The war between Ukraine and Russia might be called a battle between good and evil. A group of local performers will use music to contrast those warring factions.
It’s called “Broadway Heroes and Villains” and will be held Sept. 22, at 3 and 7 p.m. in Savannah Center. Part of the proceeds will benefit The Rotary Club of the Villages Foundation Ukraine Relief Fund.
It all started a few months ago with a conversation about the war. Local performers Tim Casey and Bob Stehman, along with producer Susan Feinberg of Smash Productions, wanted to make a difference for Ukraine.
“We were struck by the horrors being visited upon millions of children in the Ukraine,” Casey said. “It was about the heroic people of the Ukraine fighting for their homes and way of life against the villains from Russia.
“Like many Americans, we wondered what we could do for the good people of the Ukraine in their struggle against this obviously evil empire.”
After some theatrical brainstorming, the three came up with a concept. It was “a musical theater songbook filled with heroes struggling against villains,” Casey said. And before long, “a show was born.”
Casey and Stehman will be joined on stage by Kathleen Kane, Mary Jo Vitale, Pinky Bigley, and Mark Kirschenbaum.
The music includes numbers from such Broadway musicals as “Hamilton,” “Chicago,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miz,” “Annie,” “Aladdin,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Mamma Mia.”
That means performing such songs as: “Music of the Night,” “A Whole New World,” “On My Own” and “Easy Street”