SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Stop me if you heard this one (and you haven’t). Two men walk into Heaven and hilarity ensues.
That’s the story behind “Waiting for You,” a new musical comedy created by two Upstate music and entertainment industry legends and premiering Friday, April 11, with a limited engagement at the Chapman Cultural Center.
“Waiting for You” is set in Heaven, where men are forbidden, but two show up and throw Paradise into pandemonium. Colorful characters in the nine-member cast include EGGS (Eternal Great Generating Spirit); Saints Mattie and Joanie; Dr. Jessie Christie; and Susie, who dies within minutes of the opening and is eager to enjoy her rewards in the Afterlife. She discovers Eternity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
The musical is the
brainchild of John Jeter and David Berry.
Berry, a 37-year
composition professor at Converse University, wrote the music and co-wrote
lyrics. In addition, Berry toured for 13 years with Anthem, his rock band whose
members included Ralph and Marty, a beloved duo that performed for years around
Greenville. Jeter, who wrote the book and lyrics, is best known as co-owner of The Handlebar, the storied Greenville live-music venue that he
chronicled in his book, “Rockin’ A Hard Place.” He now teaches music business at Converse and
USC Upstate.
Kimilee Bryant, the
Upstate artist renowned for her leading roles on Broadway, is the featured
performer. Most notably, she starred as “Christine” in “The Phantom of the
Opera” — Broadway’s longest-running show — she is the only actor
to have played the two other major female roles. She also appeared in Phantom’s
U.S. Tour, in Toronto and Switzerland, and has performed in numerous
other New York City musical and operatic productions, among myriad marquee
accomplishments.
Tickets start at $25, plus facility fees. After the Friday premiere, the only other performances will be at 7 p.m. Saturday and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m.