It’s the bee’s knees and the cat’s meow, complete with flappers and bootleggers and the vice squad coming after them. That’s the premise of Nice Work If You Can Get It, this year’s musical presented by Indian Lake High School.
The cast and crew invites the community to join them for a night of nostalgic music and big laughs this weekend, when they perform Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, Mar. 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Wilma Jacobs Performing Arts Auditorium.
With words and music by George and Ira Gershwin, the musical premiered on Broadway in April 2012. And the relative newness of it is one of the main reasons Tracey Notestine, director, chose the show.
“It hasn’t been done in this area,” Notestine said. “And, last I checked, we’re the only school in Ohio doing it.”
It also fit the group of performers she had available. And with 45 cast members on stage, that was a tall order. Approximately 15 other students are helping run the show behind the scenes.
The musical tells the story of a tough-as-nails bootlegger named Billie Bendix and soon-to-be-married playboy Jimmy Winter. ILHS seniors Adeline Robinson and Daniel Wahl, respectively, took on those roles with style and strong vocals.
Jimmy is supposed to finally settle down with Eileen Evergreen, the self-proclaimed finest interpreter of modern dance, played enthusiastically by junior Riley Ross.
Of course, nothing goes as planned, love is in the air, and Billie, unfortunately, decided to hide her stash of gin at Jimmy’s supposedly empty Long Island beach house. When the wedding party, the police chief, a duchess and the vice squad all show up, Billie disguises herself as a maid and madness ensues.
In this clash of elegant socialites and boorish bootleggers, the screwball comedy, reminiscent of classic films from the 1940s and 50s, pokes fun at the Prohibition era … all to the soundtrack of the Roaring 20s.
The large cast, which started rehearsing in December, also features seniors Jayden Martin (Cookie McGee), Calvin Knief (Chief Berry), Cambria Tuttle (Jeannie Muldoon) and Kayden Taylor (Max); juniors Alyssa Powell (Duchess Estonia Dulworth) and Makenna Hurley (Millicent Winter); and sophomore Crew McPherson (Duke Mahoney).
Notestine said the cast loves the show because it’s completely different from what they’ve done before. “We laugh every day because the script is so fun,” she added.
Featuring Gershwin tunes like “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” choreographer and assistant director Rebecca Taylor had a new challenge in teaching the students the dances of the era, which required thinking outside their usual choreography box.
“One of our challenges was tap dancing,” Notestine admitted. “We had to call in a favor from Holly Powers at the elementary school to teach that.”
Costuming meant finding the right color scheme for the gangster-looking vice squad, the bootleggers and the flapper girls, but costumer Billi Hurley was up for the challenge. Hurley also heads the hairstyling team, another challenge, especially in getting that 1920s flapper look.
Other volunteers who helped pull this show together are Jason Fauley, orchestra director; Ed Rogers, set design and construction; Aubrey Snapp, make-up; and all of the members of the production’s live orchestra.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased ahead of time exclusively at the Indian Lake school district website (ils-k12.org), which has a ticket box office under the athletics tab. Or you can buy them at the door with a credit/debit card only.