Braving the stage
Deirdre Newman
Steve Womack is one lucky guy.
The 14-year-old Victorville resident is the only boy in the
14-member Shenanigans’ Youth Theater, which belted out a bevy of
Broadway show tunes on Wednesday afternoon on the Heritage Stage.
Then Womack’s luck suddenly ran out as he paraded onstage dressed
in a coconut bra, grass skirt, pink lei and blond wig as a girl
dressed as a male sailor crooned “Honeybun” from the musical “South
Pacific” to him.
“You’ve just got to swallow your pride and get out there,” said
Steve, good-naturedly. “I do this because it’s fun and I need the
stage discipline.”
The theater group, with members ranging in age from 10 to 15,
performed two shows Wednesday highlighting the musical history of
Broadway. The selections included songs by George Gershwin, Cole
Porter, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
One of the youngest performers, Crystal Montague, 10, of Apple
Valley, sang a spunky rendition of “I Want to Make the World Laugh”
from the show “Mac and Mabel.”
“I think it’s really fun and enjoy singing and dancing,” Crystal
said.
While Wednesday was this particular cast’s first time performing
at the fair, other ensembles from the theater group have been
entertaining Orange County fairgoers for the past six years, said
Ashlie Welte, the group’s director.
On Wednesday, the audience responded enthusiastically to the early
performance.
“I thought they were very poised and excellent,” said Christine
Roberts of West Hills. “That fellow is very brave.”
Brave? Yes. Inspiring? No, at least for 8-year-old Josh Guillen of
Santa Ana, who responded with an emphatic “no” when asked if he would
ever dress up as a girl, even if it was onstage.
* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)
574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.
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