NAHS students offer up musical fare in annual high school play –
By Patricia Beech –
North Adams students will perform the timeless play, “Give My Regards to Broadway” Friday and Saturday, April 28 – 29th at 7 p.m. at North Adams High School.
Despite getting off to a rocky start, teacher and director Matt Williams says the show is ready to go, and he thinks it’s going to be good.
“The show is coming together well, we had cast issues – we lost a person so we had to shift some things around, but I think we’re going to be all right, the kids are enthusiastic and interested, and they’re working hard to make it happen.”
Williams and fellow teachers, John Bullock and Paige Day, who are acting as co-directors for the production which features 15 North Adams students. Sophmore Connor Parks leads the cast as Dick Foster, a director struggling for money to kick off his new show. In primary supporting roles Tony Campbell plays Eddie Cowles, a Donald O’Connor type pianst loyal to Foster, and Hannah Valentine is the aspiring Broadway star, Mary Collins.
Stephanie Cate, Hope McCartney, Annie Chase, Kat Beaver, Sydnee Conlon, Amber Woodall, Becky Chase, John McIlwain, Sadie Rector, Andrew Elliott, Lillian Barry, and Alyssa Ramey complete the cast of supporting characters.
Pioneer Drama Service, the company providing the play’s musical backdrop, calls the production an “audience pleaser” combining the greatest show tunes of George M. Cohan with a sparkling story to produce an entertaining, charming, toe-tapping musical.”
The show is a high energy, bare bones production with little in the way of sets but an empty stage – which leaves plenty of room for the dance numbers designed by choreographer Angie Jamison.
Songs featured in the production are some of Cohan’s most memorable: Grand Old Flag, Yankee Doodle Dandy, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, Mary’s a Grand Old Name, Give My Regards to Broadway, and many more that will be performed by students wearing costumes designed by NAHS math teacher Claire Chambliss.
“All of the kids are very talented, especially those in lead roles,” says Williams. “They’ve been practicing four days a week since mid- February, and they’re all dedicated to creating a wonderful show.
