By Sofie Kato, news staff
NU Stage performed the musical revue “Pretty Strong” in Blackman Auditorium on Nov. 15 and 16. Through the songs of famous musicals, NU Stage beautifully told the story of why women should be proud of who they are.
“Pretty Strong” celebrated the strength of women by combining songs from popular musicals like Wicked and Rent along with lesser-known musicals like Sister Act to show that women have an important role in this world. Each song centered around women, like the first female CEO, girls loving their bodies or teens embracing their sexuality.
The musical revue was a beautiful mix of singing and dancing that kept the audience captivated. The choice and flow of the songs all worked well together, and their message of empowerment was presented with songs ranging from women loving themselves no matter their shape, size or color, to overcoming feelings of insecurity and unworthiness and the gender inequality in the workforce.
They showed the importance of women accepting and supporting one another, beating the odds and holding the positions of power that they deserve.
The production also started out with a video of celebrities, including Michelle Obama, talking about female empowerment and cast members discussing their female role models.
The cast was diverse and representative of many races, shapes, sizes and, ultimately, made up of strong women who were proud to be on stage. Surrounding and supporting these women were male cast members who were smiling as they danced alongside the main cast.
There was a positive energy radiating throughout the production, with the audience cheering on members of the cast who they knew. In the final act of the production, the cast sang and danced along to “Dancing Queen” from Mamma Mia. The audience joined them as they danced up and down the aisles.
Because the revue was a collection of songs from different musicals, there was no central character to follow, but musical theatre fans who recognized the songs could follow along to their favorite tunes.
To see more from NU Stage, look forward to “Cabaret” in Blackman Auditorium on Nov. 30 and Dec 1.
