release said.
“Therapy” from Tick, Tick ... Boom! shows the challenges of living 24/7 with your partner. “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma details “how being forced to slow down actually made us more appreciative of the natural beauty that was still available to us.”
Act Two explores the challenges of returning to the larger world with songs that look at “the joys of our newfound freedoms,” such as “Travel” from Starting Here, Starting Now and “I'm Going Back” from Bells Are Ringing.
Others deal with the fears of rejoining the world, such as “A Terrific Band and a Real Nice Crowd” from Ballroom, and “our responses to the larger issues of social justice that exploded during the past year,” such as “Let Them Hear You” from Ragtime.
The production is being directed by Lin Snider and Woody Regan from New York and Katy Peterson from Brattleboro. Brenda L. Seitz is the stage manager, and Robert Kramsky is the producer.