It’s been a hell of a year for Staples Players.
In the fall, “Guys and Dolls” opened without director David Roth and associate director Kerry Long. They’re married — and their daughter Lucy was born 17 minutes after the 1st curtain rose.
During the rest of the run, the cast and crew was devastated by swine flu.
Then, last Saturday night’s studio production performances of “Telemachus Clay” ran smack into the buzz saw of 70 mph winds and torrential rain.
Now, Hell Week — the intense few days before the premiere of their spring mainstage, “Little Shop of Horrors” — has been ravaged too. It’s the most important part of any production — yet school has been canceled for 3 days.
In the best show-biz tradition though, the show will go on.
Musical director Chris Coogan rehearses the "Little Shop" cast yesterday at Saugatuck Elementary School. (Photo by Kerry Long)
Players plan to open on schedule, this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The only reason they would not is if conditions at Staples render it impossible.
“The kids are excited to pull everything together,” Roth and Long said. They managed a 4-hour rehearsal yesterday at Saugatuck Elementary School — singing through the entire show with the band — and hope to get into Staples tonight to work on the set.
Reid Thompson’s painting crew took advantage of good weather today to work in the Staples parking lot.
Nothing replaces being on stage, of course — especially for a show where a starring role is played by an enormous moving, talking plant, which has been stuck inside the school all week — but for 50 years Staples Players have overcome all kinds of odds to put on unforgettable shows.
They’ll do it again, starting Friday night.
“06880” would say “break a leg,” but with the way this year’s been going…
(The town-wide power outages have slowed ticket sales. Seats still remain for all performances. Ticket can be ordered at www.StaplesPlayers.com, or at the door beginning at 7 p.m. In the event this Friday’s show is postponed to Sunday at 1 p.m., online ticket holders will be notified by email. For further information on cancellations or tickets, call 203-341-1310. The show is rated PG, for some language and violence.)
I’ll bet that plant is pretty hungry about now…