By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - When the curtain rises in Carlson Lecture Hall at Brandywine Middle-High School tonight, everyone involved in the production of the school's fall musical, "Damn Yankees," will see the end result of the long hours and hard work they put in over the last two months.
The musical, which opens tonight with a show at 7 p.m., will run for four shows through Saturday evening. Shows on Friday and Saturday nights will begin at 7 p.m., while the matinee show Saturday will begin at 2 p.m.
All shows will be held in Carlson Lecture Hall at Brandywine Middle-High School. Tickets for reserved seating cost $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. General seating tickets cost $3 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens.
Since tryouts were held in mid-September, more than 35 students have labored for hours everyday after school and even some weekends to learn their lines, get the choreography down, and fix their costumes in preparation of tonight's opening performance.
The guiding force behind the students hard work is the team of director Denise Boger, the school's choir teacher, and assistant director Linda Snorek, an English teacher at the high school.
In addition to wearing the hat of director, Boger also plays the piano for every performance, choreographs each scene, and even sews some of the costumes.
But Boger, who is directing her tenth fall musical at the school, has the support of her family - literally.
Brandywine High School assistant principal Jim Boger, Denise's husband, works behind the scenes setting up the sound and lighting for the production. The sets used for the musical were created and painted by Denise's father, Richard Swanson.
Every year, Boger and her father sit down and design the sets before he builds them, Boger said.
Karole Swanson, Boger's mother, helps the students with make up during the shows and also makes some of the costumes for the students.
Due to a low operating budget, many of the students must provide their own costumes and props for the musical, Boger said.
While there are a number of seniors and juniors in the cast, Snorek said many of the cast members in this year's musical are younger than in past years.
Those students will most likely be filling the leading roles in future musicals if this year's cast is any indication. Both senior leading males began working in musicals when they were in middle school.
Senior David Ferrell, who plays the musical's protagonist, Joe Hardy, has been singing in muscials for six years since he began in the seventh grade.
Ferrell, who sings tenor in the school choir and is in the drama class, said he's attracted to the characters and plots of the musicals he sings in.
When asked about tonight's performance, Ferrell had some opening night jitters, but was confident the show would go off without a hitch.
Playing Mr. Applegate opposite of Ferrel's Joe Hardy is senior Zach Harris, a five-year veteran of the school musical. Harris began singing in musicals in the eighth grade.
Harris, who played the cowardly lion in last year's production of "The Wizard of Oz," said he wanted a change of pace by playing the musical's villain.
While displaying the same opening night jitters as Ferrell, Harris said once the show begins, his nervousness subsides.
Senior Emily Harrison, who plays the temptress Lola, the musical's female lead, welcomes the anxiety and even said she works better with it.
Harrison, who is singing in her third musical, began working as a crew member in middle school.
Harrison sings alto in the school choir and is also captain of the school equestrian team.
Despite all the nervousness and last minute adjustments, Boger is confident this year's musical will be a success, despite her worries.