|
Meet The Cast
High
Society
- A Musical
Book by Arthur Kopit
Lyrics and Music by
Cole Porter
Additional Lyrics by
Susan Birkenhead
Based on “The
Philadelphia Story” by Philip Barry
& The Turner Entertainment Co. Motion Picture “High Society”
September 4-14,
2008
Directed
By James Grenelle
Music Director Alexis
Roberts
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
“What a swell-egant, elegant party this is!”
It
is always a terrific experience working with talented people; from
Alexis and her never-ending patience to the outstanding and dedicated
cast whom I am proud to work with, to the impeccable prop team of Ro and
Thom and the always fabulous orchestra, most of whom I have worked with
for many years. The design team of Jim Demetrius, Stacey Lehmann and
Colleen Boylan have taken the ideas and pictures in my head and
transferred them to the stage and made them beautiful.
I would be remiss if I
didn’t thank Stefanie, who more many hats during this production and
assisted with costumes, ran dance rehearsals and made me smile. I am
always lost without Colleen who keeps me organized and keeps backstage
running smoothly, not to mention has taken over the job of Lighting
Designer with ease and eagerness…a true professional.
This is a personal show
for me as “The Philadelphia Story” was the first show I worked on when
moving to Florida twenty-two years ago, and it has always had a special
place in my heart. I hope you leave here today/tonight humming the
unforgettable Porter tunes and taking with you a bit of that
“swell-egant” feeling I felt twenty-two years ago. Enjoy!
Meet the Directors
 Grenelle, James (Director) - James is thrilled to
be back at Francis Wilson Playhouse,
directing another
show. Past FWP directing credits include: Sweet Charity, The Man Who
Came to Dinner, Anything Goes, Oliver!,
The Unsinkable
Molly Brown, and Thoroughly
Modern Millie.
Onstage, James has been lucky to play roles like Bobby in Crazy For
You, The Emcee in Cabaret, Benjy in My Favorite Year,
Bobby in A Chorus Line, Bud in How to
Succeed,
Smudge in Forever Plaid, and Charlie in Tintypes. High
Society holds a special
place for James
as The Philadelphia Story was the first production he was a part
of when he moved here over 20 years ago. He would like to thank his
wonderful cast and crew, Lexy, Dianna, his mom, Colleen, and his loving
and patient fiancé, Brian.
 Roberts, Alexis (Music
Director) -
A newcomer to FWP, Alexis has filled a variety of roles in local
theatre: music directing, keyboards, acting, stage managing, costumes,
props and crew! Recent shows include Wait Until Dark, Little Shop of
Horrors, Standing on the Corner, Two by Two, Cinderella, The Rocky
Horror Show, Come Blow Your Horn, Fawlty Towers, and various shows
with Whacky Tales. She also teaches piano and music lessons. She sends
a HUGE thank you to the cast and crew for doing such a great job, a
giant thank you to James, with whom it has been a pleasure to work, and
thanks to Jason and her family and friends, who are continually
supportive.
Cast of Characters (in
order of appearance)
The Servants
Peg, the upstairs
maid----------------------------------------
Ellie LeVine
Arthur, a
butler----------------------------------------------------
Colin Taylor
Polly, the downstairs
maid----------------------------------- Erin
Clauer
Sunny, a scullery
maid-------------------------------------
Katie DeHetre
Stanley, the house boy--------------------------------
Cengiz Dokumaci
Patsy, the
cook-----------------------------------------------
Karen Cameron
Margaret
Lord-----------------------------------------------------
Elaine Coffin
Dinah
Lord--------------------------------------------------------
Aubrey Cheek
Tracy Samantha Lord----------------------------------
Stefanie Lehmann
Uncle
Willie-----------------------------------------------------
Mitchell LeVine
C. K. Dexter
Haven------------------------------------------
James Grenelle
Mike
Connor--------------------------------------------------------
Craig Ruska
Liz Imbrie---------------------------------------------------------
Stephanie Fox
George Kittredge-------------------------------------------------
Paul Gibson
Seth
Lord--------------------------------------------------------
David Middleton
Production Staff
Director/Choreographer----------------------------------
James Grenelle
Musical Director-----------------------------------------------
Alexis Roberts
Stage Manager------------------------------------------------
Colleen Boylan
Producer----------------------------------------------------------
Dianna Hanger
Dance Captain---------------------------------------------
Stefanie Lehmann
Costumes------------------------- Stefanie
Lehmann & Stacie Lehmann
Set Design, Artistry & Construction---------------
James Demetrius
Props-----------------------------------------------
Ro Grenelle & Thom Duke
Lighting
Design-----------------------------------------------
Colleen Boylan
Lighting/Sound Technician------------------------------
Dianna Hanger
First
Nighters
Patti Baldwin –
Chairperson
Synopsis
The
entire action takes place in and around Seth Lord’s waterfront estate in
Oyster Bay, Long Island on a glorious Saturday in June, 1938
ACT
ONE
Scene One: Outside the Lord’s house; early morning
High
Society................................................................
Servants
Scene Two: Tracy’s bedroom; after her morning ride
Ridin’
High....................................................... Tracy &
Servants
Scene Three: The Veranda; breakfast
Throwing a Ball
Tonight........ Tracy, Dinah, Uncle Willie,
Mrs. Lord
Scene Four: Dinah’s Nursery; later the same day
Little
One........................................................... Dexter
& Dinah
Little One
(Reprise)......................... Dexter
Scene Five: The South Parlor, the sort of rooms where
treaties are signed
Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire?.................... Liz, Mike & Servants
I Love
Paris..........................................................
Dinah & Tracy
Tennis.........................................................................
Servants
Scene Six: The Lord’s swimming pool
She’s Got That
Thing.................. Dexter, Uncle Willie, &
Servants
She’s Got That Thing
(Reprise)......................................
Servants
Scene Seven: The same; later.
Once Upon a
Time..........................................................
Dexter
I Worship
You................................................................
George
Finale Act One/True
Love............... Dexter, Tracy & Servants
ACT TWO
Scene One: Outside Uncle Willie’s House; four a.m.
Opening, Act
Two.........................................................
Servants
Scene Two: Uncle Willie’s House; immediately following
Let’s
Misbehave.................................. Tracy,
George, & Servants
I’m Getting Myself Ready
For You......................Liz & Uncle Willie
Servants
Misbehave.....................................................
Servants
Scene Three: Dexter’s House,
Across an inlet from Willie’s; a little later
Just One of Those
Things................................................
Dexter
Scene Four: Wooded Grounds of Uncle Willie’s House;
near five a.m.
Well Did You Evah?...............
Tracy, Liz, Uncle Willie & Servants
Scene Five: the same; moments later
You’re
Sensational............................................................
Mike
Say it With
Gin.......................................................
Uncle Willie
Ridin’ High
(Reprise).....................................Margaret
& Servants
It’s
All Right With Me........................................................
Tracy
Let’s Misbehave
(Reprise).............................................
Servants
Scene Six: Rear Terrace of the Lord’s Mansion; very late
He’s a Right
Guy..................................................................
Liz
Scene Seven: The Terrace; the next morning
Wedding
Bells.............................................................
Servants
Finale Act
Two.............................. Tracy, Dexter &
the Company
 Cameron,
Karen (Patsy) is thrilled to be back at FWP in
High Society. She has been seen in
Hello Dolly (CCP),
Bells Are Ringing (FWP), as
Miss Flannery in Thoroughly Modern
Millie (FWP) and Mame
(EOT). Thanks to James and the wonderful cast and crew for a fun
experience. My love and appreciation to my family, especially my
children - Courtney, Catherine and Ryan, my wonderful friends, and
Matthew.
 Cheek,
Aubrey (Dinah Lord)
- A 14 year old from Safety Harbor, Aubrey has had a great time working
with this terrific cast. Favorite credits include: The Sound of
Music (Marta-EOT), Oliver! (FWP, Lary Award), Francis
Wilson, The Musical (Margalo-FWP), and Fiddler on the Roof (Shprintze-TSPAC).
When not acting, she also enjoys dancing, reading, crafting, and going
to school. Thanks to James, Alexis, and Colleen for a swellegant time!
 Clauer,
Erin (Polly)
is glad to be back at FWP where she was last seen in Sweet Charity
as the Good Fairy/Elaine. Other credits include: Pippin
(Catherine), The Fantasticks (The Mute), and It’s a Wonderful
Life (Cousin Tilly). At FSU she was in the Women’s Glee Club and
AcaBelles, a female a cappella group. A former Disney Cast Member, she
sang in Epcot’s Candlelight Processional. Much love and thanks to her
family, friends and especially Craig for all the support.
 Coffin,
Elaine (Margaret Lord)
first met director James Grenelle when he was in high school and played
her son in an FWP production of Second Time Around. And, as a
good son and director, he has been casting her as “mom” in productions
ever since! Thanks James! Elaine sends her love to Mario and to her
favorite girls, Wendy, Ella, Wini, and Genevieve.
 DeHetre, Katie (Sunny) is a 20 year old Clearwater native. She
is very happy to be back on stage. She was recently in the backstage
crew for Sweet Charity. Other recent acting credits include
Anne Frank at SPLT, and Narrator for Joseph and Technicolor
Dreamcoat at Tarpon Springs. She would like to thank the cast and
crew for a wonderful time! Love to my daddy and wonderful Keith. Most
love to James and Colleen who are superheroes.
 Dokumaci,
Cengiz (Stanley) – Cengiz is glad to be back at FWP. He appeared last in Sweet
Charity (Charlie), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Bun-Foo) and
Bells Are Ringing. He would like to thank James for letting him be
the houseboy again.
 Fox,
Stephanie (Elizabeth Imbrie) – Stephanie is happy to be back again at FWP
after performing in last season’s Sweet Charity. She hopes to be
involved in many more shows here.
 Gibson,
Paul (George Kittredge) – Paul is thrilled to be making his FWP debut. Recent roles
include South Pacific (Captain Brockett) with Clearwater City
Players, Chess (Anatoly) and Man of La Mancha
(Cervantes/Don Quixote) with Richey Suncoast Theater, Pajama Tops
(George) with Early Bird Dinner Theater, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia
Wolfe? (George) and Death of a Salesman (Charley) with Stage
West.
 Lehmann, Stefanie
(Tracy Samantha Lord)
- Stefanie is a senior in the Pinellas County
Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School
and is excited to be back at FWP after performing in
Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Recent productions include EOT's The
Fantasticks
and Gaslight;
PCCA's Hello Dolly,
Stagedoor, and
The Crucible; and SPLT's
City of Angels and
My Way. She is thrilled to
be working with such a "swellegant" group of individuals, and sends a
big kiss to James, her parents, the cast, crew, and all of her angels.
 LeVine,
Ellie (Peg) – Ellie was last seen at FWP as the grumpy, cane-toting old lady
on the subway in Bells Are Ringing. She is happy to be sharing
the stage once again with real life hubby, Mitchell; having played wife
Ester to his Noah, in SPLT’s Two By Two. She and Mitchell wish
to thank the entire theatre community for their love and support during
their recent difficult times. Because of all of you, WE’RE BAAAAACK!
 LeVine,
Mitchell (Uncle Willie) – Mitch is reprising his role as a drunk from Rose Marie.
He recently was seen in SPLT’s Two By Two where he played Noah,
known again for his tendency to imbibe. He is clearly in a rut, but he
seems to be capturing all these roles, so if you happen to need a drunk,
he can be contacted through the Grapevine!
  Middleton,
David (Seth Lord) – This is David’s third appearance as an actor on the FWP stage.
He has also directed several productions for our theatre, as well as for
SPLT, Island Community Theatre and the former Oakhurst Theatre Company.
David is semi-retired and thoroughly enjoys his active participation in
Community Theater.
 
Ruska, Craig
(Mike Connor)
– Craig is thrilled to be back with FWP after his recent performance as
Oscar in Sweet Charity. He has performed with numerous theater
companies in the Bay area. Other favorite roles include Sid in The
Pajama Game, Man 1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,
and Bobby in Company. He would like to thank James, Alexis, Emi,
his family, the wonderful cast, crew and especially Erin.
Taylor, Colin (Arthur)
- Colin is excited to be returning to the FWP stage. He was last seen
in the ensemble of both Thoroughly Modern Millie and Sweet
Charity. He has also been busy doing tech for shows at SPLT, EOT,
and West Coast Players. He would like to thank James and Alexis for
giving him the opportunity, and his parents for always being so
supportive.
 Boylan, Colleen (Stage Manager) - This is Colleen’s 14th show at FWP! She most
recently worked backstage on Sweet Charity, Bells Are Ringing
and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and was seen onstage as Laura in
The Glass Menagerie at WCP. Special thanks to Chris, David and
James for helping her deal with her crazy schedule!
Lehmann, Stacie (Costumer)
- Stacie is pleased to be costuming this talented cast. She
has been involved with costuming for Gypsy,
Diary of Anne Frank, and Red Hot & Cole at SPLT in addition
to being on the Board of Directors, Executive Board,
Apprentice Coordinator, and Costume
Chair. Recently she co-produced Diary of
Anne Frank and Wait Until Dark;
and costumed EOT’s The
Fantasticks. Thank you to Stefanie who is “my style and
period consultant.”
|
