UCP Sr. Theatre puts the roar in the 20s

 

“Give ‘em that old Razzle Dazzle/ And how will they know you’ve got no talent?”

The 27 students taking the 2015 summer theatre school course at Upper Canada Playhouse sang this song during their finale show on Saturday, July 18, but it was definitely a sly joke. These kids have lots of talent, and they showed it off to a very appreciative audience gathered at the Playhouse to see their culminating production on the stage.

Under the direction of teacher Mary Ellen Viau, the students, ranging in age from 10-15, presented a great tribute to an exciting decade, a decade new to most of them, but one they quickly fell in love with. “You know you’re old when your students think anything before 1990 is ancient history,” Viau told the audience.  “So I decided to tackle some real ‘ancient history’. Donnie (Bowes, UCP artistic director) had given me four straw boaters, and I thought why not focus on the 20s in the course? The music and dancing is great, and kids really connect with the whole ‘breaking the rules’ that was part of the era. And they simply did a fantastic job.”

While four fringed and sparkling ‘flappers’ (definitely the “Cat’s Meow”) handled the on going commentary, the cast presented skits, vocals, dance and mime that reflected the fun they were having. Every student had over 42 lines of script to commit to memory. And they all demonstrated their versatility when the group danced a mean Charleston, including the Bees Knees. (Or, as one narrator put it. “Those were some swell hoofers!”)

Madison, in top and tails, accompanied by Anna, sang and danced a la Fred Astaire, to Give ‘Em the Old Razzle Dazzle’. Quinn, like his mentor, the great song writer Irving Berlin, can’t read music, but when he sat down to play an upbeat, jazzy version of Piano Man, everyone was thrilled. And three exuberant ladies really showed off some great jazz steps to the crowd.

The “Big Speakeasy Raid” generated plenty of laughs. What with swaggering Al Capone wannabes, swinging show girls, and some seriously frustrated cops, there was a sense of just where the 20s got their roar. Prohibition – “Oooh, bummer for the party crowd!” – just didn’t work out. Life was fun and exciting and so was the senior drama show.

“These kids have only been together two weeks, but they have done wonderful things,” said Donnie Bowes as he presented each student with a certificate of accomplishment. Jackie McCormick, the Playhouse stage manager and Samantha Curran, production intern for the theatre, stepped in to help make the whole drama experience a very special one for the students.

“The students were generous and very supportive of each other,” said teacher Viau. “They learned so much and had fun doing it.” 


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