Saturday, May 17, 2014

SING AND DANCE IN BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES

Sit up straight and make sure your homework is neat and complete because the priest and nuns at St Bastien's School are ready to call attendance.  If you
were ever a student at Catholic school, memories will come flooding back as Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury presents "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" until Sunday, June 15.

With book by John R. Powers and music and lyrics by James Quinn and Alaric Jans, this musical is guaranteed to have you brushing up on your Saints and watching out so you don't commit any sins.  The show features eight youngsters living in Chicago as they learn their Catechism, get a few knuckles hit with a ruler and discover how to be good people.  Their story goes from elementary school to high school graduation and beyond, starting in the 1950's.

Come meet Will Holly as Eddie and Alexandria Howley as Becky as they struggle to find common ground as friends first and maybe something more later.  Their rocky road relationship runs through the classroom and follows them out the door into adulthood.

Joining them are Kelsey Beckett as Nancy, Lauren Devine as Mary, Brett Bainer as Felix, John Lampe as Mike, Pamela McKenna as Virginia and Boe Wank as Louie.  Supervising their religious education and moral upbringing are James Donohue as Father and Patricia Bartlett, Andrea Gallo, Kadie Tolderlund and Theresa Amico as the good Sisters.

Watch puppy love transform into something more as these kids grow up and mature and learn about life and discover everything you do becomes part of your permanent record (and there's no such thing as Facebook yet).  One strict rule the nuns teach is for the girls to wear undies under their plaid school uniform so their black patent leather shoes don't reflect up. 

Between the growing pains and adolescent years, there's a lot of snappy dancing and sweet and funny moments:  think a Catholic school version of "Glee."  Semina De Laurentis directs this charming visit back to a gentler time, in a show that broke attendance records in both Chicago and Philadelphia.

For tickets ($33-47.50, student $25, children $17), call Seven Angels, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at www.sevenangelstheatre.org.  Performances are Thursday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Bunny hop on over to the Seven Angels for school instruction in this cute coming of age musical.

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