“There’s a killer in the house” at Clarion University Theatre’s production of “Scary Musical the Musical” which opens at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Little Theatre of Marwick-Boyd. The show will run at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 18, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.
The show is a new musical send-up of the classic horror movies about high school students being terrorized by an unknown killer. Elements from such iconic films as “Psycho,” “Halloween,” “Scream” and others are given an affectionate nod as the cast sings and dances its way, trying to figure why a killer is targeting the drama club students at Vera Miles High School in Hidden Secrets, USA, where high school “can be murder!”
Written by Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro, the production lampoons well-known films and musical genres from Burt Bacharach to NSYNC. The composer, Michael Paternostro is a friend and former student of director/choreographer professor Marilouise “Mel” Michel of Clarion’s theater program. Paternostro’s career includes performing in many Broadway shows, including the original casts of “Fosse” and the revival of “A Chorus Line.” The students were able to meet and work with Paternostro during the first week of rehearsal.
The cast includes senior musical theater major Victoria Heckert of Red Lion as Jamie Leigh Lee; junior students Nathan Bunyon of Collegeville, Justin Baumgarten of Philipsburg, and Betsy Novotony of Homestead as Jason Cravin, Norman Hates and Leeza Coutney Fox, respectively; sophomore students Daniel LaMond of North Beach, Maryland, and Lindsay Smelcer of Bensalem as Freddy Loussier and Carrie Beige, with theater minors Niki Bedford of Harrisburg and freshman Ally Gillen of Haverford rounding out the cast.
Understudies are freshman theater majors Kylie Judy of Franklin, Kevin Bradley of Shippenville and Dante Engelmann of Munson. Judy and Bradley are also serving as dramaturgs, who help make sure the historical elements are true to the films that inspired them.
The spooky lights are being created by senior tech theater major Thomas Feather of Windber, and eerie props will be designed by senior tech theater major Courtney Chaplin of McMurray. The creepy sound effects are being handled by freshman tech theater major Ben Fye of Woodland. The set and costumes designers are Clarion faculty members Ed Powers and Myra Bullington.
Guest musical director Garrett Smelcer is handing the musical direction and conducting the pit band, which includes Robert Bullington on guitar, Andrew Stanish of Pittsburgh on bass and Jordan
Weeter of Cranberry on the drums.
This show is intended for adult audiences. Tickets are $12 and available at http://www.clarionuniversitytickets.com/events/.