The Thursday, April 9th, performance of Hypocrite The Musical has been canceled by the promoter. All tickets purchased for this performance have been transferred to the performance on Friday, April 10^th at 7:00PM.

PODCAST:

Glennis Crosby’s Hypocrite The Musical is coming to the Paramount Theater Friday, April 10^th at 7:00PM.

TRANSCRIPT:

Sara Bastianelli:
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. For Arts This Week, we spoke with Glennis Crosby, the writer, director and producer of Hypocrite the Musical.

Glennis Crosby:
Guys on April the ninth and tenth, Hypocrite the Musical will be at Charlottesville, Virginia, at the Paramount Theater at seven o’clock. I’m telling you, you do not want to miss this opportunity to laugh, cry, and rejoice and experience theater in a totally different way. We are coming from Richmond, Virginia, with the best singers, with the best story, and we are so excited to be in Charlottesville on April 9 and 10th at the Paramount Theater.

Sara Bastianelli:
So what was your inspiration for creating Hypocrite the Musical?

Glennis Crosby:
I’ve always been a writer. I’ve written short stories and put them away. Never thought about it. But one day, I was in Washington, DC, in a snow storm, and I looked to my left and it was this beautiful white church. And I was mesmerized by the church, but when I looked down at the base of the church. It was homeless people and the freezing snow, and I just thought, what could happen if we could just open up those doors and let them in an empty place with heat, running water and to keep them safe? And that just started the whole thought of Hypocrite the Musical. Of what can we do? Not that we’re doing terrible, but I think we could do so much more to help people that don’t look like us, right? That was the context of the thought. And so I started thinking about people that I’ve met in the church. Characters in my play are people that I know, auntie, uncle, people that going to church. But I didn’t want to be sad. I wanted to be funny. I wanted people to come in and have a good time, because we produced this show the first time in covid, and I was feeling pretty down, and I just wanted people to laugh, and I wanted them to hear music that they knew and enjoy it and leave laughing, but also testing our thoughts about homelessness and people that don’t look like us. It is a good story to tell, but when people come to the show, I want them to worship and enjoy themselves and laugh and cry and sing along and reminisce on their song when life was hard for them, and that’s what penetrates the heart.

Sara Bastianelli:
So it’s a comedy play, but it’s taking place in the church where I feel like we don’t always associate comedy and humor. So like, how did you balance those two different tones and bring them together?

Glennis Crosby:
I really didn’t. I’m gonna be honest with you, the source that poured down on me balanced it out, because I will wake up every morning at 3am and the words are just coming before I knew it, the play was done, and sometime I don’t even remember writing the words. So I am connected in a very special way that God could definitely drop stuff into my spirit and I just write it. I wrote this play every day for about a month, at 3am in the morning, and I will wake up in the morning and not remember what I wrote. The source that’s with all of us, that feeds you to do what you do, to like what you like. I just pay attention to spirit and what’s comes to my heart, and I just write it. And to me, growing up in church, sometimes church was fun, watching the things that we talk about that’s so important, you know, I want to talk about helping people. I want to talk about sharing the gospel. Those are the things I want to talk about. I’m not too interested in how we’re going to replace the pews, all the stuff that a lot of churches focus on. I want to lift the name of God and Jesus and help people and help the homeless. So I wrote about what I was feeling at the time. Specifically, I found characters that are funny. So Miss Lucy is a character when you come to the show you’re going to come to the show, she mows the lawn, she cleans the toilet, she does everything for the church, but she don’t want nobody in her church. So that character was the center of the foolishness going on in the church. And then it’s serious people to church, and it’s great singers in the church. It’s all of these people that make up a body, and when you look at them, we all bring something to the table. So that’s kind of how I incorporate it, and that’s what church is, right? A bunch of sick people showing up to the hospital. That’s where we go to church to be better at being people and being human, we go to church, but you’re going to meet sick people along the way, and you’re going to meet great people along the way.

Sara Bastianelli:
Can you tell us a little bit more about your cast?

Glennis Crosby:
My actors are so funny, I tell you, every time I go to rehearsal, I’m cracking up. And I’ve seen it 50 times. I have the very best singers in the state of Virginia coming to Charlottesville. They are just regular people that joined up with me. These are mothers, fathers., my daughter’s in it. She’s Miss Lucy. My husband’s in it. He’s Mr. Gray. My daughter is in it. She’s an angel. My son is the Mime. I have another son who has a major role, and so that’s what I’m sharing, is that when God give you a gift, he also give you what you need. And my goal with these people from Richmond, Virginia, is that we on our way to Broadway. That’s how good they are. They are exceptional, exceptional. And these aren’t professionals. These are moms and dads and regular worker people who wanted an opportunity to be on stage. Sometimes, we keep repeating the same stories with the same actors. I wanted to get real people with a real heart for God, and they came in and they just joined up with me. So everything with me is very real. I don’t necessarily need stars, I just need real people who want to tell a story, and that’s what I got. And it’s an exciting time. One thing we’re doing, we’re all coming to Charlottesville, and I’m actually working with the students at MLK theater program. We’re going to add them into the show as well. So I’m gonna come every Monday to train them on parts of my show. Because every city we go to, I want to reach out to children and kids who love the theater but give them an opportunity to work on a really big project. So Charlottesville, I’m working with Mr. Becker, who’s the theater teacher, and that’s huge to me, just giving back to the community, being a part of that community. So we are definitely excited about working with those students

Sara Bastianelli:
Come see Hypocrite The Musical this Thursday and Friday at the Paramount Theater Arts this week is supported by the UVA Arts Council and the Piedmont Virginia Community College. PVCC Arts presents a rich array of dance music, theater and visual arts programming. Learn more at pvcc.edu. For Arts This Week, I’m Sara Bastianelli. You’re listening to WTJU.