Thanks to the Musical Theatre Club, Cinco de Mayo is coming early this year — and it’s coming with a tune.
The show, “Singo de Mayo: Past, Present and Future,” will be April 30 at 8 p.m. in the Union Theater. Admission is free and open to the public.
“Singo de Mayo” is a showcase of 26 musical theatre numbers featuring solo, duet and trio numbers as well as group ensembles. Songs are taken from different theatre productions, such as “The Sound of Music,” “Hamilton,” “The Lion King,” “Grease,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “A Very Potter Musical.”
This is the first time MTC is hosting the broadway musical theatre review.
Previously, the student exhibition was the product of a semester’s worth of preparation in Music 4005, or the Fundamentals of Musical Theatre Singing: Technique and Repertoire.
After the class was removed, MTC took it upon themselves to ensure the production’s continuity.
The show is co-directed by theatre junior Curran Latas and music education junior Brittany Spencer.
“Whatever sort of music any student likes to listen to, you’ll find something that you could love here,” Latas said.
The production is primarily student driven as the students cast, choreograph and produce the club shows. About 30 to 40 students are involved specifically with “Singo de Mayo,” with nearly 100 in the whole organization.
“Having this is great,” vocal performance sophomore Meghan Dawson said. “I look forward to coming to school so I can do what I love and what I want to do as a career and I really love that we have students who want to make this possible.”
Since MTC took on “Singo de Mayo,” the show has been able to expand from its original restraint of only using students enrolled in the class, Spencer said. The club now has alumni and graduate students participating in the show as well.
The greatest challenge in transitioning from the course to club environment was scheduling, she said. But, the work still gets done.
While people audition for solos, anyone is welcome to participate in the group numbers.
“I like it better as a club because no matter how annoyed you are, you still chose to come here,” Dawson said.
Preparation for “Singo de Mayo” began the day after “Legally Blonde” ended, but the MTC Board has been planning the show since the beginning of the year.
Kinesiology and theatre senior Austin Ventura participated in “Singo de Mayo” as part of the class last year and said it has been a harder transition because the club set the bar with its “Legally Blonde” production.
“Coming in last year and not knowing much about singing and seeing where I am now, having a group of friends that support you and make you better really is what it’s all about,” the cast member said. “We’re all such a supportive group and it’s really fun to work with these guys.”
With two directors, three music directors and four choreographers, rehearsals are often organized chaos. While they may have multiple groups rehearsing at once, the club is a well-oiled machine.
“None of us are afraid to ask for help,” Latas said. “It’s been a really, really collaborative environment. We’re all learning together, so we’re all open to feedback, and we’re all willing to help others.”
“Singo de Mayo” is mass communication junior Drake Boudreaux’s first time on stage.
“It’s a craft, and they have the craft down to a science,” Boudreaux said. “It’s really cool to come in and witness because I never thought people my age were capable of this kind of stuff.
I think it’s an awesome showcase of everything LSU is capable of.”
MTC’s goal is to expand every year. They aim to produce at least one fully-staged musical in addition to “Singo de Mayo,” while also offering as many other opportunities as possible for members to participate.
Latas said MTC already has several events planned for next year.
“The community has been so supportive, and we’ve been really blessed and excited to have that,” Latas said. “It’s been such a cool experience, and we’re just ready for more.”

Gallery • 14 Photos

Haskell Whittington

The LSU Musical Theatre club rehearses their production titled "Singo de Mayo" on Tuesday April 26, 2016, in the Music and Dramatic Arts building on LSU campus.