Theater band to reunite for shows

Staff report

SALEM

Salem Community Theatre will present “The Bodacious Bobcats & Friends,” a concert event featuring the band and original cast members from two of the theater’s most-popular stage productions: “The Honkytonk Angels” and the “Smoke On the Mountain” trilogy.

There will be three performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Call the box office at 330-332-9688. The show is a fundraiser for the theater and is not part of season-ticket packages.

The Bodacious Bobcats are five musicians and singers who were assembled years ago as the pit band for many musicals at SCT and other local theaters.

“When the band got to be an integral and recognizable part of the productions, people started asking where else we played so they could come see us at a nightclub or concert,” said Gary Kekel, managing director of SCT and co-director of the show (also known as “Joe Bob”). “The more people asked, the more we thought that maybe it would be fun to do something on our own, especially since we have such a great time playing together.”

The Bodacious Bobcats consist of Kekel on keyboards, drummer Steve Ley (“Bob Bob”), bassist and banjo player Dan Kalosky (“Ray Bob”), who is returning from Florida just for this event, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist David DePanicis (“Billy Bob”)and Ed Koran (“Jim Bob”) on guitars, pedal steel, fiddle and mandolin.

Their style of music runs from classic country to country-pop to bluegrass.

Cast members from “Honkytonk Angels” in this weekend’s shows will include Julie Benner, Amanda Frost and Nicole Slaven.

Actors who portrayed the Southern gospel music-playing Sanders Family in “Smoke on the Mountain” trilogy and will take part in the shows will be Mark Frost, Cheryl Kekel, Josh Lewis, Amanda Frost, Connie Baer and Gary Kekel.