The One that Westport Wants: Standing Ovation for Staples Players - GREASE Performances Continue
(click to enlarge) As the Staples Players took to their final number, members of the audience took to their feet in a standing ovation for the Players show. All photos by WestportLocal.com(click to enlarge) WestportLocal.com photoThe music of Grease filled the Staples High School corridors Sunday afternoon as the Staples Players continued their on-stage performance of the seventies classic.
Last Spring the Staples Players celebrated their return to the stage - after over two years - during their opening night of Words, Words, Words… and Music; the socially-distant audience was capped at 1/3 capacity.
With 100% capacity approved for Grease, the Players’ opening night on Thursday celebrated a full audience for the first time since 2019.
The anticipated magic that the Players are known for brought a tangible feeling of excitement before Sunday afternoon’s performance; some of the younger audience members couldn’t even remember their last Staples show without social distancing separating them from their neighbors.
(click to enlarge) WestportLocal.com photoHowever when the house lights dimmed, the packed house greeted the performers as they took to the stage. The energy was electrifying (no, not hydromatic) as the dozens of Westport teens danced, sang, and coiffed their hair to the toe-tapping families below. Through special effects, lighting, and pure talent - the hundreds in attendance were unknowingly transformed back to the 1950s for the remainder of their Sunday.
With Grease, the Staples Players continue to add another layer of “getting back to normal” for Westport; the community converged on the local high school auditorium while taking time to catch up with friends and neighbors seated near them or during the show’s intermission.
Another local tradition revived.
Due to popular demand, the Players added an additional feature of the show for this Thursday night. Tickets are still available, with all funding going to support the widely renowned acting group and the work that they do. All audience members must be masked while indoors, and must present proof of COVID-10 vaccination or testing.
For more information, visits staplesplayers.com.
Haiku Moment with Westport’s Poet Laureate
A Haiku Moment with Westport’s Poet Laureate: Diane Lowman
What’s your mood today
Much calmer than yesterday
Capricious shoreline
In the Dark of Night - Al’s Angels Volunteers Prepare Christmas Light Tradition on the Cribari Bridge
Starting just after 1:00 this morning, a half-dozen Al’s Angels volunteers and AJ Penna Construction workers flipped the switch to the Cribari Memorial Bridge - illuminating thousands of LED Christmas lights as part of the annual check and repairs. The bridge was closed for several hours while the volunteers inspected each light strand, assuring that bulbs were lit and without damage. Due to the lights being affixed to the 137 year old bridge year-round, strands and bulbs are routinely cut or damaged by vehicle mirrors and bumpers and the routine opening of the swing bridge.
After just a few hours, the bridge was confirmed as ready for it’s official lighting on November 26th at the Bridge Lighting Festival at the Saugatuck Rowing and Fitness Club. The Christmas light display over the river has become an annual Saugatuck tradition - something both locals and visitors travel to see, and drive through, each holiday season. Al’s Angels volunteers have donated and put up the lights for decades with the goal of bringing light into the lives of local children and families. Click here for more information about the Bridge Lighting Festival .
Coleytown Company Kids, Broadway Stars, and a Live Audience Celebrate the Return to the Stage; Tickets Still Available
Members of the Coleytown Company and a live audience will return to the middle school’s auditorium for the first time in over three years with their production of All Together Now.
All Together Now is a worldwide celebration organized by Music Theater International - who is allowing participating theater groups to use their musical revue songs free of charge. As the world continues to climb out of the pandemic era lockdowns, the licensing agency decided the donation of the popular musical hits for one weekend only is a way for organizations to fundraise and promote their performing arts centers’ re-openings.
Broadway Star Aimee Turner and Coleytown Company Director Ben FrimmerSo with the usually expensive licensing fees waived and rehearsals complete, Coleytown Company will join over 2,500 other theaters and over one million audience members across the globe Saturday as the kids sing and dance their way back into the spotlight. However they won’t do this alone, as ten Broadway stars have signed on to perform with the local middle schoolers for the one-night-only audience.
The curtain’s opening will be extra special for the Coleytown community. Although lockdowns affected the word in early 2020, Coleytown Company was shuttered even earlier after their building was closed for emergency renovations in September of 2018. After over three years, the students returned to a new school and new way of learning - something Coleytown Company Director and Theater Arts Educator Ben Frimmer had to compete with as he directed kids who had never experienced the Coleytown stage before. Through intensive rehearsals and with a minimal budget, the crew is ready to welcome audiences tomorrow both in person and through a virtual stream.
Click here to purchase tickets for tomorrow night’s performance and to support the Coleytown Company and their dedication to the musical theater tradition in Westport.
