The curtain will go up three times this weekend for the Huntington High School drama club’s production of the delightful musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie.
The actors and stage crew members have nailed down their roles during weeks of rehearsals. Huntington UFSD’s second graders saw an abbreviated version of the show earlier this week and if the youngsters’ reaction is any guide, audiences are in for a real treat this weekend.
“The cast of this production has worked really hard to live up to the demands this musical offers them, from outlandish comedy to complex choreography,” said Michael Schwendemann, the high school drama club’s longtime faculty advisor. “They have handled it all, plus whatever I have thrown their way. I hope the audience enjoys the finished product as much as we have enjoyed creating it!”
The curtain goes up on Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door priced at $10 for the general public and $5 for students, faculty and staff members with ID cards. The Saturday matinee show at 2 p.m. will be free to all seniors (65 years and older.)
The cast includes (in order of appearance) Abby Semelsberger, Keenan Lyons, Catherine McCooey, Jennifer Low, Francesca Greco, Hannah Roberts, Lauren Holly, Morgan Colleluori, Sarah Biernacki, Phoebe Walther, Isabella Cahill, Cobin Black, Brenden Garcia, Katherine Eichenberger, Robert Jean-Gilles, Erica Flaherty, Alexis Kaloudis, Shannon Miller, Chloe Wheeler, Ava Waxenberg, Joshua Youngquist, Danny Arias, Joshua Avidor, Faith Youngquist, David Canas, Zubair Ali, Charlotte Simon, Jorge Parada-Cisneros, Kyra DeSalvo, Ryan Aguirre, Erica Flaherty, Maggie Imperato, Shannon Milner, Gabriel Moskovitch and Chris Porzio.
The pit orchestra consists of: Violin: Arielle Harvey, Gabe Medina-Jaudes, Haley Mortell, Allison Quinn, Ella Siepel; Cello: Diya Rai-Gersappe, Katie Stock; String bass: Grace Wildermuth; Flute: Julianna Joseph Whyte, Eliana Ng; Oboe: Chris Mavrogian; Clarinet: Meagan-Elise Malone, Mathew Hearl, Grace McKenna; Saxes: Aaron Chin, Oskar Kilgour, Miles Tierney; Horn: Katie Riley; Trumpet: Nathan Musso, Michael Reed, Jose Suarez; Trombone: Chris Engle, Matt Quinn; Tuba: Lucy Biblow; Keyboards: Katherine DeGennaro; Guitar: Teddy Holly; Percussion: Christiana DeLuca; Drums: Natalie Furman; Piano: Victoria Garbarino
The stage crew includes Andy Ulloa, Sylvia Belanger, Drew Spina, Olivia Perez, Tati Feliciano, Jasmynn Clark, Rashiem Sexton, Beth Heffernan, Christina Hornstein, Collin Garcia, Joe Tropeano, Sofia Lopez, Sophia Matheus, Jonathan Ramirez, Jack Semelsberger, Devin Green and Christopher Deveau.
Michael Schwendemann is the show’s director and is also handling musical staging. Brian Stellato is the musical director and Hosun Moon is the vocal coach. Glenn Deveau is the technical director with Zane Whitney serving as technical advisor. Victoria Garbarino is attending to choreography with Carrie Semelsberger handling props and costumes and set decoration. Jennifer Low and Abby Semelsberger are the dance captains. Maddie Haughwout is the student director. Ellen Fleury created the highly regarded showbill. Darin Reed snapped promotional photos.
“The winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie was the 2002 season’s most awarded new show on Broadway,” according to Music Theatre International. “Based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film, Thoroughly Modern Millie takes you back to the height of the Jazz Age in New York City, when ‘moderns,’ including a flapper named Millie Dillmount, were bobbing their hair, raising their hemlines, entering the workforce and rewriting the rules of love. This high-spirited musical romp is a delightful valentine to the long-standing spirit of New York City and the people who seek to discover themselves there.
“Set in New York City in 1922, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of young Millie Dillmount from Kansas, who comes to New York in search of a new life for herself. Her grand plan is to find a job as a secretary for a wealthy man and then marry him. However, her plan goes completely awry. The owner of her dingy hotel kidnaps young girls to sell to the Far East, her wealthy boss is slow in proposing marriage and the man she actually falls in love with doesn't have a dime to his name... or so he tells her.
“Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon lady of a villainess that audiences will love to hate, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a perfectly constructed evening of madcap merriment. From explosive tap numbers to a ‘Fred and Ginger’ routine on a window ledge, this is the perfect show for theatres that are looking to show off the dance skills of their performers. In Millie Dillmount, musical theatre has found a new heroine for the ages in Thoroughly Modern Millie!”
