But the 1967 Tony Award-winning musical — set in Berlin as the Nazis rise to power, and which portrays hedonistic nightlife, an interreligious romance, and other adult themes — is a tremendous challenge for high school students.
Which is why Staples Players has produced it, several times.
Two shows were 20 years apart. But they’re tied together by a common thread.
In 1984, under director Al Pia, 12th grader David Roth played the sinister Kit Kat Club emcee. The role — made famous by Joel Grey and Alan Cumming — shifts frequently between playful, vulgar and menacing. It’s difficult for anyone to pull off — let alone a teenager. But Roth is superb.
Twenty years later, he was in his first years as Players co-director, at his alma mater. This time, Brandon Floch embraced the emcee role.
Former media teacher Jim Honeycutt filmed that 2004 production. He also unearthed a videotape of the previous one.
He went to work, editing both. He cut them exactly the same — same highlights, same length, everything.
The only thing different is 2 decades’ worth of technological advances. The ’84 show was shot with one camera, at the back of the auditorium. Audio was captured — not always well — by the microphone on top of the camera.
Once again, the Memorial Day parade is honored to honor a World War II veteran.
Herb Podel is this year’s grand marshal, for the May 25 event.
The 101-year-old longtime Westporter served in the Pacific Theater. He was attached to a Seabee unit as an aviation and electronics specialist. Their primary focus was preparation for the planned invasion of Japan.
A resident here since 1965, Herb spent decades contributing to the community through volunteerism, leadership and civic engagement. The father of 2 daughters, Alison Bricken and Jacqueline Podel, he owned a company that manufactured recreation equipment for many years.
Herb has received 2 awards from the town of Westport recognizing his volunteer efforts. He served for many years as president of the Saugatuck Senior Cooperative board. He founded and facilitated the longtime Cultural Salon discussion group in Westport, and held numerous roles at Temple Israel.
Herb now lives at The Residence at Westport. He continues to be an active member of the Westport Center for Senior Activities, where he regularly participates in classes, discussion groups, special events and community lunches.
In February of 2025, Herb Podel celebrated his 100th birthday at the Senior Center with director Wendy Petty (right) and then-2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore.
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Speaking of the Memorial Day parade: Westport groups, civic organizations and businesses interested in participating in the community event should register here. The deadline is May 17.
(Photo/Kelly Freitag)
All ages, and all kind of groups, “march” in the Memorial Day parade.
Hard to believe, but the Westport Pops Concert is now 10 years old.
From its first performance in 2016, the Staples High School-meets-Levitt Pavilion event became a beloved (and quickly sold-out) tradition.
This year’s show is Friday, June 5. Featured musicians include the nationally recognized Staples Symphonic Orchestra and Band, Jazz Ensemble One, Choralaires, Sonora, Orphenians, Stradivarius Chamber Orchestra, and small group ensembles.
James Naughton returns as emcee.
The Levitt lawn opens at 6 p.m. (BYO chair); the concert begins at 7. Tickets are free, but a donation of $15 per ticket is suggested to help offset production costs.
Tickets are available at wpsarts.org/staplesmusic on Friday, May 22 at 9 a.m.; first-come, first-served.
Westport Pops poster graphic inspired by senior Connor Yuan.
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Another great Westport tradition is also near. And it too celebrates a milestone.
The 20th annual Taste of Westport returns Wednesday, June 3 (6 p.m., Fairfield County Hunt Club). As they’ve done for 20 years, the area’s top restaurants and mixologists will host an evening of great food, drinks and community — all for a wonderful cause.
The fundraiser benefits CLASP Homes. All proceeds help provide group homes and 24/7/365 services for adults with autism and developmental disabilities.
Restaurants serving up their favorite dishes include Gabriele’s, The Bridge, Nômade, Massi Co, The Whelk, Artisan and Dandelion — and many others.
Guests will also enjoy signature cocktails, a Champagne and caviar bar, and a bourbon tasting experience. A silent auction adds to the fun.
One more event of note: A few foursomes remain for the Westport Weston Family YMCA’s 10th annual Golf for Good tournament (May 18, Aspetuck Valley Country Club).
he Westport Weston Family YMCA is proud to announce its 10th Annual Golf for Good Charity Golf Tournament, taking place on Monday, May 18, 2026 at Aspetuck Valley Country Club.
Proceeds support the Y’s Financial Assistance Program, enabling individuals and families to participate in programs regardless of financial circumstances. Funds also support youth sports and camp, Parkinson’s wellness and independence programs, cancer survivorship support, and access for veterans.
We’re not sure how many Westporters follow the Library of Congress on Twitter (aka “X”).
But it’s a good thing for “06880” that Josh Berkowsky does.
A recent tweet celebrating National Cartoonist Day (May 5 — we all missed it) gave several examples of cartoons drawn on letters by soldiers in World War II.
Two very colorful ones were sent from a Sgt. Duquette in San Francisco, to Mrs. Gerald Duquette, on Sturges Highway here.
They are not the work of Sgt. Duquette. Josh says that the Library of Congress website credits the art to his friend, Technical Sgt. Samuel Lionel Boylston of South Carolina.
The recipient is Duquette’s wife, “Mrs. Gerald Duquette.”
One more local connection: Tom Duquette is a frequent “06880” commenter. He always adds “SHS ’75” (Staples Class of 1975).
Tom: If you’re reading this, please click “Comments” to let us know the connection!
And finally … in honor of 2 World War II stories today (Herb Podel and Sgt. Duquette, above):
(We don’t want to toot our horn, but since our first “06880” in 2009, we’ve posted over 20,000 stories — and haven’t missed a day. If you enjoy our 24/7/365 work, please click here to support us. Thanks!)
Our image of the town — what it is, and should be — is formed by our first experiences here.
Mine dates back to the 1960s, when I was in elementary and junior high school.
Those who arrived later — by birth, as kids or teenagers, or adults — have a different idea of “Westport.”
A woman recently lamented how much has changed. She misses the mom-and-pop shops on Main Street, and the small-town vibe.
She moved here in 2010.
That was a dozen years after the New York Times published a story headlined “Is Heart and Soul Gone From Main Street?”
In 1998, the New York Times had a stand-alone Connecticut section. This Page 1 photo shows Main Street, with Oscar’s Deli (center) and then-closed Remarkable Book Shop (right). The inset is Klein’s.
Nearly 3 decades ago — on December 27, 1998 — Leslie Chess Feller explored the changing nature of our town. She began:
Little shops, once the backbone of Main Street in Westport, have almost disappeared. One of the last is Klein’s, founded by a Hungarian-born entrepreneur named Henry Klein who took pride in greeting every customer by name, which has for 61 years sold books, stationery and office supplies. Mr. Klein worked until the day before his death in 1990, at the age of 90.
But in January the store will be subletting ground-floor retail space to the Banana Republic chain, one of many that have displaced family-owned Mom-and-Pop stores by being willing to pay higher rents.
Spoiler alert: Banana Republic is gone now too. So is Oka, the furniture store that took its place. The upper part of Klein’s — where you could buy office supplies and typewriters (kids: ask your parents what those were) — has been repurposed as Sushi Jin.
Banana Republic replaced Klein’s.
Robert Hertzel — vice president of Klein’s, and president of what was then called the Downtown Merchants Association — said, ‘We have turned into a regional shopping center. But that’s not a bad thing.”
Klein’s, in the 1962 Staples High School yearbook.
The piece continues:
Another holdover is Jack Swezey’s jewelry store, currently run by his son David. ”We opened here in 1956 when everybody knew everybody and each store was one of a kind,” said Mr. Swezey. ”Business is good, but sometimes I feel like a loner,” he added, looking out his shop’s window, now facing Williams-Sonoma, Brooks Brothers and Crabtree & Evelyn. ‘
‘Today’s Main Street has become an outdoor mall,” he said. ”I’m one of the few individual merchants left and that’s because we own the building.”
Swezey — where an enormous model train set entertained passersby every Christmas — is today the site of Brochu Walker.
Swezey Jewelers
Williams-Sonoma is still here, but in a location (Bedford Square) that did not exist in 1998. Brooks Brothers is still here — though next year, Sephora takes over. Crabtree & Evelyn sold its last loofah in 2009.
Plumed Serpent owner Fred Tow talked about his move to Playhouse Square, after 25 years on Main Street. (The bridal gown boutique has since moved again, across the Post Road.)
”When I opened in 1971, Ann Taylor was the only corporate store,” Mr. Tow said, ”and my monthly rent was $325.” By 1996, the chain stores had moved in and his rent jumped to $5,700 a month. Mr. Tow said that customers now have to go to Kent and New Preston for the look of old-fashioned Connecticut.
”In terms of both merchandise and decor,” he said, ”unless they see the sign, shoppers can’t tell whether they’re in J. Crew or the Gap. It all seems the same. There’s this corporate coldness, a lack of personal connection. People don’t realize what’s been lost.”
The 3-story Gap replaced a failed vertical mall — which was built on the site of a furniture store that burned down in the mid-1970s.
The piece continued with reminiscences from Howard Munce. The artist — then 83 years old, who first came to town in 1935 (and died 10 years ago, at 100), remembered Greenberg’s (“where you could buy anything from buttons and thread to underwear and Girl Scout uniforms,”) Charles Market, and the Ben Franklin 5-and-10 (kids: ask your grandparents).
In Howard Munce’s day, Welch’s was one of 3 hardware stores on Main Street. Traffic was 2-way all the way to the Post Road, too.
Feller continue:
In the last three decades, however, Main Street has morphed into a sort of Rodeo Drive East. Dubbed the ”Golden Half Mile” by the newspaper columnist John Capsis, who died in 1997, Main Street’s chain stores and boutiques are staffed by people who commute from other towns. As they talk on cell phones, the drivers of S.U.V.’s, BMW’s, Jeeps and Jaguars fight for parking spots. Tourists clutch shopping bags sporting logos while undercover police officers pursue what they say are organized gangs of shoplifters.
The story continues, bopping down Main Street’s favorite side road, Memory Lane.
Feller writes about the Remarkable Book Shop, which closed in 1994. Remarkably, after Talbots it was replaced by Westport Local Market, now Eleish Van Breems — both local, one of which even had the word in its name.
The Remarkable Book Shop. Too bad this does not show its vibrant pink color.
Leann Enos, an actress and theatrical director who moved to Main Street when she was a child, and whose father owned Walker’s Frame Shop, said, ”To me, it feels as if Main Street has lost its heart and soul. Now everything is about spending money.”
Anne Rowlands — a Westport native, and vice president of the Westport Chamber of Commerce — said she could no longer afford to shop on Main Street.
”It’s gotten so expensive and, to be honest, it feels kind of faceless to me,” she explained — not exactly a Chamber of Commerce-type comment. “It’s rare to find someone you know.”
Downtown shopper Linda Stern said, ”At first, I missed the mom-and-pop stores. But now it’s very exciting; there’s an energy to the street.”
Meanwhile, Predrag Vicvara, a Fairfield resident who had lived in Croatia, said, ”You find different nationalities here. It seems a little bit European to me. I like it. It’s nicer than the mall.”
Main Street: a bit of Europe?
Sharon Rosen — who moved to Westport 5 years earlier, and “considers Main Street an asset despite the chain stores” — had the last word.
”It’s convenient,” she said. ”I understand it was very quaint and lovely here once.”
That was the view 28 years ago — near the end of the 20th century.
Folks rued the demise of mom-and-pop stores then. They still do, 30 years later — even if they arrived after 1998, and believe there were plenty of quaint mom-and-pops when they came.
Downtown Westport was evolving 3 decades ago. It was when my parents moved here in 1956. It continues to evolve today.
What’s “your” Westport? When did you come to town? What’s changed? What hasn’t?
And how will your comment look when we look back on it 28 years from now, in 2054?
(“06880” often explores the changing face of Westport. If you enjoy stories like this — or anything else on our hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thanks! PS: See you on Main Street!)
But today marks the 80th anniversary of one of our town’s worst tragedies.
On May 2, 1946 a tire on a truck filled with vulcanizing cement blew on Post Road West, near Sylvan Road.
The driver swerved into a tree. The truck exploded. A huge fire quickly erupted.
First on the scene were ambulance driver Arthur Audley, and his daughter Edna. They helped the trucker and others.
But the driver died the next morning. Also killed were Fire Chief Frank Dennert, former fire chief Francis Dunnigan, and firefighters John H. Gallagher. Dominick Zeoli died later.
Eight others were injured.
A plaque honoring the firefighters, 50 years after the tragedy.
Westporters responded quickly — including more than 2 dozen blood donors, who headed to Norwalk Hospital.
The Westporter-Herald printed an extra edition the next morning (so readers did not have to wait for the afternoon paper), and solicited contributions to the Firemen’s Fund. A benefit baseball game raised more money.
Four people seriously injured in the explosion — Zeoli, George and Jimmy Powers, and 13-year-old John Saviano — were still in the hospital more than 7 weeks later, on June 23.
Their spirits were lifted when they received a surprise visit (and autographed baseballs) from Babe Ruth. He was a frequent golfer at Birchwood Country Club, and Saviano was often his caddy.
Babe Ruth autographs a baseball for George “Nookie” Powers. His soon-to-be wife Virginia “Jinx” Closson looks on.
The fire was seared into the memories of all who were in Westport, 80 years ago today.
And now, much closer to home, a Staples High School senior — born more than 6 decades after the tragedy — has ensured that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
For his Eagle Scout project, Seamus designed and built a custom cabinet to house the helmets of Chief Frank Dennert, former Chief Dunnigan, and Gallagher and Zeoli.
Seamus Brannigan (3rd from left) in front of his cabinet with, from left, Chief Nicholas Marsan, Assistant Chief Jeason Kronenberger, and Deputy Chief Matthew Cohen. In addition to being an Eagle Scout, Brannigan is a member of Staples Players, a choral and rock group singer, and captain of the 2026 wrestling team.
There are helmets too for George Cardozo and Turker Aksoy, who died in the line of duty in 2000 and 2019, respectively.
The Westport Fire Department says that Seamus’ work “ensures their legacy is never forgotten, while creating a meaningful space for reflection for our members and visitors.”
Yesterday, 1st Selectman Kevin Christie led a solemn ceremony at fire headquarters, honoring all those who gave their lives serving our community.
“Their sacrifice remains a significant part of Westport’s history, and continues to shape the values and traditions of the fire service today,” he said.
Today, let’s all take a moment to reflect on May 2, 1946; on those 4 firefighters, and on all that our Fire Department has done for all of us, every day since then.
Memorial at Westport Fire Department Headquarters. (Photo courtesy of Town of Westport)
Last year, Greens Farms Elementary School turned 100 years old. That’s quite a milestone.
The original school.
Fortunately, Suzanne Sherman Propp was on it.
The longtime (and much loved) GFS music teacher commemorated the centennial with a small book of history. And, of course, songs.
Published privately, it honors the tens of thousands of students and teachers who have passed through its classic halls.
Suzanne Sherman Propp’s book.
Propp’s book will be on display today, in the auditorium.
Westport’s elementary schools are celebrating Culture & International Day. With the theme “Together We Belong,” GFS students and staff are invited to bring a poster or artifacts representing their background.
Propp will present a slide show, with info from her book. (Culture & International Day continues this evening, for parents and families.)
Bulletin board display, for today’s event.
Here’s some of what students and others will learn: The school was built on land originally occupied by the Paugussett Native American tribe. It later became the Bumblebee Hill onion farm.
From 1713 to 1905, a small school sat on that site, or nearby.
All of the land in the area became the property of John Green — hence the area’s name, Green’s Farms.
(Propp notes that there is “much debate about the appropriateness of the apostrophe.” Interestingly, she calls it Green’s Farms School — but the Westport Public Schools website refers to Greens Farms Elementary School.)
The main part of the building was designed by architect Charles Cutler, in a Tudor Revival style. Built to accommodate 200 students, the original entrance was the brick arched doorway facing the Post Road and softball field.
The original entrance.
In 1935 — 10 years after the school opened — artist Robert Garrett Thew crated artwork, to enhance the entrance.
With Works Progress Administration (WPA) money, he designed a fountain, with a bronze statue of his daughter Robin dipping her foot in the water, and metal gulls flying overhead. Today, that area is called “the Fountain Room.”
The fountain area, today.
In 1950 — as Westport’s post-war population boom began — the school was renovated to serve many more students and staff. The entrance was moved to the current site, facing Morningside Drive South.
In 1983 — as the student population plummeted — Greens Farms was closed. Two much newer elementary schools — Burr Farms (built in 1957) and Hillspoint (1960) were also shuttered.
In 1986, GFS was repurposed as the Westport Arts Center. Classrooms became studios for dozens of painters, sculptors and musicians.
The gym was turned into a state-of-the-art auditorium, dedicated to pianist Heida Hermanns by her husband, Artur Holde.
In 1991, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Six years later, with enrollment rising, the town reclaimed the building as a school. Artists — unhappy at losing their studios — moved the WAC to Riverside Avenue.
In 1999, the “new” Greens Farms opened. Renovations included 25 new classrooms, an auditorium, gym, art room, music rooms, offices and meeting spaces. Students came from the Long Lots and Kings Highway districts.
Greens Farms Elementary School, today.
Propp — who was hired by principal Angela Wormser, after a long career in the music industry, when she answered a request to write a school song, then performed it in the pouring rain — includes that tune, and others, in her book.
The reopening was a chance for the school to create new traditions. They created a new mascot: a giraffe. (Surprise! Many people expected a bee, in honor of “Bumblebee Hill.”)
Suzanne Sherman Propp.
Traditions are important, Propp says. There were 400 students that first “new” year; every fall, 80 new ones enter.
All 2,500 youngsters since 1999 have learned the Greens Farms school song (“Plant the Seed”); the “GFS Rules!” tune; “Patches” (about the mascot, who took an imaginary trip around the world); “Kindness” (written by students with their music teacher, to celebrate the life of a teacher who died shortly after retiring), and “In Wonderful Westport” (composed by 2nd graders studying the town’s history).
Suzanne Sherman Propp (center, in back) with young Greens Farms Elementary School singers, in 2018.
Greens Farms students also learn “It Makes a Difference.” That song, celebrating diversity and empathy, was written for Diversity Day at the request of late assistant principal Beth Heroux.
The “new” Greens Farms Elementary School — now 27 years old — already has plenty of traditions.
They build on a 101-year legacy.
EXTRA CREDIT: Propp dedicated her book to the Greens Farms principals who, since the reopening, have “helped students navigate their young lives, as they pass through the hallways”: Angie Wormser, Dan Sullivan, John Bayers, Kevin Cazzetta and Brian Byrne. She also honors all those who came before.
(“06880” regularly covers Westport schools, history and residents — and, like today, their intersection. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
In the fall of 2007, Staples Players produced “Beauty & the Beast.”
Directors David Roth and Kerry Long’s adaptation of the beloved fairy tale musical is this week’s “nutshell” — a 17-minute highlight reel filmed and edited by former media teacher Jim Honeycutt.
This week’s edition of yesterday and today — Dave Matlow’s photos of Westport homes pre-teardown, and their replacements — continues in the North Avenue/ Long Lots Road neighborhood.
Whether you enjoyed Staples Players’ recent production of “Urinetown,” or missed it, here’s a chance to see it again.
Well, not exactly. This is the spring 2006 version.
Each week, “06880” is presenting a series of “nutshells” — highlights from the esteemed high school troupe’s show, filmed and edited by former media teacher Jim Honeycutt.
Directors David Roth and Kerry Long have inspired many cast and crew members to go on to lives in the theater. Here, from the 2006 “Urinetown,” are a few examples:
Adam Kaplan was most recently seen as Gary on the new Max series “The Girls on the Bus.” He starred on Broadway in “A Bronx Tale,” directed by Robert De Niro. Other Broadway and national tours include “Kinky Boots,” “Newsies” and “Show Boat.” He has also been in “The Big Leap,” “Chad in Up Here,” “Elsbeth,” “Somewhere In Queens” and “Deception.”
Mia Gentile is a singer, actor and writer. She appeared in “Kinky Boots” on Broadway, impersonated many divas in “Forbidden Broadway,” created music as part of MISSYFIT, and starred in the hilarious viral video “The Stanley Steemer Variations (by Mia)” which got her on “Good Morning America.”
Tyler Paul co-founded the innovative Northeast Children’s Theatre Company, while still in college. He is now head of people and talent at Paravision, a leader in computer vision and biometrics identity solutions.
Hannah Dubner is a Chicago-based actor, writer and movement artist seen on TV series (“Don’t Schmuck It Up” and “How Did That Happen?!” (2018), and short films (“Return to Sender.”
Jacob Heimer is an actor, singer and dancer. He has an extensive resumé in TV (“Law And Order”), film (“Gold Star,” and Broadway “Beautiful.”
Anna Slate is a singer, actor, writer, performance artist and educator. Her credits include “Indecent,” “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” “Romeo & Juliet,” “Handle with Care,” “The Fantasticks,” “A Little Night Music” and “Alice Unwrapped.”
Megan Wttl is a commercial voice actor.
Nick Boak is an entertainment executive “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Warcraft” and “American Hustle.”
Scott Weinstein is an award winning director, creative director and producer of new and existing work for theatre and live events.
Taber Onthank is a musician, songwriter and former actor (“Amy and Peter Are Getting Divorced”). He is the husband of actress Britt (Baron) Uomoleale (“Glow”), his former high school sweetheart.
Brittany (Baron) Uomoleale is an actress known for “Glow,” “The Thing About Harry” and “Into the Dark.”
Britt Hennemuth is senior vice president of production for Universal Pictures. He is known for “Break a Hip,” “John Proctor Is the Villain” and
“Untitled Archie Comics Movie.”
Sally Eidman is an actress, singer/songwriter and creator. Her credits nclude “Torch,” “Beauty Queen” and “James,” along with many shorts and national commercials.
Chris McNiff is an actor, singer and dancer. He has been in “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Who’s Got Me?,” “Mary Poppins” and “Elf: The Musical.”
Drew Angus is a recording artist. His albums include “Late For the Party,” “You And Me,” “Under Covers Deluxe” and “Hold Onto Something.”
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