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Rainstorm fails to dampen spirits of 'Caught in Net' cast
She gave me that advice two weeks before the theater got its brand new roof, a necessity after the heavy rainstorm on April 16 damaged the old one beyond repair - "It literally curled over onto itself like a taco shell," I heard - and caused water to flood two sections of the main auditorium.
Today, everything's in tip-top condition again, meaning dry as ever and ready for "Caught in the Net" to start its three-week run. As the rain fell, though, Fitchett could have listed innumerable ways she'd rather kick off a season. With a $100,000 foundation grant, for instance.
"You gotta laugh to keep from crying," added the artistic director, whose spirits were dampened, too, because water destroyed the piano and drenched sections of carpeting and flooring.
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Teamwork made the debacle much easier to bear. Property manager Leigh Ann Frohnapfel and "Net" director Art DeConciliis discovered the flooding and were the first people to shift into emergency mode. Then managing director Rob Fitchett called Little Lake's technical wizard and go-to guy, Nathan Bell, who climbed onto the roof and inspected the damage before Rob and Sunny got in touch with their insurance agent.
Flooding or no flooding, the show must go on.
And it did, for hours. While the eight-man disaster team sent by the insurance company worked past midnight temporarily patching what was left of the old roof and setting up fans and dehumidifiers inside, the actors proved that come hell or high water (especially high water), they are troupers. Would a flood have stopped Olivier, Merman, Brando or the Redgraves?
"Through all of this, Art and his 'Caught in the Net' cast continued to rehearse," Sunny said. "It was very funny watching the disaster team guys cut across the stage, totally unaware that they were in the midst of a British farce. Ray Cooney would have loved it!"
Rob Gorman, portraying a man with two wives and one anxiety-inducing predicament, remembers the scene as "chaotic" yet also as a suitable complement to the play's frenetic pace. A farce, said the actor, "requires everything to barrel ahead like a bullet train, or the whole thing pretty much falls apart." Just like life, Rob?
Gorman appears with Mary Liz Meyer, Renée Ruzzi-Kern, Bob Rak, Paul Laughlin, Courtney Neville and Danny Bradley in "Caught in the Net," which runs through May 22. For reservations, call the box office at 724-745-6300.
Fantasy coming true
As I mentioned in this space a few months ago, director Stephen Santa has been developing his concept for the Old Schoolhouse Players' production of "Into the Woods" since 2004.
Now, with Stephen Sondheim's musical fantasy opening Friday night at the Mt. Pleasant Township Community Center in Hickory, how does he feel being the guy who - the legendary Sondheim notwithstanding - made it all happen?
Excited, overjoyed, on cloud nine, etc. Yet Santa never expected "to see the actual production exceed what's been swirling around in my head all these years," he said. "It's come to life better than I could have ever dreamed."
Everyone involved in "Into the Woods" rose to the challenges presented by Sondheim's intricate score and James Lapine's Brothers Grimm-inspired book, the director added. He describes the cast as "unbelievably talented and dedicated," and he's also grateful to Mark Muzopappa for designing a set so "gorgeous" that "it made my jaw drop to the floor."
Back in February, Santa gave me a partial cast list. Now I can report that Sara Barbisch, Dale Irvin, Leah Dyer, Jim Auld, Valerie Quayle, Brian Barbisch, Justin Zeno, Laura Paterra, Julianne Avolio, Michael Harris, Meghan Child, Joyce Miller, Gretchen Eischen, Krissy Penn, Amber Mikec, Dan Casciato, Rob James and Rick Bryant form the entire group.
"Into the Woods" continues through May 16, with a special offer during the run. On Mother's Day, all moms will be admitted at no charge as long as each one is accompanied by someone who has paid for a ticket. For reservations, call 724-344-7467.
Doug Shanaberger covers theater for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at ds7f@andrew.cmu.edu.
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