Wyandotte Community Theatre Offers Musical 'Respect' in May

Wyandotte Community Theatre will perform its final production of the 2012 – 2013 60th anniversary season this month.

“Respect: A Musical Journey of Women” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 17, 18, 24, and 25 at the Desana Center for Arts and Culture, 81 Chestnut Street, Wyandotte. 

Tickets are $15 for adults and $14 for students and senior citizens. Opening night tickets are $10 a ticket with proof provided of anything to do with the number “60” such as age or years married, according to the theatre.

The show is the brainchild of playwright and Columbia University professor Dorothy Marcic. She wrote a book about it in 2002 titled Respect: Women And Popular Music. The musical, Respect: A Musical Celebration Of Women, came next and has been performed around the county since 2004.

The show begins in 1900 and traces the history of women, partly through true stories from the Marcic family’s own migration and her own Wisconsin upbringing and subsequent history. The show takes the audience from women-as-property to women in the board room. To quote the director, Tim Wojtala, the show is a musical “on steroids” as the women move from narrative-to-narrative and song-to-song. The show is designed to get the audience singing along as it moves through decades of familiar songs.

In addition to Wojtala of Brownstown, Lynn Babchek-Tate of Taylor is the assistant director, David Patterson of Wyandotte and Joy Zouzaneas of Lincoln Park are the co-producers, and Virginia Pieratt of Southgate is the show’s executive producer.

The four-woman cast includes Jazmyn Bencik of Wyandotte, Polly Kenzie of Allen Park, Natalie Rankine of Wyandotte and Tammy Trudelle of Wyandotte.

Tickets may be reserved by calling the Wyandotte Community Theatre ticket hotline at (734) 775-9635 or by visiting the website.  Ticket reservations are not mandatory but are encouraged due to the overwhelming interest in the show.