Rich Archbold: The show must go on! Los Alamitos High pianist saves Musical Theater West production

The Carpenter Center, astatine Cal State Long Beach, filled up rapidly past period with blessed folks anxious to spot Musical Theatre West’s peculiar revue, “It’s a Grand Night for Singing.”

The revue, which debuted astir a week earlier, was MTW’s archetypal accumulation since it had been unopen down for much than 18 months due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic. Everyone was successful a festive mood, each acceptable to bask an day successful idiosyncratic of fashionable songs written by theatre giants Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Everything was successful spot for the 1 p.m. showtime.

But past Paul Garman, the dynamic MTW enforcement manager and producer, got devastating quality — that threated to cancel the show.

Dennis Castellano, the soft accompanist, important to the show’s production, called to accidental helium had been successful a four-vehicle freeway clang connected his mode to the theatre and wouldn’t beryllium capable to marque the show. Fortunately, Castellano’s injuries were not beingness threatening, but helium was shaken up capable that helium knew helium couldn’t execute that afternoon.

Garman was faced with the beardown anticipation that helium would person to cancel the show.

“It would person been precise hard to enactment connected the amusement without Dennis,” Garman said later. “There is lone a six-piece set for this revue and the pianist holds everything together.”

This revue has small dialogue, with singers moving from opus to song, featuring much than 30 songs from philharmonic hits similar “Oklahoma,” “South Pacific,” “The Sound of Music,” “Carousel” and “The King and I.” The pianist is captious successful a amusement similar this, not lone playing the soft — but besides directing.

Garman frantically started reasoning of pianists helium could telephone to capable successful for Castellano. Someone suggested Eddy Clement, a seasoned soft accompanist who lives successful Bixby Knolls, astir 20 minutes distant from the Carpenter Center, depending connected traffic.

“I called Eddy and it was lone 30 minutes oregon truthful distant from showtime,” Garman said. “Fortunately, helium said helium was escaped and would effort to get to the theatre arsenic soon arsenic postulation would allow.”

Garman told Clement helium would hold the curtain opening by 10 oregon 15 minutes to springiness him a small much clip to get organized. As helium usually does, Garman talked to the assemblage astir the show. This time, helium took a small longer by talking astir the pandemic and explaining however the regular pianist had been successful an mishap and was being replaced by different person.

Clement, meanwhile, got successful his car and sped to the Carpenter Center arsenic accelerated arsenic helium could without getting a ticket.

“Wouldn’t you cognize it? I deed each the lights,” Clement said, “but I got to the theatre with a fewer minutes to spare.”

His task was a daunting one.

He had to survey much than 200 pages of euphony with arrangements helium had ne'er played before. And nary clip for a rehearsal.

Clement would person to wholly show work passim the show. That besides would beryllium an astonishing accomplishment.

But determination was different problem: the determination of the captious philharmonic people book.

It was successful Castellano’s car connected the 405 Freeway, wherever the car had been crushed by a motortruck during the crash.

Castellano, who lives successful Irvine, was astir to get disconnected the 405 astatine Palo Verde Avenue, astatine which constituent helium would person been minutes distant from the Carpenter Center had the clang not occurred.

Garman sent a subordinate of the signifier unit to the tract to retrieve the philharmonic people from Castellano’s daughter, who had gone to the country to assistance her father.

Clement, meanwhile, had a hurried league with the different 5 musicians.

There was nary clip to really play immoderate of the music. The different musicians told Eddy things to ticker retired for the tempo.

“He would virtually beryllium playing connected the fly,” said 1 observer.

Besides the matinee, Clement besides performed astatine the evening show that night, connected Oct. 24.

Lucy Daggett, a nonrecreational vocalist who has Clement arsenic her accompanist erstwhile she performs, said his occupation filling successful was “a monumental accomplishment.”

“There are highly fewer soft players who are talented capable to beryllium capable to wholly show work an full people with nary rehearsal, with a full, unrecorded assemblage watching and listening to each note,” she said. “Talk astir pressure.”

But Clement was humble astir his accomplishment.

“I conscionable did my job,” helium said. “I’m gladsome it turned retired well.”

Was helium tense astir performing connected specified abbreviated notice?

“I didn’t person clip to beryllium nervous,” helium said with a laugh.

Playing the soft has been a portion of Clement’s beingness since helium was 7.

“I was jealous of my older sister who had been taking soft lessons,” helium said. “I begged my parents for lessons and they said OK, ‘If you instrumentality with it.’”

Besides the piano, helium besides became an adept with the French horn.

One day, Clement said, helium got a telephone “out of the blue” astir Los Alamitos High School looking for an accompanist for its choir. He took that occupation and is successful his 21st twelvemonth astatine the school, providing euphony for its perennial nationalist champion choirs. In 2018, Clement was named classified worker of the twelvemonth astatine Los Al.

At the time, then-principal Brandon Martinez said Clement was “a mentor, a teacher, idiosyncratic moving down the scenes arsenic a tireless advocator for students.”

If you were to region Eddy from the equation,” the since retired main said, “I don’t cognize that we would beryllium arsenic palmy arsenic we are.”

Clement, for his part, said helium is simply a beardown advocator for supporting kids successful euphony “because it helps them successful life.”

Castellano, retired caput of euphony theatre astatine UC Irvine, said helium was disappointed that helium couldn’t execute due to the fact that of the crash.

It was the archetypal time, Castellano said, that he’s missed a performance.

“But Eddy did a fantastic job,” helium added, “and I called him to convey him for what helium did.”

Castellano said helium had “some aches and pains” from the crash, but was performing again.

As for the audience’s absorption to the astonishment alteration successful performers, Garman said, Clement blew them away.

“Eddy had a herculean task successful beforehand of him, but helium performed brilliantly and the assemblage loved it,” helium said. “Many told maine aboriginal however breathtaking it was to beryllium portion of a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition and however they appreciated knowing what each went connected down the scenes.

“In the existent contented of the theater,” Garman added, “the amusement went on.”

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