In Morningside, a 15-20 minute jaunt from the city centre, there is a gem of musical theatre awaiting a larger audience.
The fine Church Hill Theatre is home to the American High School Theatre Festival during the Fringe. This particular show is by Portage Central Performing Arts from Michigan.
The musical provides another angle on the coming-of-age storyline, set here in a Catholic school. The initial statement that there is Catholic and public sets the tone for what is hopefully a parody of the educational experience.
The priest (Grant Miars) and the two sisters (Anna Mundo & Liz Perry) are very credible in the adult roles while the students are very good as seven year olds and later as high school students.
Chase Maser as Felix Lindor is highly watchable as the student least likely to conform while Alex Cabala gets the best of the songs. Lucas Beachler (Eddie) and Analisha (Becky) have the central roles as the flashback story unfolds as Eddie returns to his Alma Mater.
The show seemed to jump ahead very quickly and I see that a few numbers and presumably chunks of dialogue have been cut to suit a show without an interval. The graphics on the screen are really good and bring an added dimension to the production.
This show was a bit of a Broadway flop and while lacking some of the oomph of Grease I really enjoyed it and these actors deserve a wider audience.
Times: 12 August, 2.15pm; 13 August, 4.15pm; 15 August, 6.15pm