AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR OF THE NEW MUSICAL TO PLAY
DETROIT’S FISHER THEATER
FEBRUARY 1-13, 2022
By: Diana Brang-Scott
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN celebrates triumph over adversity. Zack Mayo has the raw talent and strength for the US Navy’s Officer Training School. Graduating from the elite program will secure Zack’s career and future. But only the brave and determined can endure the relentless commands of Drill Sergeant Foley, who is determined to weed out all those unable to pass the strenuous tests of knowledge, coordination, and strength. On his journey of self-discovery, Zack finds comfort in the arms of a strong-willed local factory worker. But it isn’t until tragedy befalls a fellow candidate that Zack learns the importance of friendship, commitment, and honor, finds the courage to be his best self, and wins the heart of the woman he loves.
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN features an iconic score including the Grammy and Oscar-winning #1 hit “Up Where We Belong” (Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes) and your favorite 80’s hits including: “Higher Love” (Steve Winwood), “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (Yes), “Love is a Battlefield” and “Invincible” (Pat Benatar), “Lost In Your Eyes” (Debbie Gibson), “Right Here Waiting” (Richard Marx), “Venus” (Bananarama), “I Can’t Hold Back” (Survivor), “Never Surrender” (Corey Hart), “Do The Walls Come Down” (Carly Simon), “Fly By Night” (Rush), “Hold On to Your Dream (Rick Springfield), “Overkill” (Men at Work), “Renegade” (Styx), and more.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Roxy York (who play Esther Pokrifki). Roxy is a graduate from The Boston Conservatory and a Long Island native, she is no stranger to Broadway, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN is her 5th national tour. Roxy has been with this show since its workshop in November of 2020. She knew at a young age that she wanted to be a performer, but it was her high school teacher who helped guide the way. “Its so interesting how we find our mentors and mine happened to be my High School chorus teacher Mr. Jeff Hoffman from Sayville Highschool. We were lucky to have such an amazing music department, he so generously donated his time and always went above and beyond for his students. I try to carry that with me to each and every job I have, I try to be a helper like he was.” Said Roxy.
In AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN Roxy plays the part of who play Esther Pokrifki, who is Paula’s mother. “I think what makes this character interesting is that typical mothers in musicals are portrayed as very nurturing and maternal, but Esther has had a very full life. She had a challenging job as a single mother, she has faced heartbreak, and she has a lot of grit. So, she makes decisions that may seem harsh towards her daughter, but her goal is to be her protector.”
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN is set in the 80’s so I asked Roxy what the audience can expect to see with sets and costumes. She said, “It’s a real blast from the past. It is very true to the 80s, down to the hair styles and the jewelry.” She laughed and said, “I have even had women at the stage door tell me that my wig, was their exact hair style back then.” The nostalgia is pretty incredible but there is also a lot of spectacles in the show, she said “The design team has out done themselves the scene Battle Stations has so many incredible projections and moving sets it's really cool to see, and the best costumes are three women in this scene that give Jane Fonda a run for her money, they look incredible!”
I asked Roxy what the biggest challenge was for her taking on this role? She said, “I think the biggest challenge was this show is it is not the typical type of music I sing, its 80’s pop rock and I tend to do more traditional musical theatre singing. But it has been so fun to push myself and get to sing such incredible songs such as “Venus” by Bananarama, and my favorite “Renegade” by Men at Work.”
I asked Roxy what she thinks the audience will be talking about on their drive home after seeing AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN? She said, “Besides some of these great songs stuck in their heads, I think they will be talking about the amount of talent we have on that stage. We have such an incredible cast of people, Amaya White (Casey Seeger) is the heart of the show and she’s going to blow them away. The audience will be talking about seeing such challenging physical feats like scaling a 14-foot wall with just a rope and doing it while singing and acting.”
Get out your 80’s gear and come out and see Roxy and the entire cast of AN OFFICER AND GENTLEMAN tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office. The show runs from February 1-13th 2022.
Book and Direction by DICK SCANLAN
Choreography by PATRICIA WILCOX
Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by DAN LIPTON
Original Book and Screenplay by DOUGLAS DAY STEWART
Original Book by SHARLEEN COOPER COHEN
For more information visit http://officerandagentlemanmusical.com/.
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