‘Broadway Our Way’ Coming @ Uptown Players

Photos courtesy of Uptown Players

—Martha Heimberg

Uptown Players’ popular annual fundraiser, Broadway Our Way, has an all-new production and theme. This year, audiences will be transported to a Gay Renaissance Faire, where familiar and edgy show tunes take on a new dimension with a theme that reflects the great variety of the hit revue.

Now in its 23rd season and 15th year at Kalita Humphreys Theater, Uptown Players has grown a passionate audience in support of the company’s mission to produce quality theater centered on the LBTQIA+ community, and which fosters positive public awareness and acceptance through the arts. Uptown founding producers Craig Lynch and Jeff Rane began using a general motif for the revue a few years ago.

“The idea of setting the show in a particular place was fun for everybody,” Rane told Onstage NTX. “We set it on a cruise ship a couple of years ago, and that worked. We thought of Scarborough Fair and the costume designs associated with the era, and thought the Renaissance is a great fit for a gay musical revue.” Rane added that the annual revue is also a showcase for many local actors. “You can see just how much talent there is in this city. The show features twenty-five of the top singers and dancers who have worked with us over the past two years. That includes five exciting newbies who haven’t worked with us before,” he said.

Directed and written by B.J. Cleveland, with music direction by Adam C. Wright and Kelley Poche Rodriguez—plus choreography from Alli Betsill—the show reimagines iconic musical numbers with bold twists, unexpected mashups, and a touch of camp.

Rane says everyone who loves Broadway musicals will enjoy this show. The songs include everything from rousing reinterpretations of Cabaret, Rent, and Pippin to exhilarating renditions of modern hits from Something Rotten, Groundhog Day, and The Notebook.

The cast includes Erin Bowman, Tim Brawner, B.J. Cleveland, Peter DiCesare, Stephanie Felton, Ryan Michael Friedman, Brian Hathaway, Jacob Hemsath, Quintin Jones Jr., Elizabeth Kensek, Linda Leonard, Laura Lites, Gena Loe, David Lugo, Joanna Nchekwube, Seth Paden, Thomas Renner, Sara Shelby-Martin, Amy Stevenson, Kylie Stewart, Carlos Strudwick, Danny Vanegas, Brett Warner, Paul J. Williams, and Clayton Younkin. To know more about the artists, go to: https://uptownplayers.org/show-details/broadway-our-way-2025?fbclid=IwY2xjawJAMt1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWj5CRaxl_a6JS9XN0-e31CNLlwtycVACoWrBO2eYQYrKg_m8W4kyrYUFQ_aem_HHsKVJDxTid42SaHfrK8Rg and click on the “Artists” tab.

Performance Details:

·        Dates: March 27–March 30, 2025

·        Venue: Kalita Humphreys Theatre

·        Address: 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd., Dallas, TX 75219

·        Price: $40 - $65

For tickets and more information, please visit www.uptownplayers.org or call 214-219-2718.