All summer long, the girls in Activity Days have volunteered at the
Super Summer Theater at Spring Mountain Ranch. They have stuffed
programs, served popcorn and other concessions, picked up trash, guided
people to seats, and welcomed people to the show in exchange for a
picnic on the grass and a free seat up front to watch various plays. I
was able to join Katelyn on three of their shows--Oliver, Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Leader of the Pack. The shows were pretty good and the girls loved hanging out together, helping, and snuggling under the stars.
Oliver!
Oliver
was the first musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' book, Oliver Twist. The story is about an orphan boy who runs away from the orphanage and hooks up
with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor. Wrongly accused of a theft, Oliver meets a
more kindly gentleman who takes him in, to the concern of one of
Fagin's old pupils, the violent Bill Sykes. In the middle is Nancy,
Sykes' girl whom Oliver has come to trust.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
(with a little Vegas rock edge)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible. The show has little spoken dialogue; it is completely sung-through. In this retelling of the Biblical story, Joseph is a handsome young man
who is his father's favorite child, able to interpret dreams, and the
bearer of an amazing coat. These facts lead Joseph's eleven brothers to
become insatiably jealous. Thus, they sell Joseph into slavery to some
passing Ishmaelites. After refusing the advances of his owner's wife,
Joseph is sent to jail. Once in jail, he quickly becomes popular due to
his ability to interpret dreams. The Pharaoh soon hears of Joseph's
ability and appoints him to the post of Number Two man in Egypt. Years
later, Joseph's now starving brothers arrive in Egypt and ask Joseph,
whom they don't recognize, for assistance. Joseph, in turn, gives his
brothers a scare, but eventually grants them all they desire, reveals
his identity, and reunites the family.
My scouts helped out on this one
Leader of the Pack
This jukebox musical celebrates the life and times of the Brooklyn-born Ellie Greenwich, whose doo-wop sounds skyrocketed to the top of the pop charts in the early to mid-1960s. Darlene Love,
serving as a narrator, welcomes us to the 1980s and the still-present
popularity of songs from the 1960s.
Darlene tells the life story of Ellie Greenwich,
a teenage girl living in Levittown, New York. She dreams of her own
musical success, but is sidelined by her mother who wishes for her to
pursue a degree in education. In Ellie’s spare
time, she formed a trio with her two best friends, Shelley and Mickey,
called the Jivettes. The Jivettes are given a chance to record a single which they believe could be their big break.
Fast forward a few years later where Ellie, now finished with school,
attempts to get a job writing. There she meets a
fellow writer, Jeff Barry, and Gus Sharkey, a music producer.
Despite skepticism from Gus, Ellie writes and records her first hit
single. At an office
party celebrating her hit single, Ellie and Jeff meet again and begin
flirting with each other. They eventually start dating, get engaged and elope. Now they are married and work together professionally as an unstoppable team of songwriters.
Throughout the years, Jeff and Ellie are in the midst of receiving numerous awards for
their work, but it has become obvious their marriage is on the rocks.
Jeff wishes to settle down while they are at the top and start a family,
while Ellie wishes to continue working. This culminates into Jeff
breaking off the marriage since he and Ellie want different things. Ellie, still in love with Jeff and heartbroken over the separation,
refuses to let anybody know that the marriage dissolved.
A few years have passed and Ellie is still
writing music. She happens upon Jeff in Los Angeles on business and wants to reconcile. However, Jeff is already engaged and
settled in Los Angeles, much to Ellie’s shock. Not being able to cope with her personal tragedies, Ellie spirals into a
nervous breakdown. After a brief flash-forward into
the 1980s, we see a renewed adult Ellie Greenwich who is in control of
her life. As she teaches a master class, she
reflects back on some of her most famous work.
However, she is also reminded of her former life and husband when
telling about another one of her works. Ellie realizes
that she and Jeff’s issues are a thing of the past and that her life is
more successful than ever before. After reflecting on the life and times
of their friendship, Ellie realizes that, through triumph and turmoil,
she did make it in the end.
Lauren, Leanna, Sara, Paige, Julie, Katelyn
Throw Savannah in there too
As volunteers, we had to collect donations from the audience to support the ranch.
Me, Rachel, and Jen
