By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
The life of a man and his best friend – a six-foot tall, invisible white rabbit – comes to the Waterford Union High School stage this week as “Harvey.”
The show, which opened Thursday, will also be performed Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are available at the high school office for $5.
Director Leigh Birmingham said she decided to tackle the classic – Jimmy Stewart played the role of Elwood P. Dowd in the movie version, the man with the invisible friend – because it’s a challenge for her and the cast.
“I enjoy doing ensemble-based shows, and in this production, the cast has to rely on one another constantly,” Birmingham explained in an email. “The students gave up a lot of after-school time to develop their characters and memorize their lines, and I am proud of the effort they have put forth to breathe life into a classic play.
“I mean, who doesn’t love a show whose central character is a six and a half foot tall invisible white rabbit?” she asked.
It’s been a busy theater season already at Waterford. The school’s one-act play advanced to state in the fall, and many of the “Harvey” cast were involved with “Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark” at the end of February.
“I do see a lot of repeat actors,” Birmingham said. “This production felt particularly tiring as we spent several weeks rehearsing two shows at once.
“I give credit to the students who stick with it and show every bit of effort they can in each rehearsal,” she added.
Elwood will be played by Sean Steensrud, while Mikayla Sholly plays his sister Veta and Hannah Hinners plays Veta’s daughter, Myrtle May. The two are determined to commit Elwood to a sanitarium, but through a disastrous series of events, Veta ends up committed and the search begins for Elwood and his rabbit.
The rest of the cast includes: John Pink as Doctor Sanderson, Jacob Weber as Doctor Chumley, Kate Mcalonen as Nurse Ruth Kelly, Nicole Weber as Orderly Wilson, Aidan Anderson as Judge Omar Gaffney, Grace Soens as Mrs. Chauvenet, Erika Watral as Ms. Betty Chumley, Abby Fehler as Ms. Johnson and Tucker Juergens as the Cab Driver.
The ensemble includes Madie Gellings, Kelsey Thomas, Sophie Budny and Veronica Kesner.
Stage manager is Caroline Burdick, assisted by Lauren Mcalonen. Lighting designer is Summer Thornton and sound designer is Kiranjit Hari.
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