Featured image for post: Magic To Do: A Stephen Schwartz Revue on September 10

Magic To Do: A Stephen Schwartz Revue on September 10

From left to right:  Rita Bennett (seated) Jim Grant, Adam Twiss, Jamie Allen, Madeline Edwards, Sherry Lee Allen
Unavailable for the photograph – Matthew Clay Raines and Hannah Slaughter

WILSON, N.C. — September 1, 2021 — “Magic To Do: A Stephen Schwartz Revue” headlines the 7th annual benefit concert for the Jonathon Scott Bennett Scholarship Endowment in partnership with Barton College. The show will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, in the Kennedy Family Theatre at Barton College. All those attending must wear face masks and observe social distancing protocols. 

The revue will include music from Stephen Schwartz’s most famous musical shows: Pippin,” “Wicked,” “Pocahontas,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame,and “Godspell.A few choice numbers will also come from Schwartz’s more obscure shows, “Children of Eden” and “The Reluctant Pilgrim.”

 

The cast will include Sherry Lee Allen, Director of Theatre at Barton, and Barton alumna Jamie Allen, Class of 2020. From the Paramount Theater in Goldsboro, the audience will hear Adam Twiss, Jim Grant, Clay Raines, and Madeline Edwards. And, Wilsonian Hannah Slaughter will join the cast, accompanied by Mount Olive University’s Bill Ford on reeds, and Rita Bennett, mother of Jonathon Scott Bennett, on piano. 

 

Highlights of the show will five selections from Wicked” including “Dancing Through Life,” “As Long As You’re Mine,” “What is this Feeling?”, “Defying Gravity,” and “For Good.”  Also, perennial favorites from “Pippin” will be featured: “Corner of the Sky,” “Love Song,” “Right Track”, “Extraordinary,” “Morning Glow” and “Magic To Do.”  Rounding out the program are “Colors of the Wind,” “If I Never Knew You,” “Out There,” “Since I Gave My Heart Away,” a gospel mashup pairing “Ain’t It Good” and “Bless the Lord,” plus a few unknown selections that promise to be stunning and fun.

 

All proceeds benefit the Jonathon Scott Bennett Scholarship Endowment, a scholarship held by the North Carolina Community Foundation [NCCF] to honor the life of a truly remarkable young man who lost his life tragically in April 2013, while a junior at ECU. The scholarship is available to Fike High School students who excel in academics, arts, and athletics, as Jonathon did. To date, the scholarship has supported nine students, and for the first time, the scholarship will extend support into the 2021 recipient’s second year of college studies. 

 

While a student at Fike, Jonathon earned his Eagle Scout badge, participated in the Rotary’s Youth Leadership program, and performed on the Boykin stage in plays for both Act For Youth and Playhouse. He was active at First Baptist Church. He touched many lives, and this scholarship fundraiser gathers people to enjoy the arts in a way that Jonathon would love. The scholarship allows his goodness to go forward to other young students, realizing their promise and dreams.

 

Tickets will be available at the door; however, reservations are encouraged by calling 919-825-7502, where your message will be returned. Advanced tickets are also available at The Arts Council of Wilson. Student cost is $10, general admission is $20, and the special cabaret-style seating (includes hors d-oeuvres and libations) is available for $100 (which includes seating for 2).

 

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