For those of who are fans of "Hamilton, the Musical" or those who love musicals or just music in general, boy are you in for a treat.
Bars Workshop NYC has just released volume 1 of Bars Workshop NYC 's Mixtape Musical Medley Volume 1. The mixtape features New Yorkers that took twelve popular scenes and remixed them into rap verses. Some of the actors featured in the video are professional actors and for others it is the first time performing. The Mixtape Melody is the conclusion of a six week course workshop for rappers who want to transition to theatre or an actor rapping who wants to add rapping to their wheelhouse.
The Mixtape Melody has a cast of thirteen featuring: Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs, Sarah Key, Virginia Cavaliere, Jared Dixon, Perry Young, Sofia Snow, Danny Bevins, Dhyvia Arumugham, Ashley August, Lindsey Meck, Jermey Sartin, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Nate Lombardi
The Mixtape contains scenes from classic movies, television drama and cult classics. Here are some highlights.
"Alice in Wonderful": Easily my favorite performance. Alice, played by Virginia Cavaliere, meets the Mad Hatter (Jared Dixon) and March Hare (Perry Young) and together they perform a rendition of a "Very Merry Un-Birthday." The technique these actors need to spit out those lyrics shows Bars has taught them well.
"Dancing in the Rain": This is a clever take on this American classic. Danny Bevins channels his inner Gene Kelly with rhymes as smooth as crooner’s voice. Many of the students at Bar are multi-talented and Bevins is no exception. Bevin’s shows off his fancy footwork with a fun tap dance straight out of the golden days of Hollywood.
" Scandal": Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Papa Pope rapped? Well, Jared Dixon embodies Joe Morton’s character and with clear and concise diction wrapped up in attitude. Dixon brought both hell and high water to this role.
"The Breakfast Club": The finale to the Mixtape. The song’s beat plays homage to "Hamilton’s," “Aaron Burr, Sir” and I’m defiantly giving some respect to a man named Perry Young. He plays John Pender and like a young Alexander Hamilton, he attempts to shine light on those around him about the dysfunction of social system and how the clique of which they confine themselves is destructive in nature. Young killed verse after verse and helped conclude the project in such a way that makes you want to get up and party.
Bars Melody Mixtape is a full eighteen minutes of entertainment, celebrating classic forms of performance art with non-traditional delivery. I most defiantly can’t wait to see the volume 2 of the Mixtape and what the new flock of artists will bring. Hey maybe even one day I’ll find myself busting a rhyme with the #BarCrew.
Check Out #Bars Volume 1