A sleazebag capitalist who cuts corners on safety regulations, a nosy reporter trying to expose him and a nun with a gambling addiction are just a few of the over-the-top characters in Faribault High School’s spring musical.
“Disaster!” is a two-hour parody of classic disaster movies from the 1970s, often poking fun at the unrealistic scenarios found in the old films. The comedic production opens Thursday night and caps off its four-day run with a matinee on Sunday afternoon.
The musical takes place on opening night for New York City’s first-ever casino boat. The casino’s owner, Tony, does his best to keep his customers calm as a series of natural and manmade disasters take their toll on the boat and its guests.
“Tony is a sleazebag,” said FHS senior Thatcher Simon, who plays Tony. “That’s the simplest way to put it. … He’s got daddy’s money. And so he used some of that to try and do a get-rich scheme and build this boat. He actually is not a very good dude.”
Tony is under fire from a professor and a journalist, each trying to expose the dangers of the boat, mainly due to its rushed construction.
“I’m a news reporter that is trying to get Tony to slip up and say something so that I can cancel him in the newspaper,” said Skye Peterson, who plays Marianne. “And then I get distracted because I run into Chad, because I still feel guilty. I haven’t worked through my problems about leaving that guy.”
Chad, played by Jonathan Tutewohl, is a waiter who is “looking for chicks” a few months after being left at the wedding altar by Marianne.
“They’re still bitter,” Tutewohl said. “They act like things are fine when they first meet. They’re like, ‘Hey, what’s up,’ but it’s very obvious. They’re both lying to each other the whole time.”
Despite the ongoing drama on the boat, one character stays chipper throughout almost the entire show. That’s Jackie, who is known for her catchphrase “Hey! Hey!”
“She’s the lounge singer on the boat,” said Allison Norton, who plays Jackie. “She also is mother to the twins, Ben and Lisa. She starts off the show with Tony. She wants to marry him and is waiting for him to propose. Then she bumps into Ted and kinda is oblivious to the fact that Ted likes her.”
Artistic Director Paul Johnson specifically put the student actors in roles that contrast their real-life personalities, as a way to “test their skills as actors” and push them out of their comfort zone. One example of this is Sister Mary Downy, a nun with a gambling addiction played by junior Lucee Ecker.
“I’ve been gaining a lot more confidence in myself, which is fun,” Ecker said. “That’s probably the main thing I’m getting out of it. … I started off (my acting career) mostly doing ensemble. This is kind of my first big role.”
Senior Makia Bauer is also pushing herself out of her comfort zone in her role as twins, playing both 11-year-old Ben and 11-year-old Lisa.
“It’s very hard to switch back and forth between the voices and try to be two people at the same time,” she said. “And it’s hard to have a different personality for each one because they actually are very different. They have to progress very greatly in their character growth.”
Production team
With some help from tech director Jay Zabel, students are at the helm of the technical side of the production.
Senior Ella Chappius has been stage manager for the last three years, which she said has taught her life skills.
“It’s taught me how to be flexible and take charge when I need it and then also back off when somebody else needs to take charge,” she said. “And I’ve learned how to be not so strong-headed and stubborn with what I want to do and the way I want to do it and taking somebody else’s suggestion because theirs is probably better than mine.”
She said this is a challenging show.
“It’s very tech-heavy show, so all the lights, all the sound, all the moving parts of it have to go through me or my system,” she said.
This winter the FHS theater lost its tech expert when Mark Tousignant died.
Anna Yetzer has been learning the sound booth.
“I knew how to do like microphones and stuff, but then I had to learn how to clip all the sound effects and stuff,” she said.
Lydia Lueken has been learning the lights.
“I feel like it’s nice to be able to contribute a little bit more, rather than just pushing a button during the show. And then I get to kind of have my own input into the show,” she said.
The students will be at the back of the Michael J. Hanson Performing Arts Center in the tech booth during each show. That tech booth is being dedicated to Tousignant at a later date.
TICKETS & SHOWTIMES “Disaster!” is playing at Faribault High School Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for seniors and students. Tickets can be purchased at FaribaultFalcons.com or at the door. 557d677d-6cba-4705-8da7-c0334d4d1d8f
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