Playing 'Pajama Game'

MASSENA — A cast of 29 students has been hitting the Massena Central High School stage to prepare for this year's spring production, "The Pajama Game," to be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the school.

Director Molly Gushea said this year's musical is set in 1954 at a pajama factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where a strike is imminent.

"Basically the story is about the union versus the man, the machine if you will. They're planning to strike if they don't get a seven-and-a-half-cent raise. They realize it is a huge deal," Ms. Gushea said.

The problem, she said, comes when the new plant superintendent, Sid Sorokin (played by Sawyer Clausen) and the head of the union grievance committee, Babe Williams (Elizabeth Mauch), fall in love.

"It's great music. Not many people know about it," Ms. Gushea said, noting that this year's production compared to some they've staged in recent years is "more simplistic."

"Unlike last year ("42nd Street")there are not tons of huge ensembles with dazzling dancing," she said. "We're low on money and we'll take donations, which is an other reason why we went with a simple show."

Auditions were held in December, and then the 29 cast members started rehearsing after the new year.

"It's a medium (cast), not large. It's a lot of new people to the theater. We have a lot of brand new kids that have never been in musicals and have big parts. That's my biggest challenge right now. But I have great veterans that are very good leaders," Ms. Gushea said.

Besides some newcomers in the cast, she said they also have a new set designer, new costumer and new person on lights this year.

"I have five great stage managers," she said.

She's also very happy with the rest of the cast.

"They are extremely dedicated students. They're just happy to be here. They're always good kids, smart and dedicated," Ms. Gushea said.

The musical will also feature an 18-piece orchestra with local musicians and some alumni. They'll be led by music director Christopher Lincoln.

This year they'll be branching out to offer more performances, she said. Instead of closed dress rehearsals, they'll have two open dress rehearsals, including one for elementary students Wednesday that she said will allow students who have never been exposed to the theater to enjoy the show.

The following night they'll have another dress rehearsal. Tickets for that are $5, but school officials are busing in senior citizens from the nursing home and senior housing complexes and letting them see the show for free. It's part of the district's new program called CASP-E-R: Community and School Programs-Education-Recreation.

"I think they'll love it," Ms. Gushea said.

Anyone who wants to see the show should get tickets ahead of time before they're sold out, Ms. Gushea said, noting there were only 1,665 tickets this year.