Seven musical talents are bringing Broadway's "Golden Age" to Hollidaysburg.
Greg, Susan and Eddie Brandt of Altoona; Jamie Markel and Alex Drummond of Hollidaysburg; Brittany Bettwy of State College and Brett Keith of Tyrone will present a musical titled "Broadway Comes to Hollidaysburg" at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the First United Methodist Church of Hollidaysburg. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $25. All proceeds will go toward the campaign to build of a new and bigger Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, and there will be a reception immediately following the concert courtesy of Sheetz Inc., at the present Hollidaysburg Area Public Library on Allegheny and Clark streets.
"Performers make their living performing for money, and some are not so willing to do it for free," director, producer Susan Brandt said. "But I was raised, and Greg and I raised Eddie, to always give back to the community, so when Virginia (Smith, chairperson of the concert) came to me about doing this, I said, 'OK, we're in.' She knew my son and husband were very involved in theater."
Susan Brandt, who also plays piano in the show, noted the concert includes standards from Broadway nuggets such as "Kiss Me, Kate"; "My Fair Lady" and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."
"It's a musical concert - no storyline. It runs about an hour and 15 minutes," she said. "I would describe it as a production of ballads and uptempo material.
"I think Brett, who is a tenor would match up great to Greg's baritone. My son Eddie is a baritenor, so he's right in the middle," she said. "So, I'm able to do 3-part harmonies with men that are not typically done in concert. It's very hard to find three men whose voices blend so well together."
There is no specific financial target the group intends to meet, but they do hope to fill the 400-seat-capacity church, Smith said.
"I told people if they don't want to contribute, they don't have to," she said. "We're certainly not going to turn anyone away at the door if they can't or don't wish to donate $25. But people can help in ways other than making monetary donations, such as spreading the word about this. We just need to get the word out."
Smith, marketing executive at WRTA AM 1240 in Altoona, said the current library is "not big enough for every person in the area."
"There has to be a certain amount of square footage. And the children are down in the basement ... we need to get them out in the open," she said. "This is the last push toward making it possible to raise the funds that we need to make this a reality."
"The current library does not have enough space for its programs or have enough room for new material," Library Director Janet Eldred added. "Public meetings must be held in open spaces, disturbing other patrons. We have little parking and only one handicap space."
Construction is set to begin on the 15,770-square-foot, two-story building to be located at One Furnace Road, next to the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, sometime in the spring, she said. Library officials have collected all but $325,000 of the money needed for the $3.7 million project, and hope to have the library open by summer.
"We really don't have any idea how much money we'll raise or how many people will attend the concert, but anything we raise will be good for a cause," she said. "It's more to create an awareness of the project. It's going to be a very special night with a lot of talented people."
Brett Keith said the show "consists of songs from the 'Golden Age' (1940s to 1960s) of musical theater all the way up to modern theater songs."
"Many who recognize a majority of the songs, will also be introduced to some humorous, and even touching, numbers," he said. "With five singers, backed by a piano, bass and percussion, the audience will be treated not only to solos, but duets, trios and even the larger quintet.
"Each number is unique enough in its own way that the audience can't help but be drawn to every performance," he said. "But being that this is a fundraising event for the Hollidaysburg Library, the overall evening is a positive event - not only for those in attendance, but for the entire community. Obviously, the focus is not just to sing a concert, but to promote a greater cause."
Mirror Staff Writer Jimmy Mincin is at 946-7460.
