Westlake High School - Panorama Yearbook (Westlake, OH)

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79 lt is opening night at the new Westlake Theater, designed by David Beato and built by the Robert Wise Construction Company. The play is Why?, produced by Phil Richard, dec- orated by Norman Boardman, and adapted by Shirley Ruddy from Adeline Krone's novel, Why Not? As the curtain goes up, we see those famous stars, Lloyd Hoag and Sally Davis, dancing in a glittering ballroom to the music of James Garrity's Band. Just as the well-known night club singer, Constance Grugle, ste-ps up to the mike in a stunning gown designed by Delores Polansky, Gail Friedrich runs in with a gun in her hand. Seeing Sally dancing with Lloyd, she slinks over and hits Sally on the- head with the gun. As Sally falls unconscious, Gail rushes out with the policeman, Harvey Wentling, hard after her. End of first act. The second act begins in the jail, where' Gail's lawyer, Thomas G. Michelich, is trying to get Gail out of jail. While the lawyer is arguing, Bill Kohler, the Chief of Police, comes in. Following him are Caroline Hessenthaler and the newspaper reporter, Bernice' Biltz. After Gail is put into her cell, everyone leaves except Gail and Bill. As the night wears on, Bill falls asleep. Soon there is a tapping on Gail's cell window. Looking out, she sees her friend, Leonard Thomse-n, who runs a very respectable bar on the outskirts of the town. Leonard breaks the window, and Gail escapes. Leonard takes her to the bar, where Patricia Stanich serves them milk, and they watch Rachel Cooley and Dorothy Harvey dance. End of second act. Intermission. As intermission begins, we hear the voice of Fred Harbath selling flash- lights in the balcony. Before the' theater lights are all on, Gary Greive, the theater mana- ger, charges down the aisle and throws out Richard Runser, a rubber band manufacture-r, who has been shooting spit wads. When the lights are on, we look around and see Dolores Harvey, who is president of the local Busine5smen's Association, Shirley Heckerman, who sells engagement rings at a shop in New York, Eric Moeller, who is head of the Moe's De- partment Stores, Dorothy Wentling and Dorothy Siferdin, who manage the Dorothys' Beauty Salon, and the play critic, Miriam Hessenthaler. Everybody is running for a seat, the lights are going out, and the last act begins. The scene is at the wedding of Lloyd Hoag and Sally Davis. When the act begins, we- hear Roger Richards singing hillbilly songs and see on one side Sally's mother, Pat Humpal, crying softly, and on the other side, Lloyd's mother, Arline Klaameyer, crying loudly. As we- look up farther, we see that the preacher, Kenneth Kauffman, who is ready, and that the maid of honor, Arlene Hanzely, is crying, and that the bridesmaids, Doris DeSimoni, Agnes Hart, and Clare Diesler, are very ne-rvous. Now we hear Lois Fischer singing to the accom- paniment of Donna Rempher on the organ. As the tying words are spoken, we- look to the back of the church and see Gail and Leon- ard sitting very quietly. Just then, Gail's lawyer comes in and tells them Gail is free. When they hear this, Leonard and Gail run out of the church to the house around the corner, where they are- married by the Justice of the Peace, Allan Pohlman, with his wife as a witness. As the curtain goes down, and amid the applause of the audience, we leave the theater. Outside, we see Juanita McDaniel sleeping in the ticket box. ,We wake her, and agree that the theate-r's opening night was a grand success. twenty

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