April Vacation Fun at HJT!

HJT's April Vacation Week Workshop runs April 15-19 from 9:00am -1:00pm! Here's a picture from the February workshop. Fun for all! Call Tammy to register at 508-432-2002 ext 17.

WIN A BIKE at FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY!

HJT RAFFFLE! WIN FRECKFACE STRAWBERRY'S BICYCLE!

FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY THE MUSICAL, based on the beloved New York Times Best Selling book by celebrated actress Julianne Moore, is a brand new family musical. You and your family can step inside the book's pages with Freckleface and friends as they learn to love the skin they're in. With soaring live music, awesome dancing, and a freckleface full of laughs, your whole family will love this brand new musical for all ages...freckles or not!

 April 5 -28, 2013

Friday evenings at 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 PM

Vacation week matinees on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday April 16, 17 and 18 at 2PM

Based on the Books Written by Julianne Moore ; Directed and Choreographed by Terry Norgeot

Musical Direction by Robert Wilder

 

Tickets Adult $22.  Youth under 21 $15.  Please call the BOX OFFICE at 508-432-2002   or on-line www. hjtcapecod.org HJT 105 Division St. West Harwich, MA 02671

 

'Oh Boy', Buddy Holly Rocks At HJT

‘Oh Boy,’ Buddy Holly Rocks At HJT
The Cape Cod Chronicle Feb. 17, 2011


by Jennifer Sexton

Let’s talk about the glasses.

Black, heavy-rimmed and square, the iconic eyewear has come to be known in popular culture shorthand as, simply, Buddy Holly glasses. But don’t forget—in 1959, they were just called “glasses.”

This is a great place to start when contemplating the blistering talent, meteoric rise and early flame-out of one of America’s truly staggering talents—one that we lost so quickly we almost didn’t know what we had.

“Peggy Sue.” “That’ll Be the Day.” “Oh Boy.” “Everyday.” “Maybe Baby.” The hits are so familiar, so iconic, so much a part of the fabric of American music and so numerous that it’s nearly beyond imagining that Buddy Holly’s career spanned a mere 18 months before it was cut short, along with singers Richie Valens, J.P “The Big Bopper” Richardson and their pilot, Roger Peterson, as their plane crashed in a snowy Iowa field in February 1959. Holly was only 22 years old.

Before researching Buddy Holly, the image that sprang to mind was a still frame of a skinny, clean cut, geeky looking nerd in a suit and tie, sporting the aforementioned heavy-rimmed glasses. My surprise was genuine when I spent some time on YouTube watching footage of Buddy and his band, The Crickets, performing on early television’s Arthur Murray Party in 1957. Introduced by a stately Kathryn Murray who encouraged viewers to “keep an open mind” and surrounded by seemingly stunned and motionless teens in formal dance attire, Holly and the Crickets absolutely tore up the place. With a slight sneer and startling energy in an under two-minute whirl through “Peggy Sue,” Holly brought to mind nothing so much as a punk band in the 1970s or a 1990s garage band. Fairly vibrating with barely contained energy, Holly was unforgettable, the three-piece band tight as can be.

This was no nerd.



“He towers in the music world,” says Mary Arnault, director of “Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story” at Harwich Junior Theatre. “The talent, the vision at such a young age and then to die so young. He gave us so much in an incredibly small amount of time. It almost hurts to think of what might have been.”

There’s no almost about it. At the time of his death, with a catalogue of hits under his belt, Holly had entered the New York recording and producing scene. He had relocated to Greenwich Village, hoped to work with Gospel greats like Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson, and had registered for acting classes at Lee Strasburg’s acting studio, which produced such icons as James Dean and Marlon Brando. The sky was the limit for Holly. Tragically we will never know what his future might have held.

Nevertheless, despite the inevitable ending, Arnault points out that the show is a celebration of the man and the music, not a tragic tale.

“Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story” ran successfully in London’s West End for over 12 years, becoming a successful Broadway production with numerous subsequent tours and productions around the world. Chicago actor Eric Labanauskas has played the role before, and is described by HJT’s producing artistic director Nina Schuessler as “channeling Buddy Holly.”

“It’s a fun show to do, and we are thrilled that Eric will to do it again for us, in his East Coast debut,” says Arnault. A devout Buddy Holly fan, Labanauskas has twice visited the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa where Holly played his last concert and the memorial site in Mason City, Iowa. In his role as Buddy Holly, Labanauskas is supported by Crickets Trevor Pearson, Vincent Pirruccio and Samuel Dxiobek and a cast including Todd Moos as The Big Bopper, Brendan Cloney as Richie Valens, Cara Gerardi as Holly’s bride Maria Elena, Warren Harrington and Karen Dash as the Apollo Singers, and Doug Sivco, Stella Wolf, Emily Blodgett and Emily Hamilton.

As Holly, Labanauskas plays guitar and sings Holly’s hits, backed up by the talented musicians cast as The Crickets. During a few set changes and at different times in the production, recordings of the real Buddy Holly and The Crickets will also be heard.

“We started out with separate music rehearsals and stage rehearsals,” explains Arnault. “When we started to put them together, everything became energized and the cast was literally jumping up and down. This music absolutely energizes everybody, and I would like to thank musical director Bob Wilder in capital letters with lights all around it. Bob is doing a fantastic job, and choreographer Suzette Hutchinson has been very busy. It’s a great team. The set by Andrew Arnault is really cool, and J Hagenbuckle’s sound is inspired, with live mics all over the place. And the great Robin McLaughlin is doing costumes.”

Buddy Holly wasn’t simply present at the beginning of rock and roll. He arguably was the beginning of rock and roll.

“Absolutely the most important thing I have taken out of this experience is the realization that he was so innovative, so ahead of his time,” says Arnault. “At the time, even the fact that they were a self-contained three-piece band writing their own music seemed very dangerous to parents. This was very sexy, very dangerous. I mean, you look at Buddy Holly and he looks like such a nerd, but he was an enormous influence. The name The Beatles was in deference to The Crickets, and John Lennon was quoted as saying that Buddy Holly’s image as much as gave him permission to wear his glasses.”

“Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story” celebrates and brings to life the young man widely described as the single-most influential creative force in rock and roll history, who in his handful of years created a legacy that towers to this day.

Details:

“Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story”
Feb. 18 through March 20
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.

By Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson
Directed by Mary Arnault • Musical Director Bob Wilder
Box Office 508-432-2002 www.hjtcapecod.net

It's Alive... ALIVE!!!

That's right, everyone. The Harwich Junior Theatre blog is once again alive and kicking, thanks to a few long-overdue jolts of lightning and strategically placed electrodes. (Youch!) Get ready for a revisiting of the shows we've loved and neglected to blog about, from last year's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" to the present, along with photos, videos, cast and crew interviews, news, board meeting inside scoops, volunteer praise, parent input, comments, questions, answers, a suggestion box, and anything and everything else HJT.

And if you happen to notice me slacking off again, please. Please. Not the electrodes again. Those things smart. Just call me out on it and rough me up a little, and I'll be right back on track. I swear.

Let's start things off with a preview of "Buddy--- The Buddy Holly Story," directed by the lovely Mary Arnault. It opens this Friday, and I will be there with Ava and Amy Tag, who will be reviewing for The Cape Cod Chronicle.

I remain your humble blogslave,
Jen Sexton

'Spelling Bee' wins praise | CapeCodOnline.com

'Spelling Bee' wins praise | CapeCodOnline.com

Posted using ShareThis

Latest HJT Show Spells 'Entertainment'

by Amy Tagliaferri

Wouldn't it be fun to not only see a great show, but be in the show? Have you often wondered what it feels like to have those lights in your eyes, and hear an audience's appreciative response? This spring the Harwich Junior Theatre is giving you that chance. And HJT is also providing Cape audiences with a stellar night of entertainment too. "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is side-splitting, pure joyful fun! Opening night the laughter resounded throughout the intimate building.

Each performance is guaranteed to be a different show with the setuo conceived by Rebecca Feldman and Jay Reiss from Rachel Scheinkin's book, with music and lyrics by William Finn. The arrangement offers you (and maybe your co-workers) a chance to be a part of the action in the first act by volunteering to be a speller with this motley crew from Putnam County. Four volunteers are prepped before each performance and then called from the audience by name. Think of the potential scenarios as a family member or friend leaps to stardom, before your very eyes!

Director Terry Norgeot knew she needed to find an exemplary cast to hadle the impromptu and inknown in every single show. Actors are always applauded for carrying on without a misstep by adlibbing and covering up a missed cue; imagine being on your toes for any possibility every night. On opening night for example, one volunteer missed an easy word and another spelled a difficult one correctly, two of the many possible developments Norgeot has to prepare her actors for. No one missed a beat.

The show's concept is centered around six quirky adolescents with three equally quirky adult moderators in a fictional spelling bee in Putnam Valley Middle School, Anytown, USA. Eileen Fisher and Michael Ernst as the moderators of the bee are spot-on and hilarious. Each definition, and "Could you please use the word in a sentence?" is very funny. (For "phylactery"--- either of a pair of square lether boxes containing Jewish religious texts--- they came up with: "Billy, put down that phylactery--- we're Episcopalians.") Kudos to Robin McLaughlin the costume designer for nailing their outfits and each of the students too. The costumes speak volumes as to character and give the audience a sense of who each person is.

Sophie Moeller playes Logainne Schwartzand grubenniere; Logainne has two dads and her last name is an interesting variation in lieu of hyphenation. Moeller is very expressive. Daniel Greenwood is a standout as Leaf Coneybear; he lives up to his funny name with pratfalls and childlike behavior. Ben Griessmeyer as William Barfee and his "magic foot" made the audience giggle every time his turn was up. The only real student in the group, Teresa Willander, was a hoot as Marcy Park. Caitlin Mills conveys the poignant Olive Ostrousky skillfully, bringing tears and then joy with a clear, lucid voice and knockout performance. Mark Vagenas as Chip Tolentino nails the lovesick look as his character pines for Coneybear's sister. Jarde Hagen as Mitch Mahoney never disappoints. It's Mitch's role to escort each losing speller off, and he creates drama with each exit. All sing and dance wonderfully. Norgeot's consummate choreography has never been better, especially on the standout "Pandemonium."

Musical director Robert Wilder and his band are hidden backstage but boy, can you hear them! This show is he complete package. James P. Byrne's set design leaves no doubt that you are on a school gymnasium stage, and all is embellished by Gregory Norgeot's lighting design and J Hagenbuckle's sound. Erin Mahoney is the sound board operator and stage manager Martha Paquin is the light bard operator.

Go and see this show! It's F-U-N and F-U-N-N-Y!

Details:

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"

At Harwich Junior Theatre through April 18

For information and reservations call 508-432-2002 or visit www.capetix.com.