The story begins in New York where Bobby Child, a banker’s son, is trying to make a life for himself as a Broadway star if he can just get Director Bela Zangler’s attention. When he crashes and burns in front of Zangler, his disappointed, controlling mother threatens to cutoff his allowance if he doesn’t go foreclose on a little theatre out west in Deadrock – a town almost as lively as its name. The liveliest person in Deadrock is Polly Baker, a young woman whose widowed father likes to reminisce about Polly’s mother on stage at their old, closed-down theatre. When Polly hears that a guy named Bobby Child is being sent from the bank to foreclose, she’s ready for him. But Bobby isn’t expecting Polly…

Sean Zortman plays Bobby in Central York High School’s big spring musical. Sean gets the audience behind him as the soft-spoken, pushed-around nice guy still determined to try to live his dream. He finds New York to be a tough town, and Deadrock has its own local lessons to learn, but he’s game to try. And when he immediately falls in love with a woman who immediately hates him? Well, you just keep trying for the dream. Even if it means putting on a disguise and trying to pass himself off as the one man Polly thinks can save her theatre – the great Bela Zangler. Emily Shuff is Polly, a good-hearted person who seems willing and able to rip out the hearts of anyone who would lay a hand on her theatre. Emily has a lovely voice for her ballads and a strong personality for her fights as she goes after what she wants. Emily and Sean work well together, especially in Embraceable You as Polly aggressively goes after Zangler in disguise, causing some amusing reactions from Bobby/Zangler.

Darrian Rivera is Bela Zangler who delivers half of one of the best scenes in the show when he mirrors a Zangler-disguised Bobby in What Causes That, the two of them mimicking each other with style, humor, and accuracy. Abby Snook is hilarious as Bobby’s long-time fiancé Irene who drops Bobby with gusto when she becomes a Naughty Baby for Deadrock’s bar owner (Aaron Lewis), hog-tying him, riding him horsey-back, and otherwise seducing him, eventually leading one of the local cowboys to hold up half of the previously broken “Hotel” sign – the part that just says “HOT.” Hope Stone is an overbearing mother to Bobby, and Mike Rowland is a wistful, sentimental father of Polly. As Tess, the charming Kelsey Smith gets hit on by Zangler while joining the ever-cheery Sabrina Manno in leading the Follies girls in the show’s several big dance numbers.

Performed February 28 - March 2, 2008.

More production photos...

Rob Hopper
Executive Director
National Youth Theatre

~ Cast ~

 

 

Male Ensemble: