Those who participated in the Montour Theare Productions’ recent performances of “On the Town” devoted themselves to practice, practice and more practice for months on end to be able to put on a show worthy of all the audience’s amusement and applause.
The production took place April 16-19 at the Montour High School auditorium. With a rather exciting start, the audience was transported to the heart of New York City by the upbeat music and initial dancers who shared the sleepy but thrilling day most townsfolk are used to, not that that atmosphere stopped the three male leads Ozzie, Chip and Gabey from having the best 24 hours possible.
One thing was for certain: the students at the Montour Theatre Department thoroughly dedicated themselves not just to their roles but also to each other as they performed on stage. Each step was choreographed so thoroughly that the students seemed in sync every moment they were on stage. The control these students gained with practice created the balance to sing with enthusiasm and yet still have the ability to dance with that passion as well. Not once did their voices falter throughout the entirety of their performance.
While the actors had a prominent role in the continuous lively production, stage crew really allowed the students on stage to shine. The sound effects were on point with each time a cup was filled with water and the lights fit in perfectly with each scene, such as when the police officer hunting the sailors and their love interests walked off stage but his blue and red lights still frantically and desperately searched for the six people causing the chaos being left behind.
Perhaps it was the humorous repetitive lines throughout the musical or the realistic costumes and setting that made the production even more enthralling. Maybe it was the way the actors’ dancing resembled their actions like the taxi scene with Chip (Wyatt Bucek) and Hildy (Adalyn Bell), the museum scene with Ozzie (Jack Bingham) and Claire de Loone (Abigal Erwin) or the dream-like scenes starring Gabey (Aiden Valdisera) and Ivy Smith (Jillian Kirkbride).
Regardless, the students presented a production that captured the audience’s attention, which created enjoyment and spread laughter throughout the auditorium.
With music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on an idea by Jerome Robbins, the show was directed by Cameron M. Ashbaugh-McKenzie, with choreography by Dr. Amanda J. Olmstead and music direction by Lindsay Bosco.
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