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Contributed photo
Tyler Rife, Abby Brown and Noah Berry sing with the rest of the Muse Machine cast.
Contributed photo
Tyler Rife dances up a storm in the Muse Machine musical ‘‘Singing in the Rain.’’
Cast takes ‘Singing in the Rain’ in stride
Hot Topics
By Terry Morris,
Staff Writer
6:39 PM Friday, January 15, 2010
DAYTON — The Muse Machine’s 26th student musical had opened 10 minutes earlier. One level below the teeming stage, Abby Brown’s dressing room was an island of tranquility on Thursday, Jan. 14.
The production’s leading lady wouldn’t make her first appearance for several more minutes, not long before she would accidentally smack Springboro High School student Bradley Farmer with a sloppy dessert.
“I must look a whole lot more calm than I feel,” said the senior at Versailles High School, who plans to be studying worship ministry at Liberty University this time next year.
Last year at this time, she was playing another leading role, Sally, in the Muse Machine’s production of “Me and My Girl.”
“This is what I live for,” she said, sounding like other students in this year’s and previous years’ Muse shows. “This is the highlight of the year for me. This is the extracurricular activity I plan all others around.”
Overhearing Brown asked what she will do after high school, passing cast member Trevor Coran offered, “She’s going to be the most successful person you will ever know,” then gave her a hug and continued to his dressing room.
With the exception of prom night, parents of the several dozen students in the show may never see them better dressed or behaved.
“Singin’ in the Rain” is set in 1920s Hollywood. The high school boys and girls moving to and from scenes through the corridors of the Victoria Theatre wore suits, dresses, hats and nice shoes. On stage, they wielded cigars or cocktail glasses.
Directors Lula Elzy and David Dusing deserve credit for the professional atmosphere, but the students welcome the challenge of putting on a professional show.
Two of the youngest, Tyler Bates and C.J. Destefany, both 11, are already veterans of the stage.
“This is our sixth Muse show overall,” said Tyler, of Centerville. “We’ve been in five of the summer shows, but this our first musical.”
C.J., of Bellbrook, said the two boys play young Cosmo and young Don, respectively, juvenile versions in flashback of the leading male roles played by Noah Berry and Tyler Rife.
Kyle was doing it on crutches, with a broken foot.
Marisa Degel of Troy and Susan Zupp of Vandalia stood by backstage as parent volunteers.
“We’re supposed to keep the noise down and make sure they stay in the proper dressing rooms,” said Degel, who lives in the Miami East school district. “But really, these kids keep themselves in line.”
The rain, which would come pouring down on stage during the Act 1 finale featuring Rife as the Gene Kelley role of Don Lockwood, was still only a rumor.
“But once it starts, we won’t be able completely stop it for 24 hours, said Muse Machine director of student services Douglas Merk, presiding over his 14th show as producer.
The lingering drizzle is one of the quirks in the rented set, which was built for the first Broadway tour of “Singin’ in the Rain” more than 20 years ago.
Nobody really expects everything to go like clockwork in a live musical.
Merk relishes some of the departures from the ordinary. He personally suggested some of the original touches in this year’s show — including having a young passerby (Erin Donnelly of Oakwood) briefly join Rife during his dancing number in the rain.
He wore satisfied expression as he looked on stage to see Oakwood junior Noah Berry entertaining a nearly full house in the number “Make ‘Em Laugh.”
The Muse Machine’s production of “Singin’ in the Rain” will continue with a 2 p.m. performance today, Jan. 17. Tickets are $15-$52 at (937) 228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or tmorris@Dayton DailyNews.com,
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