Academy gears up for new season

Tom Titus

After winning the Super Bowl of high school musical theater, what

can the Academy of Performing Arts at Huntington Beach High School do

for an encore?

Three months ago, the academy did about as well at the annual MACY

(Music and Arts Commendations for Youth) awards ceremonies as could

be imagined. Its production of “Gypsy” walked off with the day’s top

award, carried by its two triumphant leading ladies -- Kellie Nitkin

(Mama Rose) as best actress and Katherine McLaughlin (Louise/Gypsy),

the best

supporting actress.

“Gypsy” also earned a “highest achievement” award for David

Harwell (Herbie), “outstanding achievement” honors for cast members

“D” Pull and Yvonne Sturm, as well as other individual recognition

for Evonne Sturm, Jesse Gonzales, Allison Gibbons, Madison Mitchell,

Melissa Mitchell, Mindy Patrick, Jill Prout, Rachel Scott and Nicole

Weber. The show’s ensemble and orchestra also were applauded with

trophies.

It’s a tough act to follow, but the academy’s musical theater

instructor Tim Nelson, who directed “Gypsy,” has another American

musical classic, “The Music Man,” on the schedule for next season, as

well as local audiences’ first look at “Side Show,” which opens the

season Oct. 11.

“Side Show” is a different type of entertainment, but not all that

different considering the academy produced “The Elephant Man” last

season. It’s the true story of Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton,

joined at the hip, who became stars of a sort during the Depression.

The show, told almost entirely in song, follows the twins’

progression from England to America, around the vaudeville circuit

and to Hollywood on the eve of their appearance in the 1932 movie

“Freaks.” It’s an ambitious undertaking for an equally ambitious

youth theater troupe.

Following “Side Show,” the academy returns to more conventional

fare, offering Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs” for one weekend

only, Nov. 21-24. A holiday concert is planned for Dec. 11, followed

by “Fusion 2003” ticketed for Feb. 22 and 23. Strike up the band and

warm up the 76 trombones for March 14, when Meredith Willson’s “The

Music Man” hits the Huntington Beach High School stage. One of the

most popular of American musicals, the show will run through March

23.

The second non-musical production of 2002-03 will be “The Prime of

Miss Jean Brodie,” a drama focusing on a spellbinding English

schoolteacher and the effect she has on her students. Performances

are planned for a single weekend, May 1-4.

Youth will be served May 9 and 10 when the academy presents a

Student Choreographers’ Showcase. A spring concert is planned for May

18, with the academy Finale and Gala planned for May 31, just before

next year’s MACY awards. Ticket prices for productions range from $5

to $12. Seating will be reserved for “Side Show” and “The Music Man,”

with all other shows offering festival seating. Tickets may be

ordered by calling the box office at (714) 536-2514, Ext. 302.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.