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Seeking ‘Fame’ at JWMS

REGIONAL

The struggle to become a star while battling one’s insecurities is what stands to make John Winthrop Middle School’s (JWMS) musical production of Fame Jr. a show that is both riveting and relatable, with plenty of talent on display.

Compared to last year’s production of Annie Jr., Fame Jr. opens up its main cast to include a greater ensemble of actors in varying roles of focus.

“We had a lot of strong kids that could play leading roles, and so it opened up a lot more opportunity [for the students]” said Laura Traver, who is the co-director of the production with Brendan Calamaro. “This is more of a vignette show where it kind of covers little stories from different groups of people.”

As an 80s classic, Fame Jr. may not only give parents in the audience a bit of nostalgia, but the energetic show will be a decidedly different one from Annie Jr., as is an important aspect of musicals at JWMS.

“The goal is to give some diversity to the kids, too, in their educational experience,” said Traver. “Annie is a classic musical which you just have to do, and then Fame is much more of a pop rock musical…We felt like we needed to switch it up.”

The show takes place between 1980 to 1984, following students of various artistic disciplines throughout their experience at a performing arts school as they endure their own personal struggles. Compared to Valley Regional Musical Productions’ showing of The Wizard of Oz this year, Fame Jr. does not shy away from its heavier plot. The members of the show’s 7th- and 8th-grade ensemble have certainly done their homework on their characters.

“I feel like our plot is a little more complex because it's from different like point of views with the different characters, and there's a lot more like integrated discussion and a heavier plot,” said Charlie Parker, who plays Ms. Greta Bell.

One of the heavier topics dealt with in the show is the struggle with one’s weight. This is the situation for the character of Mabel Washington, who is played by Jahnie Maignan.

“As a dancer, she's constantly worrying about her weight and how she can dance…while she’s also a bigger dancer,” said Maignan. “Her main goal is to tackle that problem throughout the musical.”

Zuzu Ray, who plays the “very confident” Carmen Diaz, decided to go deeper in her own character study to uncover multiple layers to her character.

“I wanted her to be kind of more insecure and overcompensating for that with her confidence,” said Ray. “On the surface, she’s like, ‘Oh, I want to be famous. I want this. I want that. I want people to love me.’ But on the inside, I think she really just is seeking people's approval, which is something we can all relate to.”

Fortunately for the actors, feelings opposite of their characters are instilled in them during rehearsals. The excitement of rehearsing provides an outlet for the students following a stressful day at school and helps them build their personal confidence.

“I think it’s also starting to bring a lot of people closer together because I started to get closer with a lot of people that I usually didn’t talk to,” said Leila Ertic, who plays the teacher Mrs. Meyers. “I think that we started to get closer and I think a lot of people can relate to that.

Bo Rice, who plays the slickly named Joe Vegas, can attest to this. Throughout the process of preparing for the show, Rice has become friends with castmate Cullen Rotella, who plays the character Schlomo Metzenbaum.

“I didn’t know Cullen Rotella at all until a few weeks after auditions,” Rice said. “Now we're close friends!”

Even with the show’s heavy topics, the cast members hope that the audience recognizes the hard work they’ve put into the performance, see the topics as universal, and take note of camaraderie they’ve developed while trying to portray a triumphant portrait on the stage.

“I really just hope to convey a message of positivity,” said Emily Collins, who plays Miss Esther Sherman.

“I feel like it's a good takeaway to realize that it's a real world with real issues…All of these topics shouldn't be so hush-hush,” said Parker.

Performances of Fame Jr. will be staged at Valley Regional High School (VRHS) on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23. Tickets can be purchased at the JWMS main office, at VRHS, or by calling 860-526-9546.