NORWICH – The Norwich High School music department is prepared to unveil its annual musical production this weekend, and all involved are excited to present “Damn Yankees.”
“What’s funny,” said play director Mark Sands, “Is that we chose a show about baseball, and most of the kids knew little to nothing about baseball. But, they’ve come a long way in a short time, and they’re ready to show what they’ve got.”
The show begins with Joe Boyd, an avid fan of the Washington Senators baseball team, and his wife Meg, who seems unhappy that her husband is preoccupied with baseball.
After Joe’s wife goes to sleep for the night, he says that if the Senators had a long ball hitter, they would be able to beat the “damn Yankees.”
A man, Mr. Applegate, appears who is in fact the devil. Mr. Applegate offers Joe a deal. If he gives up his soul, he will become the baseball player the Senators need to beat the Yankees. Joe Boyd accepts and becomes “Joe Hardy.”
Ryan De Tomi, NHS senior, has been involved with musical productions since the sixth grade. He portrays both Joe Boyd and Joe Hardy in the show.
“I love that I am able to become a new character in every show I do,” said De Tomi. “I love working with Mr. Sands and Mrs. Williams, and the cast and crew are always a pleasure.”
De Tomi described the show as both funny and dramatic, and said, “It’s a great show. Maybe some people might not have heard of it, but we never disappoint.”
NHS junior Cassandra Corey plays the role of Meg Boyd, the wife of Joe.
“It’s such a cute story for both young and old, and the songs are great,” said Corey. “Being able to put something together from start to finish with this group has been wonderful.” Corey has been involved in productions since seventh grade.
Senior Joshua Seeley, known in the show as Benny Van Buren, plays the team’s coach.
“It’s such an entertaining show,” said Seeley. “It has all those ‘ha-ha’ moments everyone looks forward to. I love seeing every year how things change from the beginning to the end. That’s my favorite part and I love satisfying the audience.”
Caleb Miller, NHS senior, portrays Mr. Applegate (the devil). Miller has been involved in productions since fifth grade.
When asked to describe his character, Miller said, “He’s devilish, sly, devious, cunning, pompous, a businessman … you know, not the good guy. All the bad adjectives.”
“I really like the humor in my role,” said Miller. “I’m excited to get people laughing. We have a good reputation on putting on shows the audience enjoys, and I’m confident we’re going to do that this year.”
Gloria Thorpe, a newspaper reporter set on getting the “dirt” on Joe Hardy, is played by junior Maria Morbidini. Morbidini has been on the stage since she was in third grade.
“I get to be a bossy, sassy woman toward the men,” said Morbidini. “It’s so much fun, the singers are great, and so is the entire cast and crew.”
Sophomore Kaitlyn Jackson portrays Lola, the devil’s accomplice. According to Jackson, she seduces other men and helps out Mr. Applegate in other things he has planned.
“I have loved developing my character,” said Jackson. “I’m not like Lola in real life at all, so it has been so fun. I even get to speak with a Spanish accent at one point. It’s really entertaining.”
“There is love, humor, drama, and everything in between that you could look for in an evening of fun. I know it’ll be a great show.”
The show is set to start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, and 2:30 p.m., Sunday, April 6 in the Norwich High School auditorium. All tickets are $5 and are available at the main offices of the Stanford Gibson, Perry Browne Elementary School, the Norwich middle and high schools, as well as Service Pharmacy in Norwich.
Tickets will also be available at the door prior to each performance. For more information, contact Mark Sands at 334-1600 x1343.