Broadway-level talent on stage and behind the scenes marks the Western Playhouse production of the award-winning new musical “Mother Divine” July 11-19 in the Potter Hall Theater on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. July 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19 and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 13. Tickets may be purchased in advance in person at the Western Institute, Spratt Hall room 105; by phone at 816-271-4100; or online at www.westernplayhouse.com. Advance tickets may also be available at the door, but advance purchase is recommended. The cast, under the direction of Dr. Bob Willenbrink, founding dean of Missouri Western’s School of Fine Arts, is led by Broadway and New York performer Randy Davis and regional favorite Betti O. of Manhattan, Kan.
Book and lyrics are by Laurel Klinger Vartabedian of St. Joseph and music by Bill Evans, with new musical arrangements by West End and Broadway music director and conductor Colin Welford, whose credits include “The Lion King,” “Billy Elliot” and “The Who’s Tommy.” Welford is serving as the production’s musical director.
Presented by the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival as one of ten Next Link projects, the Western Playhouse production of “Mother Divine” is in a developmental partnership with McCoy Rigby Entertainment, a theatrical production company that has launched several Tony Award-nominated Broadway, international and national touring productions, including “Peter Pan,” “Suessical the Musical” and “Annie Get Your Gun,” all starring Cathy Rigby.
“Mother Divine” is inspired by the real life events of a charismatic Depression era Harlem evangelist named Father Divine. He practiced his own brand of Christian doctrine mixed with capitalism, socialism and mysticism. Most important was his notion that heaven was already on earth, and that his followers would live forever if they practiced celibacy and believed he was God. His preaching hit a supernatural snag when his much older wife died. Father assured his followers that Mother had not died but merely wanted a body more fitting of her righteous spirit. He claimed he obliged her wish by housing her spirit in the body of a 21-year-old blond, presented to his flock as, “Mother in the Second Body.”
Here the story takes a fanciful departure when the first Mother Divine returns to earth and, with the help of a bumbling IRS agent, attempts to regain her rightful place in the kingdom. Everyone is chasing someone else’s secrets in this rollicking romp set to a rousing Gospel-tinged score.
Davis, who plays Father Divine and is the show’s choreographer, has appeared in several Broadway shows and national tours, including the hit revival of “Guys & Dolls” with Peter Gallagher, Faith Prince and Nathan Lane. He continued from there with runs in “Cats” and “Peter Pan” and assisted with the original Broadway production of “All Shook Up.” He was also one of the select actors that appeared at the famed Apollo Theater in George C. Wolfe’s “Harlem Song” and has performed twice at the White House.
Betti O. (Mother Divine) is originally from St. Louis, Mo., but has become well known in Kansas, where her family moved. Her television credits include the network children’s series “Four Fish Fly Free,” as well as her show-stopping performance as a national winner on “Showtime at the Apollo” in the legendary New York theater. Betti O. has performed in Europe, Asia, and all across the U.S. She recorded a hit dance chart single in Germany, “Precious Little Diamond,” and performed with Ben Vereen, Sandy Duncan and Ed Harris in “Broadway Sings for the Heartland,” a star-studded benefit held in Oklahoma City. Betti O. is a member of The Kansas Music Hall of Fame.
Other cast members have come to St. Joseph from points far and near, including Erick Carter of New York; Alanna Lovely and Megan Gill of Chicago; Candace Culcleasure of Florida; Katie Kalahurka and Matthew King of Kansas City; Mary Kate Moore of Springfield, Mo.; and a talented St. Joseph/Missouri Western contingent including Lauren Bergman, Thomas Delgado, Amanda Estep, Merlynne Hughes, Mert Hughes, Jacob Mills, and Derek Thompson.
Davis and Kalahurka are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.
Tickets will sell for $22.50 for adults and $9.50 for the first two youth 17 and under, then $1 for each additional child. There are also discounts available for group ticket sales and for Missouri Western faculty and staff.
“Mother Divine” is the second and final show of the third season of Western Playhouse, the summer theatre company of Missouri Western State University. The company presented “The Music Man” June 20-28. Western Playhouse was founded in 2012 as a unit of the Western Institute at Missouri Western. It is a resident summer theatre company utilizing professional actors.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.