Mountain Valley
prepares musical
by Cole Porter
RUMFORD – This year’s spring musical at Mountain Valley High School will be “Kiss Me, Kate.”
“Some of our kids are singing and dancing on stage for the first time in their lives, and they find themselves having to handle multiple roles in this show,” says Musical Director Terry Eldridge. “We have a core group of veterans that have done this before but even so, there is a lot to learn during a show like this”.
“Kiss Me, Kate,” written by Samuel and Bella Spewack, creates a play-within-a-play that follows the lives of egotistical actor-producer Fred Graham (played by Andy Bohren) and his temperamental co-star and ex-wife, Lili Vanessi (played by Petra Hamilton-Denison) in a production of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Cole Porter’s score borrows freely from Shakespeare’s dialogue for lyrics in the musical numbers that take place “onstage” but makes use of more modem syntax in the “backstage” numbers.
Familiar musical numbers include “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Too Darn Hot” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.”
Choreographer/accompanist Cindy Bohren said that her young dance troupe marks “the first time we’ve been able to put together a group of girls whose only job is to dance. In the past, everyone had to act, sing and dance. But this year, we’ve had such a large turnout for the cast that we were able to specialize a little more. It’s great to see the program generating this kind of interest amongst the kids.”
Other featured performers include: Danielle Desjardins as Lois Lane/Bianca, Aaron Cayer as Bill Calhoun/Lucentio, Max DiMilner as Harry/Gen. Howell, Hilary Glaus as Hattie and Matt Hutchins and Dylan Cayer as two comedic gangsters.
Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 25 through March 27 in the Muskie Auditorium at Mountain Valley High School. All three dates feature 7 p.m. curtain times with a matinee included on Saturday, March 26, at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the evening shows are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for students. The Saturday matinee offers all seats for $5.
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