Patrons packed The Welsbacher Black Box Theatre on Friday evening at Wichita State for the uniquely named show “Curtain Call of Duty,” a musical theater senior concert showcasing the talents of seniors Ashley Lauren and Janet Wiggins. 

Along with a supporting cast of familiar faces from previous WSU theater performances, “Curtain Call of Duty” featured a series of musical numbers for a variety of famed Broadway shows, all played to the optimal level with everyone involved with the show.

A sense of contrast between the two stars was set throughout the show. Lauren’s performances centered on drama with the selections “If I Loved You” from “Carousel” and three songs from “The Wild Party,” which was the most unnerving portion of the show. The tension about who was going to meet their maker for having an affair could be cut with a knife in that theater. 

It wasn’t all tragedy for Lauren, as a performance of “Suddenly Seymour” from the comedy “Little Shop of Horror” brought the house down in laughter and applause. 

For the portions of the show that featured Wiggins, there was an emphasis on pieces involving romance, a common emotion that drives many musicals. Selections included two songs from “The Fantasticks,” “Notice Me Horton” from “Seussical” and “I Wish I Were in Love” from “Babes in Arms.” 

All of these performances were a joy to watch for Wiggins’ exquisite dancing facial expressions. Whenever she was on the stage, all eyes were on her.

Musical theater benefits from having a large staging area, elaborate production designs and costumes, along with a good orchestra playing the score. For this show and venue, all of it was scaled down, but without any distractions. If anything, this setup helped emphasize the performers’ talent, rather than directing attention to the costumes and staging. 

Although some may have preferred a pre-recorded soundtrack of the music, the skills of piano accompanist JuleAnn Troutman properly elevated the cast and provided an organic presentation that is missed when prerecorded music is used. 

“Curtain Call of Duty” proved that Lauren and Wiggins have promising theater careers ahead of them in theater and it was a pleasure to spend an evening that showcased their talents.