Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

WRITTEN BY: various
PERFORMED AT: Hammonsport High School, Hammondsport
PERFORMED ON: August 22, 2009
DIRECTED BY: Amber Marie Payne
ASST. DIRECTOR: Dan Williams
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Nina Warriner
PRESENTED BY: Small Pond Players
CAST:
* WOMAN #1- Sandra Williams
* WOMAN #2- Amber Marie Payne
* MAN #1- Greg Fusare
* MAN #2- David A. Scott
* GIRL- Ruby Williams
MEN:
* Caleb Forsythe
* Nick Hopkins
* Todd Crayton
* Dan Williams
* Ken Corey
WOMEN:
* Kristin Heins
* Rachel Armstrong
* Becka Thompson
* Mary Colomaio
* Nicole Jimerson
* Michelle Schaffer
* Amanda Warriner
CHILDREN:
* Emma Thompson
* Cole Thompson
* Carter Thompson
* Clara Miller
* Kylie Miller
* Rose DeCamp
* Lily Hopkins

PLOT: Various scenes from different musical comedies and dramas.

HISTORY: Desiring a Summer (or, at least, June) break from theater, I opted out of KLP's "Bye Bye Birdie" (set to perform in August) and ELT's "Into the Woods" (which auditioned in late June). I wanted to do more musicals, but wanted more to save my energy for LCP's Fall show, "Babes in Toyland".
Meanwhile, Amber (my co-star in "Golden Age of Radio", "Oklahoma", and "Christmas with Little Women") was organizing (with Dan & Sandra Williams, and Carolyn Hopkins) an independent musical revue that would illustrate the diversity of musical theater. For this task, she chose songs from six shows: "Godspell", "Hello Dolly", "Les Miserables", "Chicago", "Annie", and "Spamalot".
As the Spring ended, Amber phoned me to see if I'd like to be one of the lead performers. Songs I'd be singing would include "All Good Gifts", "Bring Him Home", "Mr. Cellophane", "Easy Street" (with Sandra and Becka), "Song That Goes Like This" (my second-ever duet with Amber), and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" (with Greg and the cast). Since rehearsals wouldn't start until mid-July, and performances wouldn't be until late August, I accepted this perhaps once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform these particular songs before a live audience.
Originally planning on an intimate six-person performance at 171 Cedar Arts in Corning, Amber eventually opted to expand the cast to twenty-four (comprising many people we'd worked with in KLP and/or its 2008 production of "Oklahoma"), and got to use the stage at Hammondsport High School. In addition to ensemble parts, the added cast members got to do solo, duet, and small group numbers as well.
The set was adorned with vertical strips of artwork designed and/or painted by Amber, Caleb, Carolyn, Daniel Roemmelt, Brett Steeves, and Michael Moretti. The art was sold in a silent auction that followed the show. Refreshments included free cake, with each cake being modeled after the different musicals featured in the revue.
Attendance for the single performance exceeded expectations, and the near-capacity crowd remained enthusiastic throughout. Audience and cast members alike felt that it was one of the best shows that Hammondsport had ever seen. I felt that I'd put on one of the best performances of my life, surely due to the support of everyone involved in the show, especially Amber. My nearly five years of renewed interest and effort in community theater had not gone unnoticed, and had truly paid off with this show.