Wheatley drama teacher Rick Leidenfrost-Wilson said he was trying to come up with a way to highlight the talent at the school when he came up with the idea of a production of “Gypsy” for the high school’s spring musical
“It really showcases the powerhouse talent we have right now,” Leidenfrost-Wilson said before a recent rehearsal.
He said he also likes the spirit of the show and the messages the story line conveys about the highs and lows of the entertainment business.
“It’s an incredibly fun show about show business, its heartaches and the dreams it can inspire,” Leidenfrost-Wilson said
The show is a trove of memorable tunes written by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”, “Small World”, “Some People” and “Let Me Entertain You”.
The story, based on the memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, tells the story of an overbearing stage mother, Rose, who pushes her two young daughters, June and Lee, into a vaudeville career in the early 1920s.
When June grows older, she breaks away from her mother by eloping with another performer. Rose accidentally books the shy younger daughter, Lee, into a burlesque house where the daughter takes a quick primer from the club’s strippers and steps into an unintended spotlight to eventually become a renowned performer.
“You pretty much transform into that stripper in the course of a number,” said Wheatley senior Caitlin Calio, a veteran of the Wheatley stage who is herself aiming for a career in musical theater.
“It’s interesting because both daughters get sucked into this,” she said of “Gypsy.” “It’s something you have to want because there are times when you won’t have any money or anywhere to go.”
Two actors, Wheatley seniors Chelsea Wolgel and Taylor Brahms, will both be playing the part of Rose on alternate nights in Wheatley’s “Gypsy”.
“It’s a real dream come true. It’s been a great experience the whole way through,” Wolgel said. “It’s a really challenging role, with full-on acting and full-on dancing.”
Wolgel is planning to pursue a major in business at Boston University in the fall, but said theater will always be part of her life.
For Brahms, who studies musical theater at the Long Island High School for the Arts, it’s a part she never imagined for herself.
“I never really picture myself playing this part until I had an opportunity to think about it,” she said. “I’m enjoying working with other actors who are so talented.”
She said she’s also enjoying the music in the show and the process of developing the aggressive character of Rose.
“As an actress I try to draw from things in my own life that make me crazy and work with that,” Brahms said. “She’s fun to play, but it is a lot of pressure.”
The curtain goes up on Wheatley’s “Gypsy” on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., with performances at the same time on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday as well.
Tickets are $10 and free for senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased on the East Williston School District website at https://ewsdonline.org/District/5589-Untitled.html.
