Monacan High School - Legend Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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Sweet Apple Patriotism Troy Peple asks the teen- agers of Sweet Apple what they do for amusement in their town while Frank Coleman, portraying a monu- ment, hears all. Placed on a Pedestal With Characteristic Aloof- On the Spot. Surrounded by the cast, Paul Hundley ness — Conrad Birdie seems far away as his ador- realizes he is still on TV after Tim Sweeney punched ing fans recite the revered pledge. Troy Peple out of jealousy for Kim MacAfee. Bye, Bye Birdie 31

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“We love you, Conrad. Oh, yes we do!” What do the words, ‘‘teeny boppers,”’ “twisting,’’ and ‘‘talent’’ all have in com- mon? All relate to a musical presented by the Act | Company May 6-9 entitled ‘‘Bye, Bye, Birdie.”’ The show directed by Mrs. Robin Park- er, clearly depicted an era of America’s past known as ‘“‘The Fifties.’’ The setting of a small town, Sweet Apple, Ohio, proved to be the perfect place to learn about the feelings and concerns of Ameri- can teenagers as well as adults at this time. “Bye, Bye, Birdie’ revolved around a publicity manager, his secretary girl- friend, and the rock’n roll star they man- age. Albert, played by Paul Hundley, and Rosie, played by Lucinda Olofson. devel- op a scheme to promote Conrad Birdie, a star recently drafted, played by Troy Pe- ple. The large cast combined their acting, singing, and dancing talents fantastically. Many specialized talents were used throughout the musical such as a voice impression of Ed Sullivan, done by Frank Coleman, who played Mr. MacAfee; the comic ability of Regina Bohlman:in her runaway Wheelchair; and the directing abilities of Allen Cocke in helping Mrs. Parker to make the musical a wonderful success. The stage crew of the musical had their hands full with the many scene changes throughout the show. With the creative use of a slide show and of a roll away cube and platform stage, the show moved fluently from one scene to another. The show was graced with authentic costumes of the past. Many closets, stores, and basements must have been searched through to have had such an abundance of fifth-ish outfits. The one costume that stood out the most was Conrad Birdie’s gold rock’n roll jumpsuit, which was made by Eileen George. Also, a student orchestra directed by Mr. Dwight Graham accompanied the play, and they added to the feeling of being ata live broadway musical! A key to success? Well, not really. Although ‘‘Bye, Bye, Birdie’ was a great success, Troy Peple nods off while David Foreman presents the key of Sweet Apple to him. 30 Bye, Bye Birdie Hey, look me over. After a razzie dazzle dance number, Connie Smith, is given the once over by Paul Hundley while his mother, Jenny Jones gives an approving glance. Gushing Geyser. Upon opening a can of brew, Troy Peple thrills the audience with a cascading gush of beer while Jay Otero looks on.

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Transylvania tyrant finds victim Dracula, that Transylvanian tyrant, left his hometown and embarked upon a world-wide search for his next victim. He was devishly delighted to come upon Monacon’s Theatre of the Performing Arts because here he found multitudes of people who were overcome by his beguil- ing mannerisms and his hypnotic powers. He was lucky enough to feast on these willing audiences last February 18-21 with great help from the other cast mem- bers in Monacan’s Act | Company’s pre- sentation of Count Dracula which was writt en by Ted Miller and was produced and directed by Ms. Robin Parker. Dracula, portrayed by Danny Sloan, had a perfect setting in which to do his dasterdly deeds. The setting was a dark and musty mental institution in England. This setting, and the character’s English An 32 Dracula Mama Sings the Blues spree accents, all added to the somber authen- ticity of the play. Along with the scenery, the costumes worn by each actor and ac- tress seemed to reflect the individuality of the character. Dracula’s flowing black cape seemed to symbolize the evil- ness in him while the hospital pajamas worn by the wonderfully wacky mental pa- tient, Renfield, portrayed by Allen Cocke, definitely stated the comical kind of ele- ment he was to take in the play. The special effects were simply as- tounding. An ominous fog drifted upon stage each time Dracula was to appear. Trapdoors were used frequently and ef- fectively in making Dracula’s entrances and exits seem more unexpected. The transformation of Dracula into a bat was skillfully done when a bat actually ap- peared and flew out into the audience. } Y The audience greeted this charming creature with shrieks of terror and then laughed in amusement. The final scene, which was the murder of Dracula, was well executed. The ramming of the stake into Dracula’s heart and then the illusion of him vanishing into nothingness literally stunned the audience. All in all, ‘‘Count Dracula’ was excel- lent in every respect. The acting was once again very believable and tastefully done. Along with the actors and ac- tresses, many hours of work went into those performances by others who were on specific crews, and their work was successfully culminated and seen in all performances of this play. Count Dracula was Certainly a scream to see! xen ‘i ae ‘-