Saturday, April 17, 2010
By JOHN BENSON
A veteran of the New York theater scene, Sam Scalamoni said he’s looking forward to bringing his latest directorial project, Nickelodeon Presents “Storytime Live!,” to Youngstown’s Covelli Centre on Tuesday.
“In my early days as an actor I passed through Youngstown while traveling, “ said Scalamoni, calling from his New Jersey home. “While I’ve never been to the Covelli Centre, I think it looks beautiful, and I think it’s very exciting that we’re playing the same arena that Elton John will be playing in the coming weeks. I actually was lucky to work with Elton on ‘Lestat’ on Broadway a couple of years ago. He’s an amazing talent.”
Scalamoni, who jokes that “Storytime Live!” is a warm-up act for John’s sold-out May 1 show at the Covelli, is equally talented, having helmed as associate director of successful productions of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” both on Broadway and the national touring circuit.
The director said his previous experience taught him a valuable lesson regarding storytelling. That is, not only is it important to tell a good story but you need to tell it quickly. This is the case with “Storytime Live!,” which features hosts Moose and Zee taking families through top-rated preschool shows “Dora the Explorer,” “The Backyardigans,” “Ni Hao, Kai-lan,” and “Wonder Pets!”. Each is its own musical that brings the characters to life.
Considering Scalamoni’s musical theater background, did he approach “Storytime Live!” any differently?
“I think the only rule we’re breaking is that we’re very interactive, which is something not in a conventional Broadway-style show,” Scalamoni said. “We ask the audience to help us answer questions and solve puzzles. So they’re actually part of the show from their seats. And in our casting we worked really hard to have honest actors because I find young people are very savvy and know if you’re trying to pull one over on them. So they want honesty up there, and we have really good, rounded performers who tell the story well.”
What’s so unique about Scalamoni’s journey from Broadway to children’s theater is the fact that in some eyes, such a leap can often be considered a demotion. As in, who wants to go from creating big New York City musicals to dealing with cartoon characters?
“No, I don’t see it that way at all,” Scalamoni said. “This was a fantastic opportunity. I got to collaborate with all of these great, creative people at Nickelodeon and top-level people with the design and creative team. Those are all Broadway folks, so it’s not a step down at all. If anything, it’s a step forward. This beautiful show is touring the entire country, and we’re entertaining thousands and thousands of people. If that’s not my goal as a director, I don’t know what is.”