Kayla Boye has developed her own type of specialty stage production, and she excels at it.
The Chicago-based actor-playwright – who hails from the Mahoning Valley – has written, produced and stars in two one-woman shows that bring a legendary actor to life.
She presented her newest one, “Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story,” on Saturday before a packed house at the Playhouse Downtown theater.
It was a lively and fun characterization – and a great way to learn more about a stage and screen icon. In those ways, it mirrored her first show, “Call Me Elizabeth,” which covers the early life of Elizabeth Taylor. Boye presented “Elizabeth” at the Playhouse in 2021.
Both shows find and fill a niche and do it in a unique way.
Each requires a cast of one person – that would be Kayla – and very few props or set pieces. They can easily travel from city to city.
Both shows are under 90 minutes long, which makes them ideal for an audience seeking high-quality entertainment with a shorter time frame.
The audience for both shows has no age limits. Both Taylor and Miller are timeless characters, and a film or stage buff of any age will find both plays fun – and educational.
“Shake It Away” radiated the joy of Miller’s bubbly personality and also her showbiz-workhorse mindset. That makes it different from “Call Me Elizabeth,” which carried the intrigue of an enormous star with a troubled life.
In both shows, these huge personas tell their own story – including the fears and situations that shaped them.
Most amazingly, Boye always looks the part. She has the movie-star beauty of both actors and also their body language.
In “Shake It Away,” she even broke into tap dancing and singing on several occasions.
Boye is simply a 360-degree theater force: a playwright, producer and a great actor.
The “Shake It Away” script, by the way, has a couple of moments that really hit home for the Youngstown audience.
In one scene, Miller is musing about a show she did in her hometown of Houston. “It gives you a lift when you perform in front of your hometown crowd,” she has Miller saying – while Boye is doing the same thing in real life!
In another moment, she has Miller talking about her summers spent doing shows with the Kenley Players in Warren, Ohio.
Looking Ahead
Here’s what’s going on this weekend in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys:
Saturday will bring a doubleheader of Record Store Day and the Federal Frenzy rock festival. Admission to both is free, but let’s hope the rain clouds somehow hold off.
Record Store Day will be celebrated at several local shops, each offering a huge selection of new releases that were made exclusively for this event. Shops include The Record Connection in McKinley Heights, Fat Hippy in Brookfield, State Street Records in Salem and Melusina Records in Sharon, Pa.
Live concerts will take place at both The Record Connection (The Vindys, Demos Papadimas and Radio Lark) and Fat Hippy (Poobah).
Learn more HERE.
Federal Frenzy will take place on West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown, with two outdoor stages and some indoor ones as well. Learn more about the event HERE.
A concert Friday will deliver a welcome jolt to the tribute band format.
“Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown” will return to the Robins Theatre in Warren for a 7:30 p.m. show.
It’s billed as “the ultimate British Invasion experience,” with acts portraying The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on the stage.
The show has been around for more than a decade, with over 2,200 performances under its belt.
The two bands – Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Show and Abbey Road, a nationally touring Beatles tribute band – are put in a musical duel during the show.
It won’t answer the enduring question, “Who’s better, Beatles or Stones?” But there will be tons of hits.
Fans are encouraged to dress up in ’60s-inspired apparel or don the gear of the favorite member of either band.
For tickets, click HERE.
For a complete look at everything going on in the Mahoning Valley, check out The List.
Pictured at top: Kayla Boye in “Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story.”
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