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'Webb's City' is in store once more
By JON WILSON ST. PETERSBURG -- Watch for the tall guy in the parade scene. When St. Petersburg's historical musical hits the stage again, Mayor Rick Baker will have a cameo role during one of the performances. Baker will portray -- imagine! -- the mayor of St. Petersburg during the Saturday performance of Webb's City: The Musical. Reprising its acclaimed first run last year, the musical will begin a series Thursday at the Mahaffey Theater. Local dramatist Bill Leavengood wrote the script and Tampa composer Lee Ahlin created the music and lyrics. Again, Leavengood is directing. The story line follows the career of hustling entrepreneur James E. "Doc" Webb and the trajectory of Webb's City, a one-stop shopping center considered a St. Petersburg icon from the store's beginning in 1925 to its closure in 1979. Baker mentioned his role at last Thursday's City Council meeting. "I saw a concerned panic on the faces of council," Baker said. "Don't worry," he told them. "It's not a singing part. "And I'm not going to give up my day job." The mayor is part of a 35-member cast that includes players from 5 to 62 years old, Leavengood said. They are a mix of equity and community professionals, some amateurs and gifted young people who are getting serious theater experience. "All that mix of energy, styles and knowledge . . . somehow we all get along and, for the most part, like each other," Leavengood said. Steve Wilkerson, widely praised last year for capturing the lead character's essence, returns as Doc Webb. "He had us playing duck, duck, goose," said Leavengood, referring to a lighthearted gaming moment at a recent rehearsal. At the invitation of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, the troupe is practicing at the Jordan Park gymnasium on 22nd Street S. In return, the production team has conducted drama classes for youngsters in the community. And one young newcomer, Tamara Marshall, earned a spot in the Webb's City chorus. The production flows with youthful energy, in fact. Last week, five young but seasoned performers talked about their careers and what the current production means to them. Three were the Vasallo siblings -- Michael, 24, Rebecca, 22, and Adam, 20. All started dancing at age 6 or younger and all performed in the first Webb's City production. They performed in Nutcracker on Broadway and have a wealth of experience in scholastic productions. All relish the chance to portray -- and learn -- a little of the history of the city where they grew up. "It's St. Pete in the context of the world around us," said Michael Vasallo, who is in his first year of leading the International Baccalaureate drama program at St. Petersburg High School. The theme of racial segregation, touched on in the play through the relationship between Doc Webb and his chauffeur Leo, made an impression. Before their experience in Webb's City, "It was so abstract to us ...," said Rebecca Vasallo. "Like it couldn't happen here, maybe in Alabama or someplace," finished Adam Vasallo. The young adults fed on the emotions the play generated last year. "At the closing of the show, there were just tears. Men and women," said Rebecca. "Just to be able to get to someone in that way is very special." Emilee Dupre, 18, and Abram LeVasseur, 17, are still in high school -- Dupre at Shorecrest and LeVasseur at Gibbs, where all three Vasallos also went. Dupre and LeVasseur also had Nutcracker roles in the Broadway production. "Emilee has been playing the lead in Shorecrest plays since she was a freshman," Leavengood said. Both Dupre and LeVasseur attended the recent Florida State Theater conference and, as a result, college drama recruiters have been ringing their phones off the hook. Dupre is the daughter of Cheryl Lee, who for 16 years has operated the Cheryl Lee Studio of Dance in South Pasadena. Dupre, LeVasseur, Michael Vasallo and Rebecca Vasallo teach at the studio. Lee is the play's choreographer. One of the changes in this year's Webb's City involves the song Breadline Shuffle, a Depression-era portrayal. It's longer and more animated, Lee said. The new version has become "an elaborate, fabulous tap and percussion number," Leavengood said. Lee said she has loved working on the production. "This is the first time in my lifetime that a composer has sat with me and said, 'What would you like?' And I can say 'I'd like a chorus of this or a tempo like this,' " Lee said. If you goPerformances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, Nov. 23 and Nov. 24; and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Nov. 24 at the Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S. Tickets are $20 and $15 and are available at the Bayfront Center box office, 892-5767, or through Ticketmaster, (813) 287-8844.
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