CRANFORD, NJ — Broadway’s wild musical farce will be coming to Cranford Dramatic Club Theatre from Friday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, March 1.
“It Shoulda Been You” invites you to an unforgettable wedding day where anything that can go wrong does. “It’s a quick farce comedy musical with a heart of gold,” said Director Zachary Mazouat. “It explores family dynamics on the day of the wedding – the bride, the groom, the in-laws, the maid of honor… Funny, relatable with lots of twists and turns. Keeps you second guessing until the end. And you might shed a tear.”
Mazouat saw the comedy performed at a theater in Bloomfield a few years ago and fell in love with it. He said, “It’s a musical not often done. I love it because it’s simple. It doesn’t rely on over-the-top costumes or big dance numbers. The relationships are relatable and easy to make fun of. There’s a really nice wrap up at the end. The music is really beautiful.”
But what makes the CDC Theatre production special is the fearless actors. “They aren’t afraid to lean really hard into the silly,” said Mazouat.
And great vocalists. “The star of the show, Rachel Love, (as Jenny Steinberg) has a really big show-stopping number and she has a powerhouse voice,” said Mazouat.
As a director, in addition to talent, Mazouat sought people who would fit certain roles. He said, “One of the families is Jewish, so we tried to get Jewish actors. African American for the maid of honor. People as close as possible to portraying LGBTQ.”
Scheduling is also taken into consideration. “It’s community theater,” said Mazouat. “We’re all coming from all walks of life with different schedules. We want to make sure people have the availability to do it. It’s an unpaid hobby.”
One of the challenges for this production was weather. “We had two snowstorms in a row,” said Mazouat.
Another challenge was getting enough people to help with sets and costumes. “Sometimes, everybody wants to be a star,” said Mazouat. “Not everybody wants to run the spotlight. Whenever you find somebody who is willing to do that, it’s a unicorn. Personally, for me, I like to be involved in everything. I’m also an art teacher. I’ll design the set. It’s hard to get people to do things for free.”
Mazouat feels that acceptance is the biggest moral of the story, especially self-acceptance. He said, “To be able to look in the mirror and knowing people will love you the way you are, you don’t have to change.”
People don’t necessarily have to be musical theater fans to enjoy “It Shoulda Been You.” Mazouat said, “I think if they haven’t heard of the show, they should definitely come and check it out. It’s a universally enjoyable show. The comedy and the themes are relatable and acceptable. A broad audience will enjoy it.”
Continuing, he said, “We do great shows at the CDC. We have a community theater scene in New Jersey that’s second to none.”
For more information and tickets to “It Shoulda Been You” visit: https://www.cdctheatre.org/it-shoulda-been-you.html.
Photos Courtesy of Joe Rodriguez
