By Rebecca Do
This off-broadway musical-comedy was written by award-winning duo Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty who adapted it from Mike Butterworth’s novel, “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.”
Senior Roger Nguyen plays the lead, shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon, with passion and zeal. Witherspoon is sick and tired of his mundane life until he finds out his uncle has died. In a meeting with his uncle’s lawyer, he is given his will.
He is also gifted his taxidermied uncle in a wheelchair.
He’s promised six million dollars from his uncle. However, the inheritance is conditional; he must pass his uncle off as alive as they cruise through Monte Carlo, protecting the heart-shaped box in his uncle Tony’s lap with his life before the money is stolen by either his fierce, gun-toting ex-lover, Rita LaPorta (played by sophomore Sophia Pedersen), or donated to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.
During the dress rehearsal, scene one begins with the first of eighteen musical numbers, “Something Funny’s Going On.”
FVHS Theatre ran the rehearsal as if they were performing; every step is choreographed, “Lucky Stiff” in its current state is amazing in the sense of the word. A catchy soundtrack alongside the playful and emotive theatrics of the actors.
Arguably the most memorable part of the dress rehearsal was the 10th musical number, “Speaking French.”
The number is led by freshman Leo Cimo who plays the character Dominique du Monaco, a vivacious performer. The number is lively, showcasing cast chemistry in the most amusing way.
“During my song, I’d have to say my favorite part is when I talk to Annabel, who sits all alone. Domonique is so dramatic about it and she just shuts her up anytime she tries to say anything,” he continues. “It’s so fun to be able to play such a vivacious character because there’s a lot to work with, and I get to have fun with all of it throughout the entire show! She’s so comfortable with herself that I don’t have to limit most actions I make onstage,” Cimo says.
Scene two of the show begins with a reprise of the aforementioned “Something Funny’s Going On” number, transitioning into the 14th number, “Him, Them, It, Her,” where Rita, Harry, and Annabel express the reasons as to why they want his six million dollars. As the song says, they’re afraid to go “back to face the music, back to unemployment, back to being nothing.”
Senior Hailey Hosilyk plays Annabel Glick, the representative from the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn and surprisingly, Harry’s future lover.
“For my part, Annabel was written with a challenging singing part which is really hard but I love the challenge and being able to push myself to my limits. It’s really hard playing a character like Annabel because she never smiles and is always keeping it professional. It’s hard to stay in character when I just wanna laugh with my friends but always try to stay focused so the audience gets the story,” Hosilyk said.
Don’t miss out on FVHS Theatre’s unique take on a unique comedy farce. There are showings on Feb 3 and 4 at the FVHS amphitheater. You can purchase your tickets here.
