The Little Mermaid Brings Down the House
The Huntington High School drama club and pit orchestra brought down the house last weekend with an “awesome” set of performances of the Disney musical, The Little Mermaid.
The actors, musicians and stage hands were on top of their game, enchanting audiences during the course of Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening shows. “It was awesome,” said senior Irina DeSimone, who was in the audience for the Saturday matinee. “The costumes were amazing.”
Drama club advisor Michael Schwendemann handled directing and musical staging. Rob Krakehl was the technical director and Melissa Ingle was the student director. Jessica Castaneda served as musical director with Michelle Mallardi handling choreography. Dana Freed oversaw props, costumes and set decoration, the latter two with the assistance of the Costume Gallery. Hosun Moon was the vocal coach. Nancy Fallon was the dance captain. Chris Helmke was the production’s technical consultant. Ellen Fleury designed the impressive playbill.
The weekend marked the final Huntington drama club production for talented senior actors Kevin McConnell, Carolanne Buoniello, Rachel Carpenter, Andrew Gunthner, Justin Waite, Nancy Fallon, Ann Glackin, Melissa Ingle, Brianne Neira, Bailey Riordan and Caroline Maggio.
“We have shared laughter, tears, sadness and joy,” Mr. Schwendemann told the seniors. “The times we shared will live in my memory forever. Thank you for sharing part of yourselves with me.”
Rehearsed for weeks
The actors and musicians rehearsed for weeks and they combined with a skilled group of stage hands to put on one of the most memorable productions ever seen in the high school auditorium. “I think the play was a fantastic experience,” said Ms. Neira, who played the part of Attina. “The cast was so vibrant and enthusiastic. Performing with them was a great way to end my senior year.”
Mr. Waite played the part of Grimsby and he, too, was ecstatic with the production. “I feel as though the play went amazing,” the teenager said. “Meeting new people in this club changed my life and will make the memories even greater. This is something that I will truly miss.”
The crowd was impressed with what took place on stage, in the orchestra pit, behind the curtain and up in the technical area, too. The audience gave repeated standing ovations to the students, directors and other assistants who made the show possible.
Many in the crowd were amazed with the quality of music produced by the pit orchestra. The young musicians executed their assignments were a degree of precision rarely seen on a high school level.
“There are many of us who could not have imagined high school without performing in the pit orchestra for the musical,” said senior Elisa Medina-Jaudes, who played cello. “I joined sophomore year and every year has been an experience I cannot forget, so you can imagine what it was like to have to play my very last show this weekend. Each and every player has developed so much as people and as a person throughout the time from when we started rehearsals to the Saturday night show. We had such amazing performances all three shows and I am very proud of everyone.”
Ms. Medina-Jaudes is headed to Cornell University in the fall, but the teenager will always remember her experiences in the high school auditorium. “All the practice and hard work really paid off and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my pit orchestra experience,” she said about last weekend’s shows. “We also couldn’t have done it without our conductor, Ms. Castaneda who pushed us to work hard and really helped us become the best musicians we could. I feel so happy and honored to have been a part of this amazing activity for the past three years and I know the pit orchestra and Ms. Castaneda will continue to provide wonderful music for the musicals to come.”
“One of the greatest experiences”
Senior Sophia Latt, who played piccolo in the pit orchestra agreed the musical was a smashing success. “The play went really well this weekend,” she said. “Everyone involved put in an immense amount of effort during rehearsals to make it possible. Playing in the pit orchestra for the past two years has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had at Huntington High School and I’m glad I had the opportunity to play with such talented musicians.”
Pit orchestra members hit all the right notes. “I think the performances this past weekend were phenomenal,” said senior Holly Grabowski, who played violin. “It was bittersweet seeing the seniors in my grade perform on the stage for the last time. Ms. Castaneda and the pit worked so hard on the music this year and it totally paid off during the final performances. Everyone; stage crew, pit and cast worked so hard during every rehearsal last week and it turned out wonderful.”
Earlier in the week all second graders in the district were brought to the high school auditorium for an abbreviated version of the production and the youngsters loved every minute of it. That set the stage for last Friday and Saturday’s well-received shows.
“It was an incredibly fun show to perform,” said Maddie Shea, who played the part of Ursula. “Everyone in the cast had an absolute blast bringing the classic and colorful characters to life this weekend.”
A range of emotions
The actors and musicians experienced a range of emotions after the curtain closed for the final time. “I think the show was fantastic,” said Mr. McConnell, who played the part of Prince Eric. “We all put in a great deal of work over the last several weeks and it truly paid off this weekend. This last show marked the end of an era for myself and my fellow drama club seniors and while I am really going to miss Schwen and the drama club as a whole, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience or a better final performance. The people that I have met through this club are absolutely amazing and incredibly talented and I wish them all the best in their future years at Huntington and beyond.”
The run-up to every show is a grueling experience and The Little Mermaid was no different. Yet, students are already looking back at the period with a degree of fondness that is sure to grow in the years to come.
“The musical is such an amazing experience for everyone involved,” said Jordan Biener, who played the part of Sebastian. “Although it is stressful and a lot of hard work, the fun throughout the rehearsal process and being able to be proud of the final product is worth every second. Mr. Schwendemann is an astounding human being for putting all the effort he does into the musical. I couldn’t imagine the show without his help and guidance. Everyone involved in the musical both on stage and off truly gives 100 percent and I thought that showed in all three performances this past weekend.”
“One big family”
Ms. Glackin played the part of Flounder in her last appearance on the Huntington auditorium stage. “I am so proud of my final production with drama club,” the teenager said. “The entire cast and crew of The Little Mermaid worked extremely hard to turn out this incredible production. There was such a fantastic spirit of camaraderie amongst all the cast members. We really felt like one big family and it made the experience all that more special. To receive a standing ovation every night was such an honor and affirmation of all the hard work we had done as one huge ensemble. I know myself and my fellow seniors will really miss our drama club family post-graduation, but what a way to go.”
Cast members were uniform in their belief that the show couldn’t have gone any better. “I think it went quite swimmingly, pun intended,” joked Ms. Carpenter, who played the part of Aquata/Chef. “I truly cannot think of a better show to closeout my drama club days at Huntington. I believe that the joy we had in performing was infectious. If I could rewind time and do it all over again, I absolutely would.”
Mr. Schwendemann and the members of his drama club production staff are still savoring last week’s performances and decompressing. But, it won’t be long until members of the group turn their attention to next fall’s show.