Director : Helen Caudill Assistant Director/Set Designer : Jenn Carlson
This show was the best one to go out on, I couldn't have planned it better and let's be honest, I ended up at Norwich an extra year because I didn't plan it. It was a culmination for me personally. I was able to act, to have a freer hand directing, and realize my own vision of the show by designing the set.
On top of all of this, La Cage showcased a spectacular cast and was a huge success. The story was risque for a military school but worth it. I think this show will go down in my memory as the one that taught me about personal freedom, integrity, and real love through George and Albin.
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Kris Thayer before the show, getting his face on and into his character... |
TOP: Ben Ableman, Rich Fenner, John Driscoll, Chris Michel, Abigayle Ross, Dana Dexter, Jason Kauffin, Shaun Miller, Gene Enriquez, and Angel Kirby.
BOTTOM: Tommy Hough, Kim Anthony, Keil Gomez, Rachel Elliott and Elysha Nelson.
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Kris, Rich and Tim Gerlach taking bows after it was all done... |
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Pierre Cotton IS Oprah Winfrey!!! |
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Ben Ableman is proof that some people were not born to do drag! |
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My "brother" Chris Michel who stole the show as Jacob... |
| Here we have Kris looking gorgeous as any queen of the show should. He is joined Liz Kennedy, Logan Potskowski, Susan Frese and Tim. |
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Another angle on the cast...
And finally... an image that will stay with you forever!
Kris and Kim...
Read on for the Norwich Guidon article about the show...
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by Christine D Millette
Norwich Guidon Copy Editor |
"The Best of Times is Now!"
How appropriate a song for a well-received play La Cage aux Folles, presented by the Pegasus Players Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, Mar. 30, 31 and Apr. 1.
The cast and crew were apprehensive of the Norwich audience's reaction to the risqué nature of the play due to its portrayal of a homosexual couple and their meeting with their soon-to-be in-laws. All turned out well, however, with three full houses and two standing ovations.
After two months of hard work in Dole Auditorium, all involved were relieved that the play was so well received by the Norwich crowd.
Norwich student Dan Johnson played George, a French nightclub owner whose lover Albin (a.k.a. ZaZa), played by Norwich student Kris Thayer, is the star of the show.
George's son, Jean-Michael, played by Gavin Crain, comes home to tell his parents that he is getting married to a girl and that her parents are ultra-conservatives who aren't particularly keen on the homosexual lifestyle.
Having one of the largest combinations of cast and crew in Pegasus Players history, space was a commodity backstage, and everyone had to work as a team to pull off the performance successfully.
The tech crew worked long hours on weekends and weekday afternoons to construct the set so that the actors would be able to use the full stage on weekday evenings and weekend mornings for rehearsals and dance practice.
Abigayle Ross worked very hard to bring the cast of mostly inexperienced dancers to a high level of performance efficiency.
While the fall semester plays most often consist of small casts of veteran players, the spring semester shows always take on a large percentage of newcomers with little or no acting experience.
This gives the show a wide range of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, Corps and civilians alike. With talented actors laying a strong base for the newcomers to follow, the entire group worked hard to make the show something to be proud of.
Each spring, on the night of the last show, Drama Prof. Helen Caudill, director of the Pegasus Players, announces the winner of the prestigious Berry Award, which is given to a student who has given many years of selfless service to the Pegasus Players.
This year's winner, which came as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about the group, went to Jennifer Carlson.
Having been involved with every show in the nine semesters she has attended Norwich, Carlson has dedicated hundreds of hours toward the success of the group. Between late nights up in Dole painting and building the sets as tech crew, to the many shows where she was assistant director trying to point the actors in the right direction, and of course the eclectic collection of characters played out on stage.
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Copyright 1999 by the President and Trustees of Norwich University. |
