The Palace Theater is celebrating Pride with fun performances featuring vocalists, dancers and large-scale musical numbers on Saturday.
Bridge Hartman and Larry Reitzer are directing “Bridge at the Palace,” a concert benefit to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride in Hilo.
“We have a live band — about 11 vocalists, 20 dancers. It’s way bigger than I thought it would be, but I’m glad it’s turned out this way,” Hartman said. “This is such a fun way to celebrate Pride and to find any way to make it bigger in Hilo.”
The show is being produced by the Hilo Education Arts Reparatory Theatre, or HEART, which plans to make this a yearly event to honor the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month.
The show features 20 musical numbers ranging from older to contemporary music, as well as music from beloved musicals and shows.
“This is my first time directing. I’ve never memorized this amount of music or taken a directorial position while performing,” Hartman said. “I’ve worn many hats in this process, and it’s a big undertaking, but I hope it turns out well.”
Reitzer came to Hartman with the idea for a Pride concert after witnessing his talent on stage in “The Producers.”
“When Bridge auditioned for ‘The Producers,’ all I kept thinking was, ‘This guy is so talented, he needs a one-man show,’” Reitzer said. “Now, the idea became way bigger than we ever expected, but it truly is an incredible showcase for Bridge‘s talent and these brilliant singers, dancers and musicians of Hilo.”
When coming up with the songs for “Bridge at the Palace,” Hartman noticed there was a theme of ‘The Wizard of Oz” throughout the show.
“After seeing the symbolism with ‘Wizard of Oz’ reoccurring throughout the show, I realized that the show is about finding your home in a place you didn’t really grow up,” Hartman said. “You find your family in the least expected places, and for many people, Hilo is a great place for the LGBTQ+ community.”
With a large art scene, a drag scene that’s growing every year, and a community that enjoys theater performances, there are many opportunities for LGTBQ+ people, according to Hartman.
“Because the town loves those things, queer kids have been able to find places that are safe for them,” Hartman said. “And the Palace is one of them.”
The concert will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the show. More information on performers is available at hilopalace.com.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com
