Children's theater troupe stages 'Flapper'

8/2/2012
BY JULIE NJAIM
BLADE STAFF WRITER
From left, Larissa Barman as Susan Stuyvestant Fish, Ben Davies as Buck Wayne, Megan Wax as Polly Pepper, Allie Dembicki as Mrs. Granville, Ryan Book as the Duke, and the cast of ‘Flapper.’
From left, Larissa Barman as Susan Stuyvestant Fish, Ben Davies as Buck Wayne, Megan Wax as Polly Pepper, Allie Dembicki as Mrs. Granville, Ryan Book as the Duke, and the cast of ‘Flapper.’

PEMBERVILLE -- Flapper Polly Pepper saves the day and becomes a stage star this weekend when Pemberville Children's Theatre Workshop presents Flapper at the Pemberville Opera House.

Megan Wax, as Polly, will soon inherit an expensive diamond necklace from her aunt. Ben Davies as Buck Wayne, Polly's boyfriend, is thrilled for her.

Gangsters and con artists are itching to get their hands on this necklace. Ryan Book and Angelique Franks, as the Duke and Duchess, are two of the key schemers looking to swindle Polly's aunt.

About 40 young actors will bring the roaring 1920s to life as they portray colorful characters, dance, and sing in this Tim Kelly production. "The music is a lot of fun. We have some very talented kids and they've worked really hard," said director Angie Patchett.

For the past eight weeks, the student actors from Pemberville, Toledo, Woodville, Luckey, and Bowling Green have been learning about comedic timing, accents, dance, and an unforgettable era in American history.

"I chose Flapper because it was a larger cast with several medium-size roles. We've grown from 14 kids in our first audition to over 40 auditioning this year," Patchett said.

"Flapper" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Pemberville Opera House. 115 Main St., Pemberville. Matinee performances are at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. An old-fashioned ice cream social will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday outside the opera house. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 15 and younger. Tickets are available at Beeker's General Store, 226 E. Front St., Pemberville. Information: 419-287-4848 or pembervilleoperahouse.org.

Elvis in the House

SANDUSKY -- Sterling Pollaro as Elvis Presley performs Saturday in a dinner theater production of The Impossible Dream at Sandusky State Theatre in Sandusky.

This tribute takes the audience to Elvis' Las Vegas days. Pollaro is backed by a band and vocalists as he channels the legacy of the music icon who stole the hearts of women around the world.

"The Impossible Dream" will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday in Sandusky State Theatre, 107 Columbus Ave., Sandusky. Tickets for the show only range from $15 to $25. Tickets for the dinner and show are $33 to $43. Information: 419-626-1950 or sanduskystate.com.

Singleton Revival

MAUMEE -- Actor Roger Scott Jackson brings his one-man parody Revival today to the Maumee Indoor Theatre.

As Brother Sam Singleton, atheist evangelist, the participatory revival meeting is one of four one-man shows Jackson has presented in more than 100 cities throughout the country since 2008.

"Revival" will be performed at 7 p.m. today in the Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St., Maumee. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Information: 419-897-8901 or samsingleton.com.

Golden Ticket

MONTPELIER, Ohio -- The Williams County Community Theater Children's Workshop will present three performances this weekend of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Montpelier theater. About 23 children will bring to life the adventures of Charlie Bucket, who finds a golden ticket and wins a tour through the magical chocolate factory owned and operated by the eccentric Willy Wonka.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Montpelier Theater, 501 S. East Ave., Montpelier. Tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for children. Information: 419-636-6400 or williamscountycommunitytheatre.com.

World travelers

EDINBURGH -- Notre Dame Academy Theatre Arts Program students and recent graduates Sunday will open Deadly Medley at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

The Toledo school was chosen from more than 1,600 high schools in the United States and Canada to perform at the world's largest arts festival. They will perform the comedic look at Shakespeare's plays five times in five days.

Edinburgh is transformed into a city of stages with performances in churches, city parks, conference rooms, playgrounds. The festival features about 2,000 performances of music, theater, comedy, and dance. Notre Dame students and 2012 graduates performing in Edinburgh are: Sarah Orchard, Molly Martindale, April Varner, Alexandra Davis, Natasha Foley, Marisa Napoli, Indra Andreshak, Juliet Hudson, Megan O'Toole, and Tori Zajac.

Please send theater items at least two weeks in advance to jnjaim@theblade.com.