Feel the magic — Disney musical tribute scheduled at Mishler
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Area singers and performers and two area dance troupes along with a lightshow and multimedia accompaniment make "A Century of Dreams: A Musical Tribute to 100 Years of Disney Magic" a fun, family event.
Presented by P&J Productions in association with Seven Mountains Media, the tribute concert is a multidimensional salute to beloved Disney music while raising funds for WALY Warmth, a drive to provide children with winter attire. WTAJ reporter Morgan Koziar is tapped as the evening's emcee, said event Director Will Jones.
"This is a family-friendly show," said Jones, who is producer and co-owner of P&J Productions. "It's a tribute concert. Our goal is to bring the whole family out for a nice evening of entertainment."
Audience members of diverse ages will delight in such classic tunes made popular through Disney movies released through the decades, and especially since the 1990s. Older attendees will recognize tunes from "Mary Poppins" and the "Jungle Book," Jones said, "you have to pay homage" to those because they "laid the groundwork. But the bulk of the songs are going to be from when Disney went to the next level" with "The Lion King," "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast," which changed the genre with a more extensive song list, and most recently, "Frozen," which garnered millions of hits on music streaming services.
The songs will be brought to life by performers Ian Brumbaugh, Madison Brumbaugh, Aislinn Feathers, Brittany Hall, Rick Herbster, Kyle Kelly, Autumn Shiffler, Paige Tiesi and Matt Wagner. The vocalist range from well-known local theater actors to rock singers, he said. "I like to cross over and have a variety of styles. I've done these shows before and I like to make them a community show."
"I jumped on the opportunity. I wanted to be a part of it," said Matt Wagner of Hollidaysburg. "I have daughters and they love watching Disney movies, so I'm familiar with the songs and thought it would be a cool experience."
Wagner will perform "You'll Be in My Heart," by Phil Collins from the movie "Tarzan," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," by Elton John in the movie "The Lion King."
"I think Will does a fantastic job with the production side of it. He has a good eye for attention to detail and he knows the local talent scene well. He has a vision for what he wants to do. Anytime you get to work with someone like Will it will be a great time. We need someone locally who puts these things on. I hope everyone comes out and supports it."
The evening celebration will also include dancers from Rail City Revue of Altoona and Centre Dance of State College. Featured dancers are Ally Kifer and Hope Neal.
Aislinn Feathers is the choreographer and director of Railroad City Revue, which helps students who are interested in acting, singing and dancing hone their skills. Ten Rail City Revue students, ages 8 to 18, will be performing. Her students are Disney fans, so they've been having a lot of fun learning the material.
"They're very pumped and very excited to be performing on the Mishler stage. For some, it's their very first time. I'm really excited about it," Feathers said.
Feathers, a mezzo soprano, will also perform "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana" and "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin."
"I actually performed as Jasmine in "Aladdin" while at Altoona Junior High so this is going to be a full circle moment as I get to perform it again."
The 60-75-minute show will run without an intermission, in deference to the younger members of the audience, Jones said.
To add "elegance," to the evening, Jones said, Diamond Bridal of Hollidaysburg is donating attire.
"It's a really nice touch. I think it will make the girls look more like princesses," Jones said. "I'm excited for this show. People are going to love it."