Just over a year ago First Stage Theatre Company staged Disney's High School Musical, and it was a tremendous success.
Playing the part of the dizzy drama teacher, Ms. Darbus, was my pal Debbie Wolfe - but these days she's moved on to bigger things. In November her husband, Kim Wolfe, was elected Mayor of Huntington, so Debbie's now the First Lady of our fair city!
A few weeks back she emailed me with a special request - she was planning the inauguration and wanted to see if some of the cast of the original "HSM" could reassemble at the event and reprise the song "We're All in This Together."
How could I say no? I contacted Assistant Director / Choreographer Amy Browning, and she agreed it would be a fun reunion, and she offered to re-teach the choreography to our returnees. Then I called Music Director Mark Smith, and he agreed to work with the cast to brush off the rust - and he also agreed to play at the event.
I emailed the cast and invited them to gather for a "brush-up" rehearsal (which was going to be a challenge, since it was during the holiday season), and last Tuesday about eight of our actors gathered to refresh their memories on the song and dance steps.
Then Friday afternoon a dozen cast members (including virtually all the lead actors) gathered at City Hall for another brush rehearsal - and then they performed as the final act at the inauguration - and I must say, they did an amazing job!
They weren't the only members of First Stage involved - Debbie's son John Wolfe, who starred in quite a few First Stage shows and now attends school and performs at BYU, sang a song at the inauguration, and board member Clint McElroy appeared in character as Collis P. Huntington, the city's founder.
All in all, it was a lot of fun - a real family affair! Congrats to Kim, Debbie and the entire Wolfe pack!
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