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Poland Players director marks 30th show
POLAND
Candy Fonagy has 670 kids – well, “play” kids.
That’s the number of students who have been part of the Poland Players, the high school’s theater group, since Fonagy became director in fall 2001.
“Once you’re one of my play kids, you’re my play kid for the rest of your life,” she said.
All past and present Players (and audience members) are invited to a reunion April 17. The date aligns with a performance of the Players’ spring show, “Cyrano de Burger Shack,” a modern retelling of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 “Cyrano de Bergerac.”
The modern “Cyrano” (set in a burger joint) tells the story of the eponymous character (played by Brendan Gage) and his love for his best friend, Roxanne (played by Kate Landry). Roxanne, however, is in love with Christian (played by Seth Hammond), who boasts a dreamy appearance but is “dumb as a rock,” Fonagy said.
Cyrano, on the other hand, doubts himself because of his appearance. Instead of pursuing Roxanne, he uses his poetic skill to help Christian.
“Needless to say, she finds out that Cyrano has been doing this, feels betrayed and gets mad at them both,” Fonagy said. “But in the end ... because of all the beautiful things he says to her as Christian, she realizes it was Cyrano speaking from his own heart.”
The story, of course, ends up happily every after. The twist throughout the play is that the musical numbers are all contemporary pop songs by artists such as Bruno Mars, Carly Rae Jepsen and Katy Perry.
“They modernize the story well. It sounds like teenagers talking. It isn’t dumbed down,” Fonagy said. “It’s a very intelligent, witty version of the
great classic. It’s funny, and people are going to be really entertained.”
The show is at 7 p.m. April 14 and 15, and 2 p.m. April 17.
“Cyrano” also marks another event: Fonagy’s 30th show as director. Reflecting on that milestone, she said she’s filled with pride.
She’s proud that “with these kids, we could draw that number of people and that diversity of students. We’ve had everything in here from your typical play kid to athletes. We’ve had the starting quarterback in the play; the band; the academic challenge team; NHS; the valedictorian,” she said.
She’s also proud of what they all have done together: “All those lives touched mine, and I got to touch theirs.”
Sitting in the back row of the auditorium during an afternoon rehearsal, she recalled some of the most memorable moments from previous shows. “It’s like asking who’s your favorite kid,” she joked.
One that came to mind was “A Christmas Carol” in 2004.
“There was something just magical about it from the beginning,” she said, recalling one instance when John Sweeney (who played Scrooge) ran into rehearsal late, and jumped on stage to recite his lines in the middle of an emotional graveside scene.
“I wasn’t breathing. None of us were,” she said.
She looks forward to reuniting with former Players, saying it will be “like seeing family.”
“I want to acknowledge the support of all the people who help us do this,” she said “The parents, the community, the administration.”
She also thanked her husband, Bill. “Without his support, I could do not do this job.”