I remember watching the movie Delovely years ago. It's a fictional biopic of Cole Porter and his relationship with his wife, Linda Lee Thomas. It's also a musical that showcases many of Cole Porter's most popular songs; including many of the songs from this show. The first time I heard Robbie Williams sing "It's Delovely" for the movie, I fell in love with Cole Porter's music and realized that he had written a lot more than people realized. Many popular Frank Sinatra songs such as "Night and Day" were written by Cole Porter.
In this show alone you will find multiple hits such as "Anything Goes", " I Get a Kick Out of You", "Blow, Gabriel, Blow", and many more. What drew me to this particular musical is the wit and comedy of the characters, and, of course, the music itself. It has such high energy and vigor that one hardly knows what to do with it. The characters are quirky and strange, and at the center of it, there's three different love stories taking place; each in their own unique way. And isn't that how love is in real life? Each relationship is unique and not the same by any means. Each couple determines what the acceptable "terms" are for their relationship and strive to make it work. This was the case with Cole Porter and his wife, but I'll let you research that on your own.
This show has been an absolute pleasure to direct and put together. What you, the audience, do not get to see is the hard work and dedication of a very talented group of students. They designed the set (Addisyn Coffey and Clover Chacon), managed the show (Zoey Dietzel and Lindsey Pfirrman), chorographed the show (Abbi Miller, Kaleb Velazquez-Fisk, Haleiy Bruce, and Candi Walker), built the set (4th and 5th period tech theatre) programmed the lights (Logan Gomes), organized the mics and sound elements (Zachary Bowers), managed and altered the costumes (October Gatmaitan and her army of costumers), created the wigs (Aryonna Drawdy and Emily Ortner), and so many more. This year has been an absolute blessing with these students at the helm. I would not have survived the challenges of this year without them. They love what they do and that comes through in every aspect of this show. It has come through every aspect of every performance this year.
Thank you, parents, friends, and family for allowing these young artists (both on stage and off) to shine their brightest! Thank you for supporting them, encouraging them, and giving them the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves. An opportunity that will not only create life long memories, but one that will also teach them valuable skills for the greater challenge of every day life. Thank you for being here and supporting this program and these students!
Gina Barber
Director
