Elk Lake to stage “The Nifty Fifties”

BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLF

Wyoming County Press Examiner

DIMOCK TWP. - Poodle skirts, greased hair, soda jerks. They're all part of Elk Lake High School's fall production, "The Nifty Fifties."

The show will be presented on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7, starting at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

Tickets for the play are $3 each. Call the school at 278-1106 to reserve seats

The musical-comedy tribute to the 1950s is the story of rival cliques within a school. A teenage girl tries to get a rock-and-roll star to perform at a school dance, while another girl

 tries to sabotage her plans.

Meanwhile, there are humorous subplots involving the musician's manager, the owner of the soda shop where the dance is to be held, a biker and others.

Kelly Clark, a senior who plays "Gracie Stanley," the girl trying to get the dance going, said the show should be fun for the whole family to watch.

Clark said she loves the music and dancing and lively atmosphere that the show brings.

"It's very happy and peppy and upbeat," she said.

Her rival, the snobby "Muffin Mansfield," is played by sophomore Danielle Sterner. She said she likes her role because it is so out of character for her.

"It's being all in everyone's faces and being degrading to them. I'm having a lot of fun with it," Sterner said.

Adam Wood, a senior who plays "Donald Spinney," the self-proclaimed "best soda jerk in town," said the show enables the actors to go over the top and exaggerate their characters.

"He (the character) seems to be really funny and very sarcastic. It's probably the sarcasm that I love the most," Wood said.

Dereck Swingle is a junior who plays "George Bullock," the school's star athlete who is a bit on the shy side.

"Trying to play a shy guy is not my forte, but I'm getting better at it," Swingle said.

Director and faculty adviser Ina Bradish said the students are having a great time learning their roles.

She noted that one tricky part during rehearsals was getting the students to relate to the atmosphere of the '50s.

"We had a hard time staying in character," Bradish said. That was especially true during scenes when the actors had to ad-lib. Bradish said the kids had to pick up the language and the mannerisms that teenagers used during that era.

Even though the students weren't familiar with '50s-style music, either, Bradish said it suits them.

"The voices we have work very well with this music," she said.

One other factor that came up during rehearsals was that many of Bradish's assistants this year, such as the assistant director, choral director and accompanist, are newcomers to Elk Lake productions. It took a while for them to gel, she noted, but they are now working together well.

Others in the cast include Sarah Shuren, Samantha Stevens, Kayla Fuller, Jackie Clark, McKinzie Wallase, Douglas Brooks, Shanice Warner, Sarita Farnelli, Cameron White, Curtis Darling, James Newhart, Danny Addice, Samantha Malandri, Matt Mosier, Katie Cokely, Kyler DeGrote, Curtis Spila, Ben Townsend, Brandon Rogers, Seth Tewksbury, Samantha Boner, Devon Greenwood, Alicia Hunter, Natalie Newhart, Kelly Severcool, Emily Burns, Veronica Head, Vivian Mills, Rebecca Phillips and Megan Stevens.

Rita Spila is assistant director, Kathleen MacDonald is choral director, Melanie Transue is technical director, Dave Cooper is pit coordinator, and Erin Montross is the accompanist.