Greater Richmond Chorus brings Broadway to Richmond today

The award winning women’s a cappella group, the Greater Richmond Chorus (GRC), will host its annual show on Saturday, June 12, in an evening sure to please music lovers of all ages.

The ensemble, complete with four-part harmony, ritzy costumes, and thrilling dancing, features women, aged 18 to 80, from throughout Virginia. The chorus, originally chartered in 1977, draws from Richmond, Henrico, Midlothian, and Chesterfield, but some of its members come from as far away as Norfolk, Reedville, and Virginia Beach.

The June 12th performance, “Barbershop Goes Broadway”, will feature the 65 voice women’s show chorus performing 14 songs from classic Broadway musicals, including “West Side Story,” “Guys and Dolls,” “My Fair Lady,” and “Les Miserables.”

“The show moves forward through time,” Phyllis Quast, the Management Team Coordinator for the Greater Richmond Chorus, explained. The performance will begin with “Spring is Here,” a number from Richard Rogers’, of the famed Rogers and Hammerstein, 1938 musical “I Married an Angel”. “The show moves forward, ultimately ending in 1980, with “Les Miserables,” Quast said.

Quast further explained that the performance serves both as a fundraiser for the groups’ elaborate costumes and music while also setting the stage for the 2010 Sweet Adelines International competition, which will take place this year in Seattle. At the Sweet Adelines’ competition, the Greater Richmond Chorus will compete against the top 35 choruses in the world.

“Sweet Adelines International is like the final round of Wimbledon, it is the best of the best,” Quast explained. In order to get there, the Greater Richmond Chorus had to win the regional competition, which features choruses from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Last year marked their third consecutive Regional Championship. This June 12th performance will feature “It’s Raining Men,” in honor of the trip to compete in rainy Seattle.

“Barbershop Goes Broadway” will also feature the Greater Richmond Chorus’ four quartets, Southern Exposure, Breaking News, Incognito and Swizzle Stix. The community outreach ensemble, Extension Chords, which performs in schools, nursing homes, and libraries, will also be featured.

The second act will include the Greater Richmond Chorus’ guest performers, the comedy quartet, Storm Front. Considered one of the best men’s quartets in the world, Storm Front is equally known for its hilarious on-stage antics, which often accompanies the group’s beautiful harmonies. Storm Front placed third in the 2009 Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Quartet contest, and is predicted to win gold at the 2010 competition in July, the Greater Richmond Chorus press release states.

The show, which will be held at the Steward School Theatre, 11600 Gayton Road in Richmond, promises to be an entertaining one.

“I’ve been a member for 23 years, and each performance is just as glamorous as a Broadway show. While performing in Tennessee, I remember riding an elevator with women dressed for their performances as cats, sea creatures, gangsters, and in evening gowns. The Tennessee Titans were in the same hotel, and they stopped me and asked, “Who are you people?,” Quast explained, laughing.

The matinee performance starts at 2:30, with the evening performance at 7:30. For more information, including purchasing tickets, visit www.grcsings.com or call 804-282-SING. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and children, and $12 for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are also available at the door.