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

