‘Pajama Game’ to take
audience back to ’50s
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Old Bridge High School students at a rehearsal Monday for “The Pajama Game.”
OLD BRIDGE — Back in the America of the early 1950s, anyone who owned a black-and-white television would be the envy of all their neighbors.
Over the next three nights, audiences inside the David Diehl Auditorium at Old Bridge High School’s west campus will travel to a midwestern pajama factory at a time when a 7.5-cent raise would have been considered a generous increase.
That’s part of the fun of "The Pajama Game," a musical comedy that shows what complications ensue when romance happens between labor and management.
The show, featuring several musical numbers from the 40 strong student ensemble, plays through Saturday night at 7:30.
CHRIS KELLY staff Josh Hemphill and fellow students work on a scene from the musical.
Old Bridge High School drama teacher Marilyn Reich, the show’s
director chose "The Pajama Game" as the school’s spring musical in part to showcase the theatrical talents of many students.
"There’s a lot of ensemble numbers," Reich said. "This show gives a lot of opportunities for different characters to sing a song."
Most well-known Broadway musicals include only one ensemble piece for the female chorus, whereas "The Pajama Game" features two such numbers.
A number of the high school girls participating in the play have strong vocal talents, something that Reich and Steve Updegraff, musical director, hope to highlight.
The songs, including "Hernando’s Hideaway," "Steam Heat" and "Hey There," were originally penned by composer Richard Adler and lyricist Jerry Ross.
In the story by George Abbott and Richard Bissell, the pajama factory workers, seeking a higher standard of living, are trying to negotiate a 7.5-cent raise with management. Negotiations get topsy-turvy when the company’s top floor supervisor, Sid Sorokin, falls in love with plant worker Babe Williams.
Senior T.J. Pederson plays Sid and junior Alexandra DeVincenzo plays the starry-eyed Babe.
At the same time more comical romance ensues at the factory when Gladys, a front-office secretary, starts hitting it off with Hines, the company’s "time study man." Gladys is played by senior Beth Gold, while junior Josh Hemphill portrays the detail-oriented Hines.
Reich and Sharee Becker are the choreographers for the various dance numbers.
"The Pajama Game" is a bit more nostalgic and much more light-hearted than "Footloose," the contemporary rock ’n’ roll musical that the high school staged last year, Reich said.
"I wanted to do something that couldn’t be compared to ‘Footloose,’ which was a huge success," Reich said.
"We wanted to do a golden oldie," she said. "This play goes back to the 1950s, which was a great time in Broadway musical history."
Tickets are $8 for general admission; $10 for reserved seating on Friday and Saturday night only.