ARTS&LIFE
THEATER
H
annah McEvilly
enjoys spending
working days in the
world of fiction and free time
in what has been labeled the
world of reality. Attracted to
acting out stage portrayals
since elementary school,
McEvilly also has long been
attracted to watching TV pro-
grams that peek into actual
experiences of others.
In Michigan for the first
time, she has entered into the
fictional world of country
recording hits by appearing
in the jukebox musical Fancy,
which is being performed
Sept. 8-Oct. 3 at the Meadow
Brook Theatre (MBT) in
Rochester.
The musical, as it depicts
the life of a young woman
who aims to become a coun-
try singing star, commu-
nicates some of McEvilly’s
career ambitions. She is
cast in the roles of a backup
singer, factory worker and
funeral attendee while she
fulfills her responsibilities in
the ensemble.
“In theater, I get the oppor-
tunity to bring someone
who exists on paper into [an
acted-out] character, demon-
strating how each interacts
with others in their worlds,”
McEvilly, 23, said.
“Watching reality TV
, I
hopefully get a genuine look
into people, the lives they live
and how they interact with
others in their worlds. Often,
I get to see the funny times in
their lives.”
Fancy, written by Susan
DiLallo and Dan Wackerman,
was inspired by Reba
McEntire’s hit recording of
“Fancy.” The show spotlights
other hit songs that include
“Mama, He’s Crazy,” “Before
He Cheats” and “Take This
Job and Shove It.”
“I love the show because
of the music that people are
going to be really familiar
with,” said McEvilly, who
joins in the chorus of many
songs. “It’s super fun to sing
these songs, especially ‘Fancy.’
It’s super cool that the cre-
ators expanded on that, and
it’s just a fun show — lots of
good music and a good time.
“My primary role is
Honeyann, a backup singer
who doesn’t appear until Act
II. Honeyann is kind of goofy.
She’s only there for a little bit
so there’s freedom to make
her what I want her to be in
the show. It’s exciting and a
great opportunity to portray
the other characters as well.
They give me different per-
spectives of the story.”
The jukebox musical
Fancy takes a look
at what happened to
the girl in that famous
song.
A Little Bit
SUZANNE CHESSLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
52 | SEPTEMBER 9 • 2021
Country
Details
Fancy runs Sept. 8-Oct. 3 at the Meadow Brook Theatre
on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester.
Tickets start at $36. Check website for latest safety
measures. (248) 377-3300. mbtheatre.com.
Hannah McEvilly