Tracing the evolution of Doo Wop from the classic sound of five guys on a street corner to some of the greatest hits ever, The Doo Wop Project will heat up the stage at the Bristol Riverside Theater August 27-28 at 8 p.m. ET.
Starring five artists with credits on Broadway, the show will take audiences on a journey with tunes from bands such as The Crests, Belmonts and Flamingos, through the vocal art of artists such as The Temptations and The Four Seasons. , up to “DooWopified” versions of modern hits from such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Maroon 5, Sam Smith and Smokey Robinson.
Charl Brown, who was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical as Smokey Robinson in “Motown The Musical,” is one of The Project’s star performers.
Brown, from California, admits he was bitten by the performing arts bug when he was around 13, that is, when he entered high school for the performing arts.
“From there, I fell in love with theater and realized that it could be a real career choice for me. I knew then that I wanted to be a Broadway star. And when my parents took me to New York to see my first Broadway show, which was “Jelly’s Last Jam,” with Gregory Hines, I was hooked.
“And so right after I graduated from the School of Drama at the University of Southern California, I did a European tour in ‘Hair’. And when I got back I decided to move to New York and see if I could make my dream come true, ”says Brown.
And once we got to the Big Apple, things started to fall into place. “I got a role in ‘Jersey Boys’ on Broadway, and ‘Motown the Musical’ too, that’s where I got my first Tony nomination.
Appearing again as Smokey Robinson in the Doo Wop Project (Brown also played him in London’s West End), some of Robinson’s most notable pieces will be featured.
Brown says all of the performers sing together sometimes, and then each, individually, comes out and talks about themselves and some of the highlights of their careers, including Broadway highlights.
“In general, I think my career leaned into the 50’s and 60’s, which I thought was sort of a golden age of music, so I thought we were focusing on that period and that As I say on the show, “They don’t do songs like that anymore – great tunes with great melodies about love and desire.” And so playing at a time that suits me best is really which allows me to continue. ”
And he quickly adds that the best part of this show is “to spread our contagious love for theater and music across the world.” And being able to be on stage with the guys I call my brothers, in a show that we created that we get paid for, is maybe the best part of all. I think we share a very close bond which I think shows on stage.
According to Brown, Bristol is just one stop on the group’s international tour. “Before the pandemic, we had traveled to Beijing, China, the Caribbean and all over the world. After Bristol, we will play all over the United States. Before the pandemic, many of our shows were either canceled or postponed. but now we start to put everything back in place.
