This new multimedia concert-style
staging is being underwritten by Jim
and Suzanne MacDougald and Larry
and Joyce Beltz. The show, which will
reunite Leavengood and Ahlin, should
be one of Tampa Bay’s major cultural
events this season. The cast will include
past Webb’s City cast members, as well
as several new performers. The female
lead Aretta Brooks will be performed
by Emilee Dupré, who appeared in the
original production as a teenage beauty
queen. Dupré, a New York actress with
a number of Broadway credits, is the
daughter of Cheryl Lee, the show’s
original choreographer.
Joanne Milani of the former Tampa
Tribune summed it up perfectly when
she wrote this about the original
production:
Credit playwright-director Bill
Leavengood for pulling off what many
New York talents often can’t manage. He’s
fashioned a heartwarming tale around a real
life person who, like everyone else, was a mix
of good and bad. Because of Leavengood’s
skillful directing, he was able to deliver a
vivid, fast-moving panorama about the
history of St. Petersburg, all the while
pushing through a story line that keeps
you glued to the action. In the end, you
care about every character in the cast.9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The multimedia
concert-style staging of Webb’s City:
The Musical will be from September 14th
through 17th at the Palladium Theater of
St. Petersburg. For tickets, call (727) 822-
3590 or visit mypalladium.org.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 63
The part of Leo Kerns will be
performed by Terrence Jamison of
St. Petersburg, a principal dancer
and residential choreographer for
Dundu Dolé Urban African Ballet.
Lee Ahlin teamed up with Bill Leavengood in 2000 to create
Webb’s City: The Musical for the Pinellas Millennium
Celebration. Both Ahlin and Leavengood are on the faculty of
Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg.
Emilee Dupré will return to
St. Petersburg to play the female
lead in this hit musical. She
appeared in it 17 years ago when she
was a Poster Girl character.
Jim Sorensen, who will portray
Doc Webb, is the operations
manager at American Stage
Theatre Company in
St. Petersburg.
This new multimedia concert-style staging of
Webb’s City: The Musical will be performed
at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg.
/mypalladium.org