Quote of the Day: CROSSOVER’s megamix-style score, featuring influences from dance pop, country, R&B, and rap, reinforces the show’s message: love between women, romantic or otherwise, is something to sing about. from the press release for this exciting new musical. 

The creative team for Crossover invited me to a preview performance, online of course, for this exciting new musical that gives a similar vibe to Six, the new musical about the six wives of King Henry the VIII, that a couple of college students originally wrote for the Edenborough Fringe Fest. Similar story for Crossover, graduates from the University of Pennsylvania teamed up to write a show for the Philadelphia Fringe Fest. The result is this stunning show about four women who compete in a talent show, like The Voice, and end up in a four-way tie. They are faced with a decision, perform together as a foursome for the full four minutes, or try to do a solo act in under one minute. They decide to join forces, and voices, and the result is success. But, with any good story, conflict arises, and they have to make difficult decisions. 

CROSSOVER: A New Pop Musical has an original book and score by Danielle E. Moore. The production is directed by Amanda Pasquini. The show is produced by Chelsea Cylinder and Danielle E. Moore. CROSSOVER had its world premiere back in September as part of the 2020 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. After overwhelmingly positive feedback, the show is being transferred to New York City as part of the Rogue Theater Festival.

I felt a connection to the characters right away. Young women with dreams of successful careers in music and stage. Throughout the performance, we learn more about their backgrounds, relationships, and obstacles along the way. They learn to trust each other and find strength in building each other up. The musical score is excellent, a nice blend of pop, rock, R&B, rap, and country. I went back and listened to some of the songs again. They also have great messages of struggles and female empowerment. The production is filled like a zoom meeting, with the actors in their own spaces. They did a great job of using that platform to create an engaging performance.

“I feel privileged to be a part of a show that has made such an intentional effort to represent the unique demographic of my Philadelphia community,” director Amanda Pasquini added. “The music and book are fun, quirky, and everything you’d like to see in a virtual musical piece.” Pasquini is a Philadelphia-based director and teacher, whose credits include the Walnut Street Theatre, PAC, Philly Women’s Theatre Festival, and more.

The cast features seven Philadelphia actors: Taylor J Mitchell as Regina (“Reggie”) Carlyle, Boris Dansberry as Maxine “Max” Green, Chelsea Cylinder as KC Parker, Ali Walker as Hallie Harper, Donovan Lockett as Shea Stone, Annie Fang as Lila Selleck / Charli Parker, and Chris Murphy Smith as Jack Tyler.

It is exciting to see young, new talent rise from experiences with Fringe Festivals, and through this pandemic. I am so impressed with all the creatives who have found ways to still make their art and share it with the world. Congratulations to this fine team! You can watch this amazing production, streaming, starting Dec. 12, 2020.

For more information about the show, please visit https://www.greenlightgroupproductions.com/crossover-musical. The cast album is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and other major music platforms.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: What creative projects are you working on during this down time (assuming you have some – I’ve been busy, but home more on weekends)?