The old adage that “the show must go on” was really put to the test last week when a power outage struck parts of Riverside on Wednesday, July 25 – the opening night performance of a production presented by the Riverside Township Junior Theater Guild.
Appropriately, or inappropriately as the case may, be the musical was titled Lucky Lady and, at curtain time, the lights were out in the auditorium of the Riverside Township Hall – which also meant there would be no air conditioning. Yikes!
With theater-goers beginning to line up outside the building, Guild directors Jeanne Sheehan and Darel Glaser thought they may have to go into a Plan B mode, with a possibility of using someone’s garage as the venue.
However, lady luck came through and, after a delay, the show was a go. Made me think of the old Mickey Rooney movies where they we see a barn and say, “We’re going to have a show.”
The show had all the elements of a good musical – toe-tapping tunes, good-looking fresh young faces, clever dialogue and a story line with a happy ending where the girl gets the guy and vice versa. A good time for all.
Lucky Lady, billed as “a musical fable of Broadway,” was the latest collaboration between Glaser and Sheehan as part of their summer theater camp. They, along with with Director Debbie Alm, offer the camp for area youngsters who enjoy the “smell of greasepaint and the roar of the crowd.”
The actors go through their paces learning lines, dance routines and song lyrics. Many of the actors come back to participate year after year. And for some, like Jacob Palka, the 2012 camp was his last.
Palka, a 2012 graduate of Riverside-Brookfield High School, is bound for Ball State University (alma mater of David Letterman). He has appeared in numerous Sheehan and Glaser shows, as well as high school productions. He was also involved in forming an improv group at the school, Palka seemed a bit nostalgic after the Thursday night final performance.
While the curtain may have closed for this summer we can only hope that Jeanne Sheehan and Darel Glaser already have something in mind for the Guild for next summer.
The two are talented individuals both on stage and behind the scenes and have shared their expertise with many including local youngsters. Now that’s a real stroke of luck!
