‘Young Frankenstein’ a hit at Music Hall

Sometimes winding up in the same place requires quite a leap.

Just ask Lawrence Alexander, the Kansas City native who once performed at the Music Hall in dance competitions representing Monica’s School of Dance.

This week, the 25-year-old Alexander is back at that same KC venue as a featured performer in Broadway Across America’s touring production of the hit musical “Young Frankenstein.”

“It’s a homecoming for me and it’s very exciting,” Alexander said. “It’s my first time back in Kansas City in a Broadway tour.”

Alexander is a featured player in the musical adaptation of Mel Brooks’ classic movie satire, directed by Tony Award winner Susan Stroman.

“This past summer I performed in ‘Anything Goes’ here at Starlight Theatre. It was my first time performing there professionally,” Alexander said. “I grew up in that theater doing a lot of shows there as a child.”

Alexander honed his craft at the Kansas City Middle School of the Arts and the Paseo Academy of the Arts.

“At the age of 14, I began going back and forth between KC and New York to attend classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center,” Alexander said. “When I was 17, I stayed out there and trained at the Ailey school until going to the Boston Conservatory for my BFA.”

Prairie Village resident Monica Renwick was Alexander’s first dance teacher.

“I remember going to Monica’s School of Dance for the first time when I was 8 years old,” Alexander said. “I continued to train with her until I left for the East Coast for good. She was a great inspiration for me and was the first person who got me into the love of the musical theater.”

For Renwick, the feeling is mutual.

“He’s like my son,” Renwick said. “He’s a fantastic person and dancer and singer. When he was a kid, he won ‘Showtime at the Apollo’ as a singer.”

Renwick recognized his gifts right away.

“He had the drive, he had the talent. He lived at the studio. The second he started class, he (demonstrated) that ‘Wow’ factor. He had the looks, the singing ability, the dancing. You could tell that he had star quality.”

The “Young Frankenstein” tour has an open-ended run and Alexander hopes to ride the wave as long as possible.

“I would love to do more Broadway shows and one day possibly headline a show,” he said. “I would love to one day choreograph or be an associate choreographer. I definitely intend to make this a career.”

Alexander will conduct a master dance class from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 20, at Monica’s School of Dance, 342 SW Blue Parkway, Lee’s Summit, Mo. Information is available at (816) 246-6776.

The BAA production of “Young Frankenstein” runs through Feb. 21 at the Music Hall, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, Mo. For tickets, call (816) 931-3330 or visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

RENT

The popular rock musical based on Puccini’s classic opera “La Boheme” has taken up residence at the Jewish Community Center.

The winner of both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize, “Rent” updates Puccini’s story to New York City’s East Village in the 1990s. The starving artists aren’t battling tuberculosis, as in the classic opera, but instead struggle with AIDS and drug addiction.

The action takes place over a one-year period (“525,600 minutes”) and follows the ups and downs of various bohemian relationships.

Director Mark Swezey has assembled a large and talented ensemble that includes Adam Branson, Jake Borowski, Emily Burns, Kathryn McCreary and Joshua Pulos.

While “Rent” features Jonathan Larson’s catchy tunes and excellent first act, the second act leaves something to be desired as the plot meanders and the story momentum is lost.

Still, half a great musical is better than none, so you have to pay “Rent” its due.

Anthony Rapp, a member of the original Broadway cast, will be a special guest for the production, and an exhibit featuring two panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will accompany the production.

CenterSeason also is partnering with reStart, a Kansas City homeless shelter for men, women and children.

Theater patrons are urged to bring gloves, mittens, scarves and hats to benefit the reStart’s Youth Street Outreach Services program. Patrons who donate two or more items will receive $3 off their ticket purchase.

“Our partnership with the Jewish Community Center comes at a time of great challenges and great opportunities,” reStart Executive Director Evelyn Craig said. “Demand for our services has doubled this year, and in 2008, we served more than 1,000 homeless and runaway teens in the urban core of Kansas City.”

“Rent” runs through Feb. 28 at the Jewish Community Center, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park. Ticket information is available at 327-8054 or www.jcckc.org.

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