Sunday, July 10, 2016

ONE WEEK LEFT, HERE'S SOME PHOTOS FROM THE SEASON

First up (the second show) RING OF FIRE. It's called a "jukebox" show because it's 31 songs that Johnny Cash either wrote or made famous.


 This is from the opening number when the cast all introduce themselves by saying "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash". They each tell the story, through songs, about Cash's childhood and early days. The first act is his early life, the second is after fame and fortune. That's Chance Wall, who was Pippin in our musical in the spring of 2013



 Here's the rest of the cast from left to right: Payton Crim, Chance Wall, Olin Davidson, Ashlee Dutson, Megan Wheeler, Heather McCall and Alejandro Gutierrez.You may remember Megan as Mary Poppins from 2014. And Olin played Bert in that show and last year was Scuttle in The Little Mermaid.


ACT II, after fame and fortune.

 The men singing the "prison" songs: Orleans Parish Prison, Folsom Prison Blues, A Boy Named Sue. What's your favorite Johnny Cash song? Mine is Ring of Fire.

The third show is Nice Work...If You Can Get It. It's a collection of Gershwin songs strung together as a love story involving a playboy, a female bootlegger and her gang, an anti-booze Duchess, her bother a Senator, his daughter the playboy's girlfriend and a Long Island estate. Hi-jinx abound
 And SHOWGIRLS!!!!!!!!! Opening number at the speakeasy, Sweet and Lowdown.

 Chance Wall and Megan Wheeler as Jimmy Winter and Billie Bendix. Or Pippin dancing with Mary Poppins.


Jimmy doesn't look to happy that Cookie (Alejendro Gutierrez) is dancing with Eileen Evergreen (Heather McCall)


 The Duchess Estonia Dillworth (Jacque Wheeler, our artistic director, director of Beauty and the Beast, the area head of the theater program and Megan Wheeler's mother!) Will she find the 400 cases of bootleg gin in the basement? Will Jimmy marry Eileen or Billie? Will Cookie and Duke find love? Will we find out who the real boss of the bootleggers is? Hi-jinx abound!

 Two of the showgirls posing backstage. Jeanne Schwenck and Sarah Wildes Arnett. Sarah is one of our dance faculty, dance captain, choreographer for Ring of Fire and teaching an on-line class. We like to keep busy around here.

When the cast isn't on stage they have other duties(besides posing for photos) This is the scene change assignments for Nice Work.  All that stuff on stage doesn't move itself on and off, although that would be cool. So, between  singing and dancing, remembering lines and costume changes, the cast has to remember to move a chair, bring on a pillow, set a hand prop on a table. Show biz is a lot of work.


Hope you enjoyed a tiny glimpse into summer stock. I'll try to get some more photos from Nice Work. Next up Beauty and the Beast.


Photos: production shots by Genny  Muncy or Paul Levy

               backstage by me or the cast members



 

2 comments:

  1. Your point about show business being a business is well made! It's taken 3 generations for members of our family to choose to work in front of the curtain -- everyone else has always opted for being where one touches the cash. Jacque Wheeler reminds me of my father's extremely respectable elder sisters, both of whom ventured on stage only when the script (and the paycheck) was right. Looks like she stole the show!

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  2. always lovely to see all that show business!, and showgirls!, all those garments look amazing!
    besos

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